Chicken Noodle Soup For Your...Soul?

[RabbitHoleLost]

I guess. But less lame.

I know a lot of us have coping methods for when a day doesn't go particularly as planned or maybe you're just feeling bummed or maaaaybe you just had a hard work week and you're gonna make your weekend off all about you!
Because you deserve it!

What kind of things do yo do for yourself?

For example, on particular days I need to decompress myself (or when I'm on a downward arch of my bipolar cycles), I tend to grab McDonalds (DON'T YOU JUDGE ME) and sit in bed watching shoujo anime.
I rarely do either thing unless I'm really upset/emotionally fragile, but it seems to give me back a little bit of my mind.

[Oneris]

I like to sleep the bad experiences off, replacing memories of doing badly on tests with the terror of escaping from a stampede of Utahraptors feathered with Wal-mart greeting cards or the thrill of excavating an extradimensional locker filled with a cardboard Egyptian tomb from the plaster that somehow flooded the elementary school art classroom. My dreams are weird. :smallsmile: And most end up with me somehow dead, whether it be from suffocating in poison gas and packing peanuts thrown from a hotel balcony or drowning in an ocean of invisible water trying to explore the Mariana Trench because I could finally see to the bottom. Not sure what that says about my psyche. Or my sense of self preservation.

[CynicalAvocado]

two words.


pop
punk

[Crow]

I play with my dogs, take them for some sprints and try to win, talk to them in a stupid cute voice. Nothing can brighten my day quite like a husky smile.

If he's around, I'll feed some peanuts to the blue jay that lives nearby. It's hard to not brighten up when a little bird is eating out of your hand like you are some kind of disney princess.

To wrap things up I grab some random stuff from the fridge and pantry, throw them on a plate and grab a beverage. Then I just put the tailgate down on my truck and have a picnic for myself (in my driveway, sad I know).

[Jaycemonde]

One coping mechanism I have is adopting a sort of android persona that forces me to suppress emotional responses to things and instead act as rationally as I can while remaining polite in the face of jerkbags playing games while angry, since that seems to improve my performance tenfold. Not while angry at the game, of course. That just makes me screw up.

I also like to get fast food.

My most common and effective coping mechanism is to listen to music, though, particularly stuff like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUb4gY_Dkbw). [Potential noise warning, stereo sound required or it sound really off.]
Funny thing, that album has so many nonstandard characters in it that the only ones that can parse in its download URL are "vrladsudgirl". That's actually a really common thing for this artist, especially in recent years.

[ghost_warlock]

I really need to work on my coping skills. Thankfully, other than ennui and mild loneliness, my life isn't really stressful these days.

To actually answer the question, I usually find that certain songs help. The other day, when I was feeling a bit down, I started cracking up laughing when a coworker started playing Bangles and then Tiffany on her iphone. Girly 80's pop ftw. This song (http://youtu.be/nNDMEVJzvfQ?list=FLali9_ToACpW9NY5D6r5hoA) also tends to at least get a genuine smile out of me (warning: ponies).

Otherwise, I tend to rely on escapism via video games.

[Asta Kask]

I pet the cat. He purrs. I feel better.

[Castaras]

Cats are good for making me feel better. Two neighbours cats are adorable and silly and friendly, so fun to laugh at their antics or cuddle them. Although Buckley likes to drool, and Sari likes to knead you with claws out.

Other than that... cuddles. Cuddles from boyfriend make life 1000x better.

And computer games. I generally try and play relaxing ones because ones that I enjoy that are fast pace make me angry.


Also, hot bubble baths are godly. Especially when you grab a ziplock bag, put a kindle in it, and read in the bath. Divine.

edit: and how could I forget food? Preferably something very cheesy, with melted cheese. Mac cheese is fantastic. As are cheese toasties.

[Rain Dragon]

Chicken Soup for the Soul is a rather popular set of books in my area it seems...

As for coping, I usually try to deal with the source of the issue. Sometimes I will meditate; try to clear my mind of all things, or perhaps just focusing on breathing or picturing all the negative energies leaving my body in the form of clouds to name a few. (Someone once said it'd be awkward if you opened your eyes afterward to notice it had become suddenly overcast.)

