| Staying Calm
Bloomington with Minneapolis in the background
With September upon us, the relaxed mood of the summer is disappearing. Children are going back to school, after school activities are starting, and highways are filling up with more traffic. It is no wonder then that September is one of the busiest months of the year. With all these activities to arrange and young persons to keep safe, many of us find that life also starts getting very stressful. We see only duties ahead and no opportunity to have fun.
Autumn often brings with it more stress
Thankfully the Conventual Franciscan St. Bonaventure Parish in Bloomington, Minnesota has a number of suggestions we can implement to lessen the severity of painful situations. One of these focuses on pace. If we go through our days at a steady relaxed pace we will not become frantic when confronted with a difficult situation. Taking a bit of time for oneself while being surrounded by something pleasant is another excellent way to get through a hectic day. We have to try to keep a balance in life. Yes, it is impossible to avoid painful moments, but there are also many pleasant ones that we will live through. They might be as simple as noticing children laughing at a playground, driving through the countryside, or having a quiet cup of tea while reading a great book. Whatever these moments entail, they end up staying in our minds and can in the future be used to calm us down.
Heavier traffic - a result of the end of the summer
With most of us having to juggle many daily responsibilies, we find that periodically our minds start to race. We have too many things to do in too little time. And we have to do them now. Or do we? St. Bonaventure Parish suggests that a person's first move when his or her mind is racing should be a very short break during which we start to regulate our breathing by slowly inhaling and exhaling. Regular breathing calms us down and with it so does focusing on something soothing.
Walks are a good calming method
Lastly, St. Bonaventure Parish suggests that all of us schedule some fun activities for ourselves. They don't have to be complicated. An evening walk or watching an episode of your favourite sitcom (especially in the evening) will allow you to go to bed relaxed and thus ready for a good night's sleep.
A break over a cup of tea |
