August 4, 2017.

In this edition of the Friday Top Five: 5 ways to maintain your sanity. This week, I learned there’s a right and a wrong way to maintain your sanity. I learned this through trial and error which means I spent a good portion of my week running a marathon in my mind. It didn’t get better until I did the following:

• Breathe. Real Simple magazine has this running segment simply titled “Breathe.” It’s kinda of like a written meditation – there’s a nice, calming pic and a paragraph of things to think about while you…breathe. I like to rip this page out and store it, but I rarely refer back to it because I can’t recall where I’ve placed the pages. What I do remember is the title, which is really the most important part: remembering to take a moment to just breathe.
• Go for a walk. It’s actually hard to busy my mind with things to do when I’m not at home, near my computer, in my kitchen, or looking at a book I haven’t finished yet. I’ve found that going on a 20-minute walk around the corner can be the best thing for me. I get to see trees and things, the noise cuts down significantly, and the most interesting thing in those moments is which new neighborhood dog I can run into. My phone is optional, but I take it for the jams.
• Don’t talk to anyone. We’ve all got people in our lives who love us, want the best for us, and will even listen to our problems…right before they dump some more on us. Though it may seem like the greatest idea to hash out your feelings, you may end up having conversations like this:

B: Hey, mom. I had a long day and my mind is just racing.

Mom: Don’t worry about that stuff further down the line. Just focus on what you need immediately.

B: Well, interestingly enough there’s a whole list of things I could do right now and I can’t decide which to do.

Mom: Like what?

B: Like go to the grocery store, go for a walk, update my blog, cook, get ready for work tomorrow. I really want some sriracha, so I might just have to get off my butt and go to the grocery store.

Mom: I need breadcrumbs.

• Talk to yourself. When I say don’t talk to anyone, I mean don’t talk to just anyone. I allowed to converse with only the realest: God, my dogs, and myself. Some people talk to themselves out loud, but I tend to do it in my head. These conversations go like this:

B: So, what’s really bothering you?

B2: If I was being honest…*insert word vomit.*

B: Isn’t this your song playing? Think about how awesome this song is.

B2: Yeah, this is my jam. I feel a little better.

B: Oh, yeah. We can keep talking about the rest, but I think you’d much rather enjoy the moment.

B2: You right.

• Get some sleep. Great days always start with great sleep. And going to bed when I need to go to bed is like setting a plan in motion for an awesome tomorrow. And if you know you’ve got greatness ahead, why stress?