Forgive me if this is inappropriate, but my husband and I have lost our house in the Eaton Canyon fire currently being worked on in Los Angeles County, CA USA. Fortunately for us, it was being rented out (the tenants are safe and will move into a new place Feb 1 thanks to an amazing management company!). We have lost our a huge chunk of our retirement portfolio, we know at least 20 people who have lost their homes entirely and because of the high rates of lead and asbestos released to the environment (it was an older community) probably 50 who will have to replace beds, bedding, clothing, curtains, essentially any soft material, this is just the people we personally know.
The stress is high, to say the least and stress does not help with inflammation so what are people's go to stress relief tactics?
Right now my back is a mass of knots that massage isn't touching. It is hovering around the single digits with snow and ice on the ground where we now live, so walking is uncomfortable and slightly dangerous (right now I am incredibly risk adverse). But I am trying to get as much exercise as possible.
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nightshadow
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Not easy, but try focusing on All the good things going on in your life . Breathing exercises, yoga nidra, etc can help . You will find lots of inspiration on Insight Timer app. Hope you find something you enjoy ....
So sorry to hear what you have been going through . It’s a truly horrible time, but you and your tenants are safe and well.
A friend of mine once suggested a technique for my daughter that you may like to try. Find a small pebble, write the word “ gratitude” on it and keep it in your pocket. Whenever you feel stressed, worried, anxious take it out and read it, say it out loud . Then think of 5 or 10 things to be grateful for, even little things like the sun on your face, the birds singing, friendships, family….
All helps to try and stay positive in a difficult situation that is not in your control and probably won’t be for a time.
I use Tapping for stress. It’s great. I’ll put the link which shares some free tappings plus the link for the Tapping Solutions app. There are free recordings on the app so there is no need to buy anything but if you would like to, I get the $46.99 year subscription through the family company themselves. I bought it originally through the Apple subscription and it was way more than that.
It feels a bit weird to begin with tho it doesn’t take long to learn how to do it and there is a lot of scientific research which confirms it does help.
I’m so sorry to hear how the LA fires have affected you. We watch the daily news with horror from the UK, I have 2 cousins based in the city, both are safe but have lost their homes too.
I received a breast cancer diagnosis last May and although I had a lot of family support and generally coped well I couldn’t calm my mind at all. I found daily yoga nidra for 1 hour (sometimes twice, mornings and afternoons) extremely helpful. I got into bed, closed curtains, put EarPods in and closed out the world so all I could hear was the lovely guided meditation. There are lots of them on YouTube. I also took CBD gummies which I’d never tried before but really helped and I would suggest them to anyone. Very gentle and helped relax me and got rid of some of the tension in neck, shoulders etc.
Sending positive thoughts to you and hope you find some calm x
I feel for the people like yourselves in such a helpless situation.For stress relief I use breathing in many Tai Chi Chigong exercises. There is no movement as such to involved changing your position. Breathing helps to move your blood around that provides overall health. It also pulled me through some low points I have felt.
Nightshade so sorry to hear about your struggles. I truly believe stress can wreak such havoc on our bodies & minds - even more than poor diet, lack of exercise, etc. What helps for me is each night I write down 5 good things that I am grateful for that day. They can be big or tiny things. I also keep my communication with God open throughout the day ("thanks for giving me the strength to get some housework done today", or "God please take some of this pain from me today". I also do some conscious breathing throughout the day and I try to get on the treadmill for short periods throughout the day while listening to an audio book. One other thing is sending cards to kids in cancer hospitals. These are just some of my go to things that help me. Hope you find some peace.
I am so sorry to hear all that of this. Will be praying for you and your family and thank goodness everyone is ok. I agree with some others. Breathing exercises, yoga, a little natural vitamin D. If you have something you like to do try to do it or give yourself a little treat. Get a little sunlight even if through a window. Serenity prayer helps too. And love the person with the gratitude idea! That is wonderful idea, going to try it myself.❤️
so sorry to hear that you’ve been affected by the fires in this way.
When I’m stressed the last thing I want to do is leave the house. I have to do, my house never looks so clean as when I’m stressed, I crochet, colour in, I’ve decided I’m going to learn to draw this year. I’ve discovered audio books too, headphones on and I can go about doing whilst listening to someone else’s life for a bit and switch off from my own. As my sons counsellor said the other day the act of doing diverts your brain to focus on that, if breathing techniques makes you feel awkward avoid them for you’re only going to add to the stress, so what’s the point! I thought this was a really valid point and perhaps why I avoid these type of mindfulness activities!
If you saw a clip of a cute little yellowish house with green trim half in flames and someone in front hosing it down - that was ours. A friend saw it on a BBC channel.
Oh my, so sorry for your loss. My go to for immediate stress reduction is deep breathing. I deep breath in for a count of 10. Hold for a count of 10. Then I slowly breath out through my mouth for another count of 10. Do this 3 times, no more.
Another technique I use when I get depressed is to tell myself out loud, "You don't have to be depressed". You have to say it so you hear yourself. According to the Copilot AI this is a type of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).
"When you say "You don't have to be depressed" out loud, you're engaging in a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This technique helps reframe negative thoughts and challenge harmful cognitive patterns. Speaking positive affirmations out loud can disrupt the cycle of negative thinking and provide a temporary boost in mood.
Additionally, the act of saying something out loud gives your brain an auditory cue, reinforcing the message you're trying to convey. This can help you internalize the positive thought more effectively. It's similar to how hearing someone else say something supportive can be comforting."
You might try telling yourself "You don't need to be stressed" or something like that.
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