The lovely Leah tagged me for the 5-a-day meme, and here it is, one day late!
5 things I do to stay mentally healthy:
1. Bath Time
I have been taking baths, and only baths since I was a sophmore in college. I had a friend that had moved into an old house that didn't have a shower head and shared with me that it had become an amazing ritual for her every evening. Since that moment I just shifted and adopted the ritual. The only time I shower is if I'm somewhere that doesn't have a bath tub. Its become one of the most important rituals of my day. After massaging 5-10 people in a day, coming home and washing off the day is critical. But even still, now, coming into a dimly lit bathroom and just existing in hot scented water. Its how my day comes to a close and all the things that I need to let go of and put to rest happen.
2. Cooking
This is another passion of mine that is like a meditation. The chopping, the aromas, the deliciousness that results from mixing all the wonderful earth bounty... heaven. Its always a time in my day where things quiet down, and I get to recalibrate back to mindfullness and create in a manner that feels like alchemy.
3. Meditate
When I stop doing this on a regular basis everything seems to clog up.
4. Journal
Since I was 4 years old I've kept a journal. I'm an external processor, and this has always been essential for me. I do it when I need to, which is often, and have never had to keep a schedule or attempt to be disciplined about it. Its like breathing for me.
5. Alone Time
This is how I recharge. I'm an introvert, which means that although I love being social and hanging out with the people I love, and have always worked with people, I need quiet alone time to recharge and keep it all going . I know that its part of the reason that Baths work so much for me (see number 1).
Ok so let me here from you. I'm going to tag 5, and if you want feel free to respond and leave a note here in teh comment section!
1.Maddie
2. Leslie
3. Connie
4. Nita
5. Michelle