Sometimes I will eat sushi. I used to eat fast foods or high sugared foods, but it seems in my boring adulthood I can't eat much sugar or red meats without feeling a bit ill afterwards. Ah well, I like sushi. Very occasionally, I will garden but most of the things there only need about five minutes a day (a little longer through summer) most days anyway.

Most often and most successfully when at home, I play video games. Unfortunately, I cannot do this at work. I can read a chapter of a book, put on music or do a quick sketch at work, though.

Wearing my favourite clothes or spiking my hair or putting it up in a death hawk can alleviate some stress even if I'm not planning on going out that day. Alternatively, wearing clothes I don't mind getting cat hair on and bothering one of the purry cats for a while is also very good. It's really hard to stay sad when a purring feline is curled up next to me it seems.

In almost all situations where I am not feeling the best, I try to go somewhere I can be alone. I'm one of those strange types which find company often worsens the issue rather than helps. Sometimes though, it's best to hang out with or talk to the sort of friends who are plain good company. Very occasionally, I can even talk to them about problems if they are the sort of problems that really need talking about.

EDIT - Oh yes. Exercise helps as well. As does a nice shower or a swim. ^^

[Thufir]

If something has me really down, I usually just try to block it out until I feel better. So I do things which are some mix of mindless and requiring a lot of attention so my brain is either largely switched off and not thinking about anything or too focused on what I'm doing to think about the negative stuff I'm getting away from. So archive binging a webcomic can work (focus on the storyline, mindless repetitive action of click next, scroll down while reading, click next again...); playing video games (I generally do go for faster paced ones as they distract me more. They can make me angry, but that again is good as distraction; also better to spend my anger on a game than on whatever else is bothering me that I can't do anything about); maybe I remember some amusing past conversation and spend an hour or so searching through old facebook posts looking for it, finding a bunch of other stuff which amuses me along the way.

If I'm less extremely down and just want to cheer myself up a bit, the same stuff still applies, but also I have a folder of photos on my computer specifically collected for the purpose of cheering me up, and then of course there are plenty of DVDs I could pick out. Also music. There's a general theme here of pretending the outside world doesn't exist for a while.

[Haruki-kun]

I browse the Internet a lot, but since I have a laptop sometimes what helps me is doing so elsewhere. I like to grab all my stuff and head to my favorite coffee house and just sit there for a few hours. The ambient is nice and the coffee's flowing. Sometimes as an alternative, instead of taking a laptop I take my friends with. :smalltongue:

Another thing I could do back when I lived up north was take a towel to a park and lie down while reading. Not possible for a variety of reasons anymore, though. Weather being one of them.

[Aedilred]

I'll have you know that the title of this thread induced me to go and get some chicken soup for dinner.

I hope you're all pleased with yourselves.

[Septimus Faber]

Myself, once I get past the scathing internal monologues, I tend to read or to write. The way I see it, I should take every opportunity I can get to hone my skills, and some of the best inspiration comes from adversity... Admittedly, so do tears and hatred.

Also, I listen to metal. *headbangs*

... What can I say? I have eclectic tastes.

[factotum]

If I'm feeling really down the best thing I can do is just go and have a snooze for a couple of hours--anything else gives me a chance to think about things and that almost invariably makes things worse. Treats just plain don't work so I don't use them.

[EmeraldRose]

Loud metal music, rinse, repeat.

This works for me even if I'm in a place where reading and computer games do nothing or are just blah.

[sleepy hedgehog]

I sleep.
Rarely are my issues as bad as I picture them in my head. Usually some extra sleep helps me get in a better frame of mind. Also, I probably don't get enough sleep on the average night..

Additionally, depending on the weather:
I'll go hiking/camping, just to get away.
Play league of Legends until I'm ready to collapse. (This is when I'm so bothered I can't sleep).

[Rodin]

Depends on the mood.

If I'm just depressed/sad? Get outside for a walk. Nothing like a little sun and peace and quiet.

