What gets you through the day? What gets you through the week or the month? How do you cope?
I found myself pondering this thought while I was out for a walk at lunchtime today.
After a rather stressful morning, I’d messaged friend saying simply, “What a morning! Frazzled.”
Until recently I hadn’t really thought of “frazzled” being a legitimate state of mind. I picked up a copy of Ruby Wax’s “A Mindfulness Guide For The Frazzled.” I’ve barely started it, only dipped in and out of it briefly, but in her foreword, Ms Wax explains “A neurobiologist might say someone is stuck in a state of “frazzle”. They mean that, for this person, constant stress is overloading their nervous system, flooding it with cortisol and adrenaline.”
The Urban Dictionary definition sums it up nicely – “to be feeling a bit brain-fried; lost and confused; not functioning properly; slightly stressed; all over the place.”
That pretty much sums up how I felt just after midday today, although I wasn’t lost!
I’m pretty sure each and every one of you can relate to having felt like this at some point.
So how do I cope? How do I “de-frazzle” myself? (There’s a few strategies been put into play here already)
For me, the best coping strategy for during the working week is to make sure I take my lunch break and, weather permitting, get outside for some fresh air, coupled with some therapeutically loud music courtesy of my iPod. It works for me. (Messaging a sympathetic friend helps too.) Recharges the batteries long enough to get me through the rest of the day.
So what coping mechanisms work for you?
Others that I use include writing (yes, the thought of writing this blog while enjoying a medicinal bacon sandwich eased me through the afternoon), colouring in (art therapy to give it its adult name), listening to music, reading a book, going for a walk along the nearest beach, playing with the cats or simply enjoying a long hot shower.
I’m sure there are many more but these are my “go to” strategies.
There are no hard and fast rules here. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for another and, yes, there are occasions where professional assistance may be required. There’s nothing wrong about seeking help when you need it.
One final thing that helps reset my frayed nerves is photography. Looking through the world from the view finder of my camera or the camera screen of my phone helps to see the world around me in a different light.
It helps if the view is stunning too!
Due to a technical fault….no blog post this week….Blame the real world for this temporary interference. Normal service will resume shortly.
Coral McCallum 