MetaChat - What is something that you do every day,

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03 July 2013

What is something that you do every day, or almost every day, to calm/recharge yourself/get back on an even keel?→[More:]My sister does yoga, and if she goes without it for more than a day she gets cranky. She calls it "re-centering" herself.

Reading is what I do; as an introvert, I need the alone time to recharge myself, and I like to read for an hour or so, sometimes at a restaurant bar.

My father used to do the same thing, without the book but with a beer or two (never more than that). He said that relaxation helped him enormously in facing the challenges in life.

My friend is religious and prays 3 times a day, including when he wakes up and such. Although he'd never think of it as getting back on an even keel, I think it has the same effect.

My other friend goes jogging. Another plays the piano.

What do you do?

post by: Melismata at: 15:29 | 23 comments

I read. I do logic puzzles. I pet my dog. I watch TV and travel and just plain hang out with my husband. And I run and lift weights and do yoga.

posted by bearwife 03 July | 15:39

I do all but the traveling daily -- the exercise type varies day to day.

posted by bearwife 03 July | 15:40

I typically light my candles and incense (about twice a day, once in the morning when I get up and then again before I go to bed) as a way of keeping the magickal in the mundane. (The candles do go into the utility closet overnight even though Anubis has never bothered them while they are on their altars.)

posted by sperose 03 July | 15:58

I read too. I always have my Kindle with me, and there's nothing I like more than losing myself in a book and allowing the characters in a novel to take me out of myself for a while.

posted by Senyar 03 July | 16:07

I clap a few times in each room of my apartment.

Clapter is the best medicine.

Also there are sparrows that hang out on the fire escape, usually when I hear them I pretend they're my mom so I can talk to her again and it feels like she's listening. This soothes me greatly.

posted by Hugh Janus 03 July | 16:34

Oh yeah, I also practice guitar, that puts my mind in a very meditative state, even when I sing along. I can really process a lot while I play.

posted by Hugh Janus 03 July | 16:37

Reading. Most of my reading is done on the train (where I spend ~2 hours a day) and it helps me to unwind from the day. The introduction, though, of free WiFi on the trains means I spend the morning commute mostly on the Internet which doesn't relax me much.

posted by dg 03 July | 17:48

I walk my dogs. Our morning walks are the best part of my day.

posted by workerant 03 July | 18:04

Running and reading. I get antsy if I don't run every other day or so.

posted by gaspode 03 July | 18:55

I consider doing the dishes my mindfulness meditation for the day, just totally immersing myself in the sounds of flowing water, clinking glasses, and the touch sensations of plates, forks, and the soapy sponge. When people ask me about mindfulness, I always say the world would be a calmer place if we all got rid of our dishwashers. :)

posted by Twiggy 03 July | 19:14

I spend time every morning with the bunny, letting him run around and he snuggles me when he's tired of running around. (I get up a half hour earlier each day for "bunny time". :) )

I generally read on my nook or iphone while he's running around.

posted by needlegrrl 03 July | 20:01

I start coffee in the morning as soon as possible after rising. I don't have to drink it immediately though, just start it. After that, my day is thoroughly unstructured, and that itself is becoming problematic.

posted by Ardiril 03 July | 20:26

1) Yoga
2) Miles and Miles of Walking
3) An Addiction The New York Times Crossword While Drinking Coffee (I just got the crossword app for iPad and I really like it)

posted by rollick 03 July | 20:46

I practice dermatillomania and sometimes trichotillomania.

posted by serena 03 July | 22:27

but only when it itches. Which, of course, is every day.

posted by serena 03 July | 22:28

I used to have a lovely bird that I spent time with. She died. But now I'm watching my mom's dog while she's visiting family in Chicago. So I roll around with him on the floor.

Soon I will have two birdies to take care of.

Pets are the best for recharging. Trust me.

posted by Splunge 04 July | 00:27

Reading is very much the only thing that I do every day, out of necessity for remaining sane.

Aerobic exercise very much helps, as does meditation, but I'm flaky about keeping either of them up.

I tend toward the extreme introvert end of the spectrum, so, really, just spending time by myself is a very effective means to recharge. Even if that time is just spent staring at the ceiling, it helps.

posted by occhiblu 04 July | 00:29

TV. Sad to say, I realize, but TV can almost always make me feel better. It's always on, too. I even fall asleep to it.

posted by Pips 04 July | 00:49

I become master of my own domain. Sometimes twice.

posted by Thorzdad 04 July | 07:22

I knit. And I spin. It is very relaxing.

posted by fancyoats 04 July | 15:32

Wool-spinning, fancyoats (not bicycle spinning)? Me too! Fiber arts ROCK. I knit or sew when I'm not reading.

posted by Melismata 05 July | 10:17

Mostly I read. I've been trying to get back into playing my guitars again after a decades long hiatus. I'm trying to do it right; actually reading the music and putting notes together.

For other really stressful times at work I'll do zentangle or sumi-e.

posted by lysdexic 05 July | 12:05

I blip.

posted by Doohickie 05 July | 12:10

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