If I'm frustrated? Fighting game. Street Fighter or Guilty Gear or Smash Bros or whatever. Play a game that requires serious concentration but no actual mental thought. Grind out the frustration and after an hour or two I'm feeling better.

[Jormengand]

I stay up all night on internet forums for no real reason.

[Remmirath]

If the weather is such that it's feasible, getting out of doors almost always helps me. Depending on the nature of the problem, I might take a walk or ride my bike, or sit outside and read. Excercising in some way tends to cheer me up, although it works much better if done outdoors than indoors. Getting out into the yard and practicing with my longsword works well, or sparring if there's someone available with whom to spar.

Reading helps, nearly without fail, particularly reading books that I love and have read many times before. The Lord of the Rings is the best for this, but if I've just finished reading it, I'll go for a different book. If it's not pleasant enough outside to sit and read, then I'll retreat to my room, leave all but the light near my chair off, and close the door. Being alone is also helpful.

If I'm simply bored or overworked, playing computer games or sitting down and drawing something works the best. If I'm angry, I need to let off the energy somehow, so excercise is the surest bet (or finding something to punch repeatedly, if I'm sufficiently angry).

Listening to music is also often helpful in any of these situations, but is most effective while I'm doing something else (excercising or drawing in particular).

[Rain Dragon]

I'll have you know that the title of this thread induced me to go and get some chicken soup for dinner.

I hope you're all pleased with yourselves.

Yes. Chicken soup is awesome. Mmmm.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Remmirath
If the weather is such that it's feasible, getting out of doors almost always helps me. Depending on the nature of the problem, I might take a walk or ride my bike, or sit outside and read. Excercising in some way tends to cheer me up….

Theodore Roosevelt said it well: "Get action."

I find a hard bike ride is usually one of the best things I can do. If time or weather won't allow, then a fast walk, around the neighborhood or on the beach.

Also, writing. Writing out what frustrates me, to snare it in words; and often enough writing the ideas that rise and swirl when I'm walking or on the bike. A few lines, a brief conversation, a mood or a scene; and once back at home I can sometimes write for pages. There's a satisfaction to that.

[SiuiS]

, I tend to grab McDonalds (DON'T YOU JUDGE ME) and sit in bed watching shoujo anime.




I also like to get fast food.


The removal of the breakfast bowl from the Jack in the Box menu ruined me, for a while. What would I eat now?


I pet the cat. He purrs. I feel better.

Yes. Cats. Snuggles. Good. ^^

[Dienekes]

When I was younger I was actually in a Fight Club for this sort of thing (so it was called anyway, more of a sparring team really). Hitting things always makes me feel better.

Now that there is no one to go up against, read a book, play a video game, watch a Groucho Marx movie, or plot my vengeance on whatever has gotten me down.

[Crow]

The removal of the breakfast bowl from the Jack in the Box menu ruined me, for a while. What would I eat now?

The tacos. Duh.

[SiuiS]

I crave hash browns with hot gooey cheese and some egg. No mere taco can satisfy!

[Crow]

I crave hash browns with hot gooey cheese and some egg. No mere taco can satisfy!

Thankfully Jack-n-the-Box tacos are cheap. No mere taco ever satisfied me either, so I bought 8...for 2 dollars.

[RabbitHoleLost]

I crave hash browns with hot gooey cheese and some egg. No mere taco can satisfy!

Not that it's the same but Jimmy Dean has some really adequate frozen breakfast bowls that I eat on my particularly bad over-night shifts, since, as a shift lead, I can't leave.

I don't really like fastfood breakfast, unless its McDonald's Sausage McGriddles (BECAUSE SAUSAGE BETWEEN TWO PANCAKES THAT ALREADY HAVE THE SYRUP COOKED IN)
but Jack-n-The-Box curly fries, mannnnn.

[CynicalAvocado]

Not that it's the same but Jimmy Dean has some really adequate frozen breakfast bowls that I eat on my particularly bad over-night shifts, since, as a shift lead, I can't leave.

