When I find myself getting close to sensory overload, I seek out quiet places to sit, to refresh and chill out.
After Monday’s tragic shooting and killing of 13 people in the Washington Navy Yard, I truly needed a break from being bombarded with images and information. Sitting in nature helps bring my focus back to what is important to me about the big picture of life.
As I notice and enjoy what is around me, I remind myself that I can’t change the fact that highly stressful events happen, but I can change how I interpret and respond to these events. You can develop being resilient. Resilience involves maintaining flexibility and balance in your life as you deal with stressful circumstances and sometimes even traumatic events.
There is a beautiful park a few blocks from my office and I often find myself there in the middle of the day enjoying the beautiful flowers or listening to the cleansing sound of the small water fountain. I don’t stay there for very long but ten or fifteen minutes is long enough for me to reduce whatever stresses I may be feeling.
And when I go home, I don’t sit in nature, but I do check in on my new green space: my lettuce garden.
My Lettuce Garden |
It’s not a very big container but I am proud of my little lettuce garden that I keep on my screened in porch. My son gave me some packets of seeds for various kinds of lettuce this summer and it has been comforting and hopeful to nurture and grow my small plants.
Lettuce In A Box |
Find your green zone; a place where you can calm down and pause to think about life’s small, fleeting pleasures. You’ll be surprised what a little patch of green can do for your soul!
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