White Flag Days

I would be a fool to suggest that every single day of life you can be balanced, rational, and non-emotional.  I believe that one of the lessons we can learn very well on earth is how to tame our emotions, focus on the positive, and create our own reality....hopefully not a psychotic break.

Having said that there are just times that I symbolically fly a white flag and cry out in my own mind, "I surrender!"  I have through the years created certain rules for myself regarding White Flag Days.  Rule #1....These times which are often called "pity parties," are never longer than a day.  It's ok, even necessary to surrender once in awhile, but like Cinderella if the time period goes past midnight into the next day you have committed a serious sin....WALLOWING!  Remember how sad Cinderella was when she didn't get out by midnight? 

Wallowing is a very dangerous condition.  It's when you become blinded by your own personal misery into the idea that YOUR grief is bigger and sharper than someone else's grief.  Your particular brand of suffering somehow should be spoken about in soft sad whispers or shouted in loud, emphatic tones!

Stop the wallowing.  Stand up straight. Then proceed to your coping tools.

1.  It's a BRAND NEW DAY.  You've never had this day before.  Feel excited by the little surprises of knowledge and living tucked away into this stream of consciousness we call living.

2.  There is virtually an unlimited supply of chocolate in this world.  Chocolate that can be hot or cold, candy or mole sauce, chocolate that causes a lovely euphoric sense that can last for an hour or two....HOORAY FOR CHOCOLATE!  What's that?  Chocolate causes you to break out in fat?  There have been scientific studies that show that people who use fat as a coping technique ARE usually happier than other individuals, and are NOT unhealthier.  Have you ever noticed that there is a scientific study for EVERYTHING?  How DO they justify spending money to support the wise things that the rest of the world already knows?

3.  Do a spiritual cleanse....I don't care if you are Christian, Buddhist, or Agnostic, we all know that there is some sort of force, or energy that causes our physical body to move about.  That energy needs to be strengthened and cleansed to recharge you and give you vitality.  So, read your scriptures, pray, meditate, stand on your head, do yoga....find some expression that cools down your emotions and heats up your motivation to make the best choices available to you.

4.  Call a dear friend.  Today as I was busily melting down the phone rings.  It's a dear friend.  We were young together.  We danced on a stage, acted, laughed, loved, lived, and learned together.  At the time we thought that we were very mature.  From the vantage point of several decades away I feel differently.  Nevertheless this beloved friend and I have sailed the seas of life together.  I know that she loves me, and I love her.  After speaking to her I always feel better about life.  If you don't have such a friend yet, GET ONE!  Better yet, BE one!

5.  Serve someone else.  It never fails to amaze me that the tiniest act of service, even if it's just to smile at someone in a rush that is obviously stressed also lifts my load.  The other day I spent about fifteen minutes explaining some crafting principles to a lovely young woman.  I'm not sure that it helped her but I felt lighter and better connected to the community of humanity that we call life.

6.  Laugh....yes, you heard me right, laugh!  Another one of those scientific studies showed that 15 minutes of laughing at a funny movie, with a good friend, or any other humor inducing type of positive practice produced enough brain chemicals to support positive contentment for a small portion of the day.  So imagine what two hours of humor could do?

Well that's my list for today.  I wish that anyone that reads this would be kind enough to add to MY list.  I am always on the lookout for great coping techniques.