I don't really like fastfood breakfast, unless its McDonald's Sausage McGriddles (BECAUSE SAUSAGE BETWEEN TWO PANCAKES THAT ALREADY HAVE THE SYRUP COOKED IN)
but Jack-n-The-Box curly fries, mannnnn.

subway steak egg and cheese sandwich, tho

[TechnOkami]

I nostalgia myself off of old video games from my childhood, like Crash Bandicoot. Nothing like a little nostalgia to get me squeeing like a child covered in cats.

[sktarq]

Option one: Blast things. Useful when very frustrated. Various first person shooter or other war games. This mood is the only reason I have any of these on my computer.

Option two:Go to a bar and start writing stream of consciousness style. Can be problematic as it makes my GF worry. But sometimes a walk works. . . Useful when I I've got that mentally anxious churningness where my mind won't settle.

Option three: Watch Frontline or other documentaries. Usually about horrible things happening far away. . . Newspapers work for this too. Anything to engage my mind and take me off my personal situation for a bit

Option four: Cook. . . hit the produce section, hard. Pick up a protein or two and have at it. Get the oven involved. . . I love cooking. It excites and engages me in a way that really helps.

[Knaight]

If the weather is good, sometimes I just hit the road and take a nice, long, decompressing bike ride. Otherwise, my big thing is listening to really, really awful music. It's basically the auditory equivalent of eating junk food, but hey.

[Anarion]

My number one solution is long walks. I also don't care if the weather is good or not. Being able to go out in bad weather is why I own snow boots and 3 different jackets. If there isn't a national weather service emergency warning in effect and I really need a long walk, I'm going out.

Sadly, I'm allergic to both cats and dogs, but getting close to that effect is why I still own some plush toys. :smallwink:

I also write sometimes. I keep a journal, albeit with infrequent entries, but if something is bouncing around in my head so hard that there's no getting away from it, I'll start writing and keep on writing until I have nothing left to write about.

[SiuiS]

Sadly, I'm allergic to both cats and dogs, but getting close to that effect is why I still own some plush toys. :smallwink:

*queitly scratches 'invite Anarion to dinner' off list*

[GPuzzle]

I have a very specific album for when that stuff happens, which is The Who's Quadrophenia. When I get just a tiny little bit of free time, I listen through the whole album.

If I can't... well, then I start talking to myself. If it'd be too weird, I start writing as if I was talking to myself.

But that happens when I'm not at home. When I'm at home and I feel sh*tty, I turn on power metal to a reasonably loud volume and play visual novels.

Nothing says "I'm feeling bad" then blasting out Manowar while playing Katawa Shoujo.

[Anarion]

*queitly scratches 'invite Anarion to dinner' off list*

It's not that bad. I'm good for about 2-5 hours depending on how clean the furniture is and whether you have carpets. I just wouldnt ever own my own because I'd be stuck constantly drugging myself or sneezing all the time. But I have no problem visiting people with pets.

[Teddy]

If I'm just generally stressed out or mildly upset, I tend to shut out the house with music. It tends to be from my normal playlists, although I do get pickier with which songs I want.

If it's a little worse, I tend to go out for a walk. Unless it's nighttime, I generally work my way out of the local neighbourhood and down into the local valley where there are less people around. When alone outside, I can process all thoughts running through my head, which ususally means structuring up and finding solutions for problems in assignments which have been stressing me out or thinking up replies to posts which have upset me somehow.

If I'm really down, to the level where I need to completely drown out my thoughts, I'll put on this song (http://youtu.be/OzZ8Us_cdTg). I don't know how, but that song seems to resonate completely with my mind, clearing it of any other noise...

[sktarq]

oh a #5 for me. . . if I have a problem that is emotionally too upsetting to tackle at the moment. I drive. I drive up into the mountains we have around here. Areas that are mostly abandoned and can drive aggressively. At some point I'll be ready to turn around. And it is on the drive back I generally put myself together in the right way to tackle issues that I'm emotionally wrapped up in.

[SiuiS]

It's not that bad. I'm good for about 2-5 hours depending on how clean the furniture is and whether you have carpets. I just wouldnt ever own my own because I'd be stuck constantly drugging myself or sneezing all the time. But I have no problem visiting people with pets.

