New theme. No, calm down, I didn’t make it, but I’ve been tweaking it and will continue to tweak it. I don’t care if you like it or not. It works pretty well and I’ll make it work better, so keep your shirt on. Plus, it’s pretty.
I’m also going to be actually working on Melilyn this week. I’ve got a photo section that’s up but needs to match the site, and I’ve revamped the “about” and “site” pages. I want to get writing up really soon, and I’m also thinking about adding book/movie reviews… since I read and see movies so often.
In other news, I fail at blogathons.
In other other news, I’ve waited a week before telling you all but… I got a guitar! I’ll have to get a picture up here to show you my new baby. I’m having a lot of fun with it so far, too, even though it’s had its discouraging moments so far. I’ve been getting a lot of encouragement, and I’ve already had a few moments of whoa, was that actually music?
That’s what I’ve been up to.
I’m not sure if this is human nature, or if it’s just me… so you’ll have to let me know. Why is it that you can get lots of positive feedback on something you’ve created or accomplished, and get one negative comment and completely want to give up?
I caught myself doing it this week, and I’ve caught myself (and others) doing it before. I don’t know why it is this way, and I’m wondering if it’s just me being too self-conscious, or if you all do it too.
I guess it’s just that… you put a lot into something: learning it, creating it, perfecting it. You’re finally at a point where you’re able to stick your neck out and show others what you’ve done. The good news is… people seem to like it! They think it’s original, looks great, and they can’t wait to see it completed.
One person comes along and just spews their negativity all over you, and it’s like you forget what everyone else had to say. Suddenly, your creation isn’t worth it anymore, because we (I?) focus in on that one ounce of negativity. Why? Why must we let one person ruin things??
Sorry for no specifics. I guess that’s my (rhetorical?) question of the day.
I’m not one that jumps on every new gadget that comes out, but I must say… I LIKE the new iPods (just released yesterday), and if I had money to waste, I would get me one of these.
Lately I’ve been finding myself really stressed out for no reason… to the point of snapping at people when they really didn’t deserve it. It’s not even like life is really all that awful right now. I just have a bad habit of getting myself into a tizzy.
I’ve been learning how to relax. Not just my body, but my brain and my emotions as well. This is what I do to relax.
- Music. This is seriously the key to unwinding… for me, anyhow. Grab your iPod, CD Player, or heck, the closest radio, and put on music you love. It doesn’t even have to be relaxing music… I’ve been known to fall asleep to some hard rock before. Worship music, soundtrack music, screaming kids with dreadlocks, whatever it takes.
- Find something to occupy your brain. If you put your mind on something else, you won’t have time to over-analyze everything else, now, will you? Pick something repetetive and methodical… like the Solitaire game that’s on every PC, or doodling on a sheet of paper, or crocheting, or painting your toenails. If that doesn’t relax you, find something to challenge your brain. Immerse yourself in a problem of mediocre importance. Me, personally, when I hit that point, I code a website or a layout. It’s not life or death, but it takes my mind off of life’s little annoyances.
- Take a walk. Get out. Go look at something else. Take that music from step one with you. If you’re not into walking, get in your car and just drive. Pull your old bike out of the shed and cruise the neighborhood. Just get out and absorb the change in scenery.
- Completely clear your head. Everyone does this differently. Some people will get into full-on meditation to clear their head… some people just need to lie in their back yard and look at the stars. Think about God. Think about nothing at all. Just clear your head.
- Have a heart-to-heart with your best friend. Even if you just end up giggling about something that someone said to someone else, or drawing reeses pieces in a tree and saving it for later (okay, so we’re weird), sometimes a friend is all you need to relax you and get you out of your slump.
- Do something artistic. You don’t even have to be artistic for this! Get a piece of paper and some crayons and just scribble! Write a book/story/poem/song. Doodle. Draw all over the entire road with sidewalk chalk.
- Take a nap. Sounds lazy, but a lot of people get stressed out when they don’t get enough sleep. Take a little nap. It’ll probably unwind you pretty fast.
- Just worship. I’m not even particularly good on this one (today’s confession), but it’s probably better than everything else put together. Just take your focus completely off yourself, put it on Him, and watch everything fall into place.
I guess that’s all I have for now. For some reason, I was thinking about this on the way home from the lake. We went to Sulphur today, which is where we’re planning on having Sukkot, just to scope it out and spend some time swimming. After we ate lunch, I was waiting for a while before I got back in (that’s just the way I was taught, thank you!), and ended up just sitting on the shore, just letting the waves wash over me… just letting everything drain out of my head. It’s the most relaxed I’ve been in quite a while… and it was absolutely lovely.
So what do you all do to relax? Anything? If you all don’t speak up pretty soon, I’m going to have to start up another de-lurking week. Also, what are your plans for Sukkot? We’re camping with some friends of ours, but I’m a little disappointed because the only other “youth” will be my sister, who is fifteen, along with a fourteen year old and an eleven year old. That’s the one thing I probably miss about Sukkots in the past… all of the youth. Oh, gosh, though… I’m not even really youth anymore!
This post is part of The Erulynsky Blogathon
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I’ve got a question for you all this week, and it’s about other people’s problems. Whose problems, you may ask? Anyone’s.
I’m personally one of those people who tend to be a worrier. If I know something’s wrong, I worry about it… even if it doesn’t really concern me. Couple that with an overactive imagination, and you can see why I tend to list a lot of fears on those email surveys. Anyhow, that’s besides the point. I know a lot of times my moods are situation-based… meaning, I could be having a great day until someone I care about starts crying, and then I worry about them for the rest of the day.
Along with that, one of the few good qualities I can tell you about myself is that I’m a good listener. I’ve always been told that… most likely just because I tend to be a quiet person around certain people. Who knows? But this means that I’m constantly hearing other people’s problems (which is fine, seriously) and then worrying about them.
Am I the only one? Do any of you do this too, and if so, to what degree? Does it bug you for a minute and then go away? Does it keep you up all night, depending on the severity of the problem? Or do you kind of shrug it off, thinking that your own problems are quite enough for you, thanks?
This post is part of The Erulynsky Blogathon
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