Three Things That Always Make Me Feel Better

Sometimes little things can pile up and as much as I try to be positive, if I am not careful the stresses can begin to blind me of hope.  These past couple of weeks have been a bit intense in my life with issues at work rising due to mass layoffs, dealing with the aftermath of a car accident among other things.  I got caught up in the stresses and was beginning to feel the tension building.  Then we had a massive storm and during it I got drenched several times and when I got home I was about to have a pity party when a thought came to my mind and the idea for this post, “what can I do to make myself feel better?”  Below are three things that never fail in picking up my spirits.

Sitting across from Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament gives me instant relief.  Many times I have turned to him when life feels overwhelming and instantly my mood changes.  Sitting in silence having him there physically present changes my perspective from self to Jesus.  Most of the time he brings scripture to my mind, usually a verse perfect for my situation. Other times when my soul is too tumultuous to listen I pray the rosary and slowly decade after decade my soul quiets.  In really difficult times I cry and I always picture myself with my head on his lap he caressing my head letting me release my torment.  However strong my woes, I always leave the chapel with more hope in my heart.

Walking with Dollar.  You don’t know how many times I've taken my dog on walks so that I could talk with God.  There’s a park near my home, where I love to let my dog run free and while he runs wild in ecstasy, I usually have the deepest conversations with God.  I am a big believer in tears and their power to cleanse and I often apply this therapy.  Before my brother died I rarely cried (I had a hard heart), afterward I was given the gift of tears – at least that’s the explanation that most makes sense to me (smile).

Writing, when my thoughts get troubled I need to give them space to sort out; a blank piece of paper gives me that space. I think because growing up I didn't have my own physical area (in our overcrowded apartment) a journal functioned as my safe haven.  My own private room a place to scream, experience and express those unpleasant thoughts.  To this day when I am really troubled I grab a pen and paper and share everything.  They are powerful written prayers that always give my Martha Spirit a sense that I have done something about the problem.  You'd be surprise how writing down everything that is going through my mind without censorship, just getting everything out no matter how dark usually leads me to the root of trouble and once I have identified the problem I can then work on a solution.

The three techniques I have described above can really be summed in one word, prayer.  Prayer always lifts my spirit. The type of prayer that I do usually has to do with what I need most at that moment.  Sometimes I just need to be in the presence of God through the Blessed Sacrament, at other times I need to be out in nature with my best animal friend, still others I need to release a storm of words that are begging to be sorted.  These three types of pick-me-uppers are things that I can do on my own freely at any given moment.  Next time I will share three things that refresh my spirit that involve others because as much as I love my alone time God created us to be in community with other people. After all we are here to help and encourage one another always imitating Christ.