Vacuuming is the least done chore I can think of, and one of the more necessary ones.

But it's not the chore, it's me. I've been trying to get my house clean enough to invite Gaelbert over for over a month, maybe two, and I can only blame some of that time on sickness. I am just a messy individual with a messy life. :-/

[Marcivo]

It's not that bad. I'm good for about 2-5 hours depending on how clean the furniture is and whether you have carpets. I just wouldnt ever own my own because I'd be stuck constantly drugging myself or sneezing all the time. But I have no problem visiting people with pets.

Sphinx cats. Seriously, during my nine-month stint with college roommates, I shared a house with two sphinx kittens - they were sisters, actually. At first, I was worried that they'd set me off because my roommates weren't exactly tidy, but the cost of the room was just too good to pass up. I woke up on several mornings after Gilette and Norelco (those were the kittens' names) crawled into my bed, but they never seemed to bother my allergies at all. In fact, shortly before our rental agreement expired, I had no problem giving the cats free reign of my room.

Might be worth a try if you're looking for that genuine cat experience.

@sktarq Driving is also my brain bleach of choice. Doesn't matter where, only that it's depopulated and somewhat rural. Bonus points if it's also nighttime. Sometimes, I just like to park my car and take long walks down lonely country roads while I'm out. For some reason, complete isolation tends to resolve even the most stubborn case of malaise, especially with the way things have been going lately. I get similar feels when I park at gas stations, long after the employees have gone home for the night. All that light and darkness. A place where we can look into our own shadow and find answers.

Failing that, violin.

[SiuiS]

Oh man. I am all over trying to buy Anarion a hypoallergenic kitty. I think a sphinx is too energetic to really thrive under his semi nomadic lifestyle, but some of the other breeds I've met would love his life conditions.

[Archonic Energy]

I certainly can't say it'd the most effective or healthy thing to do.
jump on whichever FPS I'm playing at the time and just start killing.
I'm quite into Payday 2 at the moment, there's something therapeutic about stealing thousands of dollars worth of stuff and killing things.

mostly because I can't do anything like it in real life.

[FinnLassie]

Whenever I was feeling a bit under the weather or somewhat stressed out, I would chug down so much Irn Bru. Twas a habit that kinda stuck onto me from my ex, his mum believed Irn Bru cures all ailments. :smalltongue:

[Anarion]

Oh man. I am all over trying to buy Anarion a hypoallergenic kitty. I think a sphinx is too energetic to really thrive under his semi nomadic lifestyle, but some of the other breeds I've met would love his life conditions.

*Writes* Don't...let SiuiS...find new address.

Also, while I'm actually a cat person (allergies be damned), my parents and my brother are not, so there's that too.

On topic, I also want to comment that I think the best way to deal with stress is to reduce the sources of stressful things. Indulgence, of various sorts, can be a great coping strategy in the moment, but it's just that: a coping strategy.

Now, obviously, some sources of stressful things can't be removed from your life (like living with difficult people). I find, however, that many sources of stress are related to inexperience and novelty. Work stress, especially, tends to arise when you're being asked to do something that you're not confident that you know how to do (at least it does for me). I think the best way to reduce that is to try and get experience, sometimes going out on your own time to do a little extra learning, or seeking advice from people who already know what to do and not being afraid to admit that you're floundering a little. Even with relationships and other hard to remove stress sources, I think it's possible to learn new techniques for how to deal with people that can deflect or prevent a lot of stress.

So, while immediate coping is great to ensure that you don't go insane. I think the best strategy for coping with stress is to try and learn new things so that your problems don't seem so intimidating and, well, stressful.

[RabbitHoleLost]

Ah, yeah, I completely agree that there needs to be a plan for long term stress
But I meant to ask more how people "treat" themselves when feeling down, rather than stressed

I think it's really interesting to see how people take care of themselves emotionally

[Archonic Energy]

Oh. That'd be my only true vice.

Food. Not cheap junk food but good tasty food.
A good quality burger. Or a steak. Perhaps spicy chicken. Or even sometimes a sweet.
*pats stomach*
I did not get this size by nibbling greens.

