Afternoon Delight (Starland Vocal Band)

DailyOM
June 1, 2009
Taking a Time Out
You Are Not Crazy

Most of us feel a little crazy from time to time. Periods of high stress can make us feel like we’re losing it, as can being surrounded by people whose values are very different from our own. Losing a significant relationship and moving into a new life situation are other events that can cause us to feel off kilter. Circumstances like these recur in our lives, and they naturally affect our mental stability. The symptoms of our state of mind can range from having no recollection of putting our car keys where we eventually find them, to wondering if we’re seeing things clearly when everyone around us seems to be in denial of what’s going on right in front of their eyes. For most of us, the key to survival at times like these is to step back, take a deep breath, and regain our composure. Then we can decide what course of action to take.

Sometimes a time-out does the trick. We take a day off from whatever is making us feel crazy and, like magic, we feel in our right mind again. Talking to an objective friend can also help. We begin to see what it is about the situation that destabilizes us, and we can make changes from there. At other times, if the situation is particularly sticky, we may need to seek professional help. Meeting with someone who understands the way the human mind reacts to stress, loss, and difficulty can make us feel less alone and more supported. A therapist or a spiritual counselor can give us techniques that help bring us back to a sane state of mind so that we can affect useful changes. They can also mirror our basic goodness, helping us to see that we are actually okay.

The main purpose of the wake-up call that feeling crazy provides is to let us know that something in our lives is out of balance. Confirm for yourself that you are capable of creating a sane and peaceful reality for yourself. Try to remember that most people have felt, at one time or another, that they are losing it. You deserve a life that helps you thrive. Try and take some steps today to help you achieve more balance and a little less crazy.

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Contrary to what my song title might suggest, I am doing the *next best thing*: self-nurturing - you can take that any way you wish!

Thanks to my darling sister, I have the day off - now that mom's settling into a bit more of a routine, Mari and I are working out a schedule such that she can get to her Boot Camp workout from 7-8 a.m. each Monday and Wednesday... and then come directly to mom's so I can get to *my* exercise class (albeit seniors, with some of mom's neighbors) from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Having wireless installed at mom's (great idea, sis!) means that she can stay there and work from mom's house, so as soon as I get back from working out, I can shower and then head over to Mari's for a day of leisure (confused yet?... :-)

I *should* be working on the folk club June newsletter (which is already three days overdue)... but I am instead checking and responding to e-mail, drinking a Diet Coke (it's been months since I indulged) and doing serious damage to some smoked fish dip in Mari's fridge... not to mention writing this blog post - I am so loving this break. You can't imagine how wonderful it is to be able to concentrate (or not) and know I don't have to be responsible for anything for a few hours - Peace of Mind: f*cking Priceless (thank you, thank you, thank you, Mari!)...

She had even suggested I stay overnight and come back in the morning - I'll take a raincheck on that offer... since I had already begun coordinating a Chinese Food Night at mom's with the neighbors tonight, and I selfishly wanted to be there for it...

Had a great visit last night with E and D, two guy friends from my late-high-school/early-college/post-wedding past - we used to have a Three Musketeers relationship... and I hate to admit I'd lost touch (more my fault than theirs). They, along with D's wife (who I also know and love) came up to mom's last night to hang out - it was lovely to reconnect (we've still got it... :-)

I have another hour before I need to return - maybe I'll take a nap (mmmmmm)...

P.S. I haven't had sex in two weeks - you may notice a change in attitude soon (grumpy and snappy and needy, oh my!)...

SONG: Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band

BOOK: Self-Nurture: Learning to Care for Yourself As Effectively As You Care for Everyone Else by Alice D. Domar, Henry Dreher

POEM: Daffodils by William Wordsworth

I wander'd lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretch'd in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

QUOTE: "I would not exchange my leisure hours for all the wealth in the world." ~ Comte de Mirabeau