What do you find therapeutic?
 

Sitting in the backyard after work with the floodlights on, watching my dogs play.

Good idea for a topic! Thank you! :)

Sitting & reflecting in my easy chair with low subdued lighting!

Great topic! :)

A few of mine:


*Running my fingers down my girls gorgeous, long strawberry blonde hair

*Staring at the fireplace

*Reading

*Adult coloring books (I learned a new phrase in one of them, "Twat Waffle")

*Rubbing dogs bellies

*Observing the Minks and the Blue Heron in the ravine behind the house

Some things I do might not be too ordinary, but I find lots of pleasure in doing them, because there's an heart connection behind most all of them (and, I listed them out of order):

* filing my natural nails and buffing them to a gloss.

** sharpening kitchen knife blades (my dad taught all us kids years ago, but it's a worthwhile skill).


*** cooking in the kitchen.


**** tangled up with my Sweetheart and listening to his heartbeat and observing his chest rise and fall, as he breathes.


***** bicycle riding (I can hardly wait to be well enough, so I can ride my bicycle again).

Therapeutic
 

Silence.

I love silence it is very therapeutic to me.

If I'm angry I clean the house from top to bottom all at once...nothings gets "the mad out" quite like cleaning.

If I'm troubled or stressed...quiet and sometimes the escape of a nap.

Many things...

Hiking

Yoga

Native American flute music

Dancing in my living room to really loud music

Sitting by the river...or any body of water really

Night air

Morning light

Cuddling with the fur kids

Rides to no where in particular

Talking to my mom

Cleaning

Home improvements

Organizing

Tea

Bookstores

Being alone

Baking

I try to find happiness in life's little nuances...

This is true. I find I must make time sometimes in the chaotic world for simple silence. Sometimes we don't realize how much we need it until we make time for it.

I love all of these too. Sometimes it's the most overlooked things that I realize are really keeping me in balance underneath it all.

Guess because it's in the blood, many things about Native culture is very very calming to me, but I especially love drumming. Something happens where I go into a trance when I'm listening, feeling the vibes. Definitely therapeutic for the soul.

Bowl of chicken soup with a big huge matzoh ball in the middle. (I like 'em the size of softballs.)

A good workout- helps get the extra energy out of my body and organizes my thoughts at the same time.

Cleaning my house and sometimes that involves purging things that need to be purged.

Organizing my house in a new way.

Cooking healthy food.

Music. Sometimes loud sometimes soft. Different types for different therapy.

A long drive with the right music.

I love watching these too. Also like watching cooking/baking videos, it brings me comfort and a lot of good tips. Have you ever tried ASMR videos? Those are mostly sound based though. There are some I find soothing, like writing on paper or book ones.

Sitting under the moonlight especially in the wee hours when most are sleeping.

Looking at things that I find to be beautiful. I don't need to own them, but I might like to touch them, somehow it calms my soul and soothes my nervous system.

Being in water makes most everything better.

Building fires (I seem to have a knack for it *laughs* pat pat pat) and gazing into them reflecting and daydreaming.

Live music and dancers inspire me, gets the juices flowing. Ahhh wine as well.

Sitting outside under a full moon with a sky full of stars twinkling above.

A good cup of coffee

Accomplishing something that I had previously thought I couldn't do well, if at all.

Getting lost in a good book

Taking a walk just as the sun is starting to come up

Walking in a gentle rain

Spending time with my pup, Sadie

Cooking

Also, in a boat on the water or on the beach near the water.

Deep in a forest hiking and exploring the landscape and the indigenous flora and fauna.

Walking whether it's taking the dog out or at the mall, walking helps my brain rest.

Journaling, I have kept a journal for a long time, writing things out helps too.

Watching a lot of movies.

Doing Reiki on either myself or another person.

Hanging out in the Garagemahal doing picayune things that matter possibly only to myself.

Teaching Sadie a new trick, and watching her eyes light up with excitement as she gets it. :doghead:

A good orgasm. :winky:

Walking on the beach or along the banks of a slow moving river.

Helping others.

Did I mention a good cup of coffee? :coffee:

This thread is needed, badly. I found some gifs that a few may find calming and or relaxing.

http://cdn.ebaumsworld.com/mediaFile...1/84125588.gif

https://media.tenor.co/images/99b2b6...9f9c407882/raw

http://33.media.tumblr.com/2c497b127...5jd6o1_500.gif

http://i.imgur.com/NTUFl.gif

Great topic!!

I find meditation therapeutic before yoga class.... it doesnt have to be long, i usually take 5 to 10 min.. I find it relaxing.

Oh, and hugging helps too!

It used to be a walk on the beach or sitting on the rocks looking out at the ocean, but the ocean isn't accessible to me on a daily basis anymore so I needed to find something else. This works for me every single time. A walk in the woods with a pocket full of nuts, seeds, etc, stopping to feed chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and tufted titmouse along the way, (titmice is the accepted plural however it is not really etymologically consistent since tit is an old English word meaning little and mase meant small bird. The name titmase morphed eventually into titmouse.) I think this need to explain about the plural of titmouse makes it pretty clear why I need to find ways to relax. Here is a pic of me feeding a male downy woodpecker.

https://s28.postimg.org/pmig1cpsd/PB010162_PS_2.jpg

You must love WaterFire. I was dating someone at Brown around 1999 and she was one of the volunteers feeding the braziers so I had a front row seat. It was right around the time WaterFire was beginning to grow and I really enjoyed it. A few years later I was amazed at how big it had gotten. I took my wife one year, maybe 2007, and it was humongous. I think it was more fun when it was smaller.

Anyway to stay true to the thread, I also find fire, especially on water, very peace inducing. Barring burial at sea, which I doubt I will get, I would love it if someone would just stick me in a canoe, tow it out to sea a bit and set it on fire...after I'm dead of course.

Therapy at Home
 

When I'm at home I find the following super therapeutic:

audiobooks or my fave music playing on the Bose
something yummy simmering on the stove
cleaning or purging items I don't need
Facetime
face masks or spa treatments
fuzzy socks

yelling at the TV!

Brisa
 

the sound and smell of the ocean.............

Rainfall....... it's very soothing to hear. I'm actually lying on top of my bed, watching it come down in sheet after sheet....then it stops for a bit....then, it begins to rain again. The trees, in the neighborhood west of me, are simply beautiful. Bright pinks, pale yellows and deep pined blooms are everywhere...so very pretty.

Sometimes a good cry helps but haven't done that in awhile!

Agreement Maximus

sleeping naked in fresh sheets

picking out flowers in the nursery

listening to the snore of my old old dog

softly petting my cat when watching television