[SiuiS]

*Writes* Don't...let SiuiS...find new address.

Also, while I'm actually a cat person (allergies be damned), my parents and my brother are not, so there's that too.

Foiled again!


On topic, I also want to comment that I think the best way to deal with stress is to reduce the sources of stressful things. Indulgence, of various sorts, can be a great coping strategy in the moment, but it's just that: a coping strategy.

Now, obviously, some sources of stressful things can't be removed from your life (like living with difficult people). I find, however, that many sources of stress are related to inexperience and novelty. Work stress, especially, tends to arise when you're being asked to do something that you're not confident that you know how to do (at least it does for me). I think the best way to reduce that is to try and get experience, sometimes going out on your own time to do a little extra learning, or seeking advice from people who already know what to do and not being afraid to admit that you're floundering a little. Even with relationships and other hard to remove stress sources, I think it's possible to learn new techniques for how to deal with people that can deflect or prevent a lot of stress.

So, while immediate coping is great to ensure that you don't go insane. I think the best strategy for coping with stress is to try and learn new things so that your problems don't seem so intimidating and, well, stressful.

Often, in complacent lives, stress arises due to what is functionally entitlement. Not all jobs require one to branch out; all jobs do occasionally force one out of one's rut.

Coping is good in these instances because unlike Thanqol and myself, very few people actually embrace the idea of tackling cognitive dissonance to resolve themselves as a greater being.

This is water. Sometimes you remember that. Sometimes you ignore the hook because the wriggling worm is the only thing keeping you going.


Oh. That'd be my only true vice.

Food. Not cheap junk food but good tasty food.
A good quality burger. Or a steak. Perhaps spicy chicken. Or even sometimes a sweet.
*pats stomach*
I did not get this size by nibbling greens.

Oh, oh yes.

I actually have a small passion for gourmet cooking tempered by mild anxiety over chemistry and lack of experience. I want dearly to learn how to make entire sumptuous feasts, but whenever I get to cooking in so hungry that it's all I can do to fry an egg without licking the bottom of the pan while the burner is on T~T

[Anarion]

Often, in complacent lives, stress arises due to what is functionally entitlement. Not all jobs require one to branch out; all jobs do occasionally force one out of one's rut.

Coping is good in these instances because unlike Thanqol and myself, very few people actually embrace the idea of tackling cognitive dissonance to resolve themselves as a greater being.

This is water. Sometimes you remember that. Sometimes you ignore the hook because the wriggling worm is the only thing keeping you going.


They're two different methods of dealing with the same issue. Coping mechanisms are what you do to prevent yourself from exploding. And this is primarily a thread to discuss that. There are definitely some common denominators, with a lot of activities being ways for people to get some alone time with things that make them happy in order to counteract whatever is making them sad or angry, with a nice addition of the fact that exercise and good food (among other things) are chemically proven to make you feel better.

But add me at least to the "enjoys cognitive dissonance" group. I think I might revel in it at various moments. The whole "I'm totally unprepared for this and I'm doing it anyway" feeling is one I seek out from time to time as a sign that I'm not in a rut. While the somewhat more loathsome "I don't deserve this" can also pop up from time to time, it at least serves as a good reminder of the importance of humility. Basically, it can be good to be stressed, it just has to be in moderation and you need stuff to do that makes it tolerable so you don't go crazy or have a heart attack.



Oh, oh yes.

I actually have a small passion for gourmet cooking tempered by mild anxiety over chemistry and lack of experience. I want dearly to learn how to make entire sumptuous feasts, but whenever I get to cooking in so hungry that it's all I can do to fry an egg without licking the bottom of the pan while the burner is on T~T

Don't cook when you're hungry. Really. Come home, have a bowel of cereal or a carrot perhaps and then cook your meal. You could also consider doing it in stages. Make some soup or salad first, eat that, then make the next dish. I also highly recommend getting a Chinese cookbook and a Wok or a frying pan. Stir Fry is awesome because it tastes great and one of its defining characteristics is that the actual cooking part takes only 5-10 minutes.

