Good morning…
“Coping is something we do when we are overwhelmed,” says the single note I took at our therapeutic community group at PAWkids yesterday.
Instead of searching for the words in the puzzle above, I decided to search my heart, pondering the given list of helpful coping skills.
Smile. Clean. Exercise. Walk. Water. Sing. Relax. Turtle. Laughing. Music. Stretch. Talk. Play. Color. Journal. Count. Forgive. Draw. Dance. Breathe. Meditate. Movie. Read. Pretzel.
Then my mind wandered and my fingers followed, “What other ways do I cope when I feel overwhelmed?”
Walk/talk with a friend. Cook something marvelous. Pray out my feelings. Take a long bath. Arrange fresh flowers. Make yummy soup. Light sweet smelling candles.
As I wake to a new day, my thoughts reel on.
Savor hot coffee each morning. Enjoy silence and solitude. Listen to the Holy Spirit, my inner teacher. Discern a daily blog post. Verbally process life with friends. Invest in happy hour with my husband. Creatively collage, doodle, diagram. Call/text/email/visit someone tugging on my heart. Daydream in the bath tub to candlelight. Piece together my calendar. Brainstorm possibilities. Jump on our trampoline in the warm sun. Playfully stretch and strengthen on my yoga mat. Watch mindless TV, guilt-free. Sip red wine. Give myself margin. Look for feathers, heart rocks, butterflies, red birds – symbols of my inner soul. Gather often with girlfriends. Sign up for a retreat. Eat lunch on our back porch. Learn from the changing seasons. Finger to fur time with our dogs. Enjoy great conversation with our young adult kids. Envision our next vacation. Boldly celebrate birthday seasons. Treasure hunt at Goodwill, consignment stores, yard sales. Explore Biblegateway.com for the perfect wording of a needed Bible verse.
As my list expands into more and more and more, I realize that healthy coping becomes our way of life. When we begin pondering our favorite coping skills, our list naturally grows. It’s like my annual Christmas list as a kid. My wish list grew larger as I flipped through colorful toy catalogues, watched catchy adds on TV, and noticed new gifts that might bring me fresh joy.
What are your favorite coping skills? Make your list and let it grow. As you focus on the possibilities, might your list also quietly expand into your own way of life with God?
“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field. One day a man found the treasure, and then he hid it in the field again. He was so ·happy [joyful; excited] that he went and sold everything he owned to buy that field” (Matthew 13:44, EXB).
Today, on Worldwide Gratitude Day 2022, we focus on the simple, daily things for which we are grateful. We say “Thanks!” to the God who creatively helps us cope with the overwhelming matrix of everyday life. Let’s sell everything else and buy the whole field of hidden Holy Spirit treasures.
…Sue…
