Can You #Cope?

Hey Everyone!! :-)

As I've mentioned before, a year ago, four fantastic authors--Savannah Morgan, Susan Ricci, Julie Nicholls, and Barbara Chioffi--and I got together and wrote a month's worth of positive blog posts.  It was a wonderful experience and I thought that this June would be a good opportunity to go back and give my perspective after a year's time on some of what we wrote.  Today, I'm going to talk about a post written by Savannah Morgan, Positivity Blog Tour......When in doubt, Dance it out.  It's a great post, and I'd suggest you take a look at it and read it in full, but what struck me about it was the way people deal with negative feelings.

If you look around at the world, you can find a lot of examples of times people took their negative emotions and did something less than constructive with them.  We can probably all identify with violent impulses at times, but I don't think those are the people we should strive to emulate, do you?  I mean we all bleed at times, and sometimes it hurts the most when the blood doesn't show, but part of being a grown-up is learning how to deal with that without making others bleed as well.

In her post, Savannah talks about using dance to make herself feel better. She uses a fun way to get her heart pumping and her muscles working. There's loads of evidence that exercise helps people feel better and improve their mood, so that seems like a fantastic idea to me.

But not everyone is physically capable of dancing, and some people can't motivate themselves from the furies or the doldrums to dancing in one step.  So, I've thought about other coping strategies that I've used and heard of, and I thought I'd share some of them with you.

One coping strategy I've always admired, but never had any talent for, is drawing and painting.  But I can, and do, look at art that others have created, and some of it seems to be a perfect visual representation of what's going on in my head at that moment.  If you like to look at art when you need a boost, I'd love it if you left the names of your favorite pieces in the comments.

Another good outlet is poetry and writing.  While I'm not much of a poet, I do often write my thoughts and feelings out on paper. It's a good way to organize what's in my head and get a better look at it.  Sometimes, it also lets me see a problem in the background that I hadn't realized was there, which is causing the problems I was aware of.  And it's always cathartic to make my problems go up in smoke by burning the paper.

Of course, there's also the old standby of talking with a friend.  Sometimes just a few minutes of conversation with another person can give you a lift like nothing else.  Bonus points if that person will help you think of devious and vindictive ways to solve your problems...even though you know those plans can never come to fruition.

Snuggling up with a good book or favorite movie, your favorite food or beverage, a pet, and a comfort item is also a great way to relax and help get things back in perspective.  Sometimes a mini escape is better than any medicine.  And who doesn't love a good snuggle? ;-)

For those who are physically capable, but not quite up to dancing, I've also found housework can be cathartic, especially if you pick tasks that are physically demanding.  That whole exercise thing again.  Plus you get a clean house.

Maybe none of these ideas work for you, maybe all of them do.  But one thing I think we can all agree on is that finding an effective, non-violent coping strategy, no matter what it might be, can be a lifeline when things get tough.  So here's to all you lovely people who routinely find ways to spit in the eye of your troubles and keep a smile on your face!  Strength comes in many forms, and I think yours may be one of the most profound.  Now, please excuse me while I go find my blanky. ;-)