[SiuiS]

They're two different methods of dealing with the same issue.

Hmm. The feel of the thing as I remember it, it is different. They are different, the textures. It is like feeling out roots on the dark. I am groping and blind. I know these are two different things though they are both roots. Can you imagine it? The feel of your hands in the warm dark of a cellar, running across the dull red of a ginger root and trying to convey the importance of it's topography?

Perhaps I am wrong. Perhaps they are both just roots, the ginger and whatever else of different lumps and flesh the other is. Perhaps the other is ginger too. But they seem different to me, and that difference seems important. Not the importance of life changing decisions or the hard and harsh contrasts of comfort and greatness, but the soft and quiet importance of an intellectual crystal thing, where it needs only be acknowledge if not conceded to show that proper thought has been had.

Or perhaps I am simply too tired and too fey just the nonce to really agree or disagree? Who knows.



But add me at least to the "enjoys cognitive dissonance" group. I think I might revel in it at various moments. The whole "I'm totally unprepared for this and I'm doing it anyway" feeling is one I seek out from time to time as a sign that I'm not in a rut. While the somewhat more loathsome "I don't deserve this" can also pop up from time to time, it at least serves as a good reminder of the importance of humility. Basically, it can be good to be stressed, it just has to be in moderation and you need stuff to do that makes it tolerable so you don't go crazy or have a heart attack.

On good days I will think "I don't deserve this", and then "so fix it". I will take the problems to hand and claw and gnash and tend and feast upon it and rise, from it's ashes or my own, but I will rise.

Other days, I will suffer. I will look back on that suffering and if it was good I will polish the memory and secret it away like a sapphire the size of a fist, mirror bright and kept safe in a handkerchief in my pocket. I will take it out and gaze on it's facets and colors and the scents and memories therein and bask in the emotions I had, sorrow and pain and aggravation and fear, each with it's own texture and sound. Aggravation is like white grains of rice sizzling and running like bugs across a red background, dulled out by sepia tones. Did you know that? Perhaps your aggravation is different. Mine can be.

The latter is simply an adaptation. I do not overcome or grow from anything. I simply enjoy it. Is is a strong soul which can enjoy being sad, and only once have I so despaired as to see no end, no top to this hole I had fallen in. And even then, eventually , my animal self took over and I clawed to the top.



Don't cook when you're hungry. Really. Come home, have a bowel of cereal or a carrot perhaps and then cook your meal. You could also consider doing it in stages. Make some soup or salad first, eat that, then make the next dish. I also highly recommend getting a Chinese cookbook and a Wok or a frying pan. Stir Fry is awesome because it tastes great and one of its defining characteristics is that the actual cooking part takes only 5-10 minutes.

I will squire away this wisdom and use it to either stock a pantry or outwit a Cyclopes as he chases me, riddling, through his lair. Either or.


One of my other indulgences is whimsy of a sort. Apologies to any who find it less interesting or fulfilling. Sometimes I'm just not human enough to think in clear lines or simple words. Sometimes the complexities arise and demand representation in my words.

[Bulldog Psion]

In no particular order:

1. Go for a walk.

2. Play World of Warcraft. Usually a couple of battlegrounds, though even questing or profession leveling can help if I do it intensively enough.

3. Go out and eat a fast food meal while parked somewhere that nobody who I know is likely to come across me, and watch life go past. Usually, I prefer Burger King to McDonald's, though.

4. Bury my nose in a book about military history or paleontology, or read part of one of Zelazny's "Amber" books, which reminds me of my dad reading them to me while I worked on pen and ink drawings as a kid, after he got off work, and he'd read a chapter and we'd talk it over and discuss all the stuff and weird possibilities. That's a good memory, so I read the books and remember -- and enjoy the stories, of course.

5. Clean the house or my minivan with fanatical attention to detail, doing everything just exactly right.

6. Go out and shoot some beer cans in the back 40. That requires me to have good weather and a decent supply of ammunition, though.

Any one of these usually does it for me. Which one I choose depends on time, weather, location, random inclination, who is around, etc. etc.