5 Ways to Enjoy a Lazy Sunday

1.  Sleep late, but not so late that you miss church.  You'll be happy you went.

2.  Braid your daughter's hair when she asks you to.  She'll play with those braids all day, smiling to herself.  

3.  Walk to the pond down the street to feed the ducks.  You'll have to give your daughter a piggy-back ride home, but you'll both feel refreshed.  Plus, you'll see that cool house down the street where they already decorated for Halloween, and you would've missed that from inside a car.

4.  Snuggle up on the couch with your dogs and your daughter to watch "Good Luck Charlie" on the Disney Channel.  You could've hung those curtains you've been meaning to get to, or tried to get your closet in order.  But that snuggly time will mean a lot to the kiddo, and she could care less about your curtains.

5.  Eat dinner at the table as a family.   With something fresh and green thrown in.  It feels good to be around a table together, and even better to eat a homemade meal.  

How did you enjoy your lazy Sunday?

Pamper Yourself

I'm feeling kind of sick.  With a sore throat and a headache.

I'm tired, because my sick daughter has kept me up late and gotten up crazy early for the past few days.

I'm trying to set up some interviews down in GA.  I'm sending out resumes to all the really cool places I'd love to work in the ATL.  I'm searching job sites after dinner until bedtime each day.  It's not great fun.

I'm behind on laundry (Have I mentioned laundry is my nemesis?).

I did cook and do the dishes tonight, so that's a plus.

I had about 300 e-mails and phone messages from recruiters today because a few days ago, I thought it might be neat to see what options there are in travel therapy jobs. (BTW,  If I ever get this curious inkling again, tear the laptop from my hands and make me go to bed instead.)

So, all that is to say that I'm feeling a little. bit.  o. ver. whelmed.

So, tonight, I did what I always do when I'm overwhelmed.  (Just ask my college roommate.  You should've seen the artistic projects I took on during finals weeks.)  I took a break from reality, pampered myself, and finished a good book.  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, to be exact.

And now, I feel much better.   Or at least not super stressed.  The messages and e-mails (oh, and laundry, too!) will still be there tomorrow, and maybe I'll be in a better place to dive into the things that must be done.



How do you deal with life when you're overwhelmed?

Experience Nature

There is nothing like being in nature to bring me a happiness boost.

Our camping trip was a wonderful success. Besides the first night, when it stormed for a few hours, we had a peaceful, relaxing, and generally fantastic time. We swam, we roasted marshmallows, we swung in the hammock, we saw a real live turtle, we watched the campfire crackle, we chased lightning bugs...it was a fun-packed weekend.

One of the best moments was when I was lying in the hammock with Flanna and her BFF, and we were looking up at the tall trees overhead. Flannery said, "Look, a flower!" At first, I didn't see it. But then, I figured out what she was seeing. The opening in the trees above us was flower-shaped. I just had to snap a pic to remember it.

More pics later, I promise!



How did you get to experience nature on this long weekend? Did it boost your happiness?

Hold This Picture in Your Head

It snowed again! We made the biggest snowman on the block, as you can see. Actually, it was the only snowman on the block, can you believe it? As Flannery says, "We live in a snowy place now." So I guess the locals are bored by the snow and don't play in it like we Georgia natives do.

Today was a my-cup-runneth-over-with-happiness kind of day. We woke up to beautiful snow, had heart pancakes for breakfast, made a snowman, had cocoa, did art, I got to take a long hot bath, and then I went for a massage.

See? Cup overflowing. With marshmallowy chocolatey snowy relaxing happiness.

Anyway, what I wanted to write about today was visual images. I started thinking about this as I was getting my massage. I tried to do some mindfulness meditation while I was lying there getting massaged, but it was too complicated to try to focus on recognizing my thoughts while someone was kneading the tension out of my shoulders. So, I decided to try focusing on visualizing to increase my relaxation.

I learned about using visualizing for relaxation as an undergrad student in my Abnormal Psychology class. In class one day, we paired up with a friend, and while we took turns massaging one another's shoulders and necks, the instructor used guided imagery to help us relax. The instructor said that the more you visualized a certain scene while you were in a relaxing situation (ex: getting a massage, taking a warm long bath, etc.), the easier it would be later to just call upon the visual image to bring you the same feelings of relaxation. A little associative learning process.

So, back to the massage table. Me, lying with eyes closed, picturing people I love, places I love. Breathing. Trying to think of only the image in my mind and my breathing.

I'm sure the massage therapist thought I had fallen asleep or taken a heavy sedative before the session, because I'm generally a really chatty massage client. But I really didn't care what the therapist thought. I was getting my money's worth of relaxation!

And it really was one of the most relaxing massage sessions I've ever had. Which made my heart feel super happy. (Can you tell I've been watching Ni Hao Kai Lan a little too much?)




What pictures do you bring to mind to make you feel happy or peaceful?

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By the way, I've also been using visualizing during my daily prayer times (usually as I'm driving in my car) as a way to increase my attention and focus while I'm praying. I'll try to hold the picture of whoever I'm praying for in my head for the whole time I'm saying a prayer. It's really a lot harder than you'd think it would be! Try it! And let me know how it goes! (Unless it's super easy for you, in which case, you should really keep that to yourself so I don't feel like a weird inattentive crazy person. Which I am. But still.) ;)