Repetition as a De-Stressor

I've often written about how wonderful crocheting is as a de-stressor but I think any repetitive activity works the same way.

I had a dear family friend who was elderly when I began care giving for her here at home. She was going through some extremely uncomfortable and often painful medical issues. Never once did she complain. Instead, she'd open one of her puzzle magazines and begin doing her favorite puzzles. She'd often do this for an hour at a time. It apparently helped distract her from her suffering and worries.

I've known other folks who grab a deck of cards and play solitaire over and over, again, to calm themselves down, to take their minds off of things.

Prayer is another activity that has wonderful side effects. It not only takes our mind off of our worries and suffering, it also gives us a little hope.

I was thinking about this tonight because I suddenly found myself "floating" in the middle of the afternoon. For years, I've been busy almost constantly. A lot of this has been care giving for loved ones, in one way or another. Another way I've been busy is just plain old fashioned paper work connected to the many financial issues. So many things to do, so little time and energy, I heard myself say.

Today, however, it was different. I have many things to do. My beloved middle-aged "nephew" passed away on February 1st. I found myself wondering whether I preferred saying it was just 4 weeks ago, or that it was a whole month ago. Each way seemed a little different.

The problem was that for some reason, today, I just couldn't get myself motivated to do anything.

I've got so much de-cluttering to do, among other things. I needed to somehow become re-focused. So, I grabbed a hook and some yarn and began crocheting. It not only relaxes me, it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling because I often crochet for the local needy.

I realized that part of the relaxation came not just from the feeling of helping those in need, but from the simple repetition of the work. Over and over, stitch after stitch. Slowly, but surely, I was able to get back "into things."

So, even if you are not a crafter, there are many types of things you can do which require routine and almost mindless repetition.

Try some of those I mentioned in the beginning of this post - puzzles, cards. Or, try paint-by-the-numbers, try jigsaw puzzles, try doodling or drawing, or simply pray for a few folks who need your prayers.

My sister used to do that after her Parkinsons disease landed her in 4 years of long-term care. To keep track, she started with just a few names on one index card. When she passed on, she had several cards filled with names. Those folks never knew that she prayed for them whenever her own worries overwhelmed her. But she knew, and she knew it helped calm her down.

 
Find something that works for you and try it - most of the things I mentioned are cheap and some are even free. It if works, it's worth a shot.