From time to time, when tensions are high or I can sense a pervading uneasy energy circling me in some way, I do a little meditative exercise. Usually, it is a visualization or relaxation ritual; something easy to refocus my mind. You'd be surprised at how effective this can actually be.
Last year, when the Hurricane ravaged my house and I was living with (at the time) 5 dogs in one room, you can bet that I was a bit stressed--then, before all that was even finished came the registration for grad school, then the classes, and then the unthinkable tragedy that was the sudden, devastating death of my dog Marley. And, let's not forget that awesome day when the bus hit my car, smh. All that in one year. There were days inside that stretch of time when I was physically unable to stand up. And, that thing I do, with the breathing and the color light blue (have I ever told you guys this?) really saved my sanity.
So, as a means to, perhaps, prepare you for the unforeseen stressful events in your own life, this week's blog will have you contemplating your "happy place" either real or metaphorical or imaginary. Please answer the following questions:
Where do you like to go to escape from the pressures of your life? (It doesn't have to be a real place).
What is your best childhood memory? Describe it in detail.
Where and when do you feel your absolute best? Why?
What is the most soothing sound you can imagine?
Which colors affect your mood the most? How do those colors affect it?
When during the day do you feel the most at ease? Why? What is it about that time of day that provides comfort?
Relax while you're writing this--please don't start at 11:45 on Thursday night and rush forward trying to get it in under the wire--that would really defeat the purpose.
Remember to breathe...
As someone who internalizes a majority of the pressures in life, I find myself often retreating to my nature-esque room for some alone time in order to think things over. When alone time is not enough, I meditate and enter further into my head, coming to one of my more consistent happy places. I’m in the middle of a pine forest in the beginnings of fall so all the trees have began shed their orange pine needles that carpet the ground. Openings in the trees allow beams of warm sunlight to illuminate the surroundings. As far as I can walk I encounter no other animal; no humans anywhere. Some may find this feeling uneasy but to be it is as calming as the tranquil, transparent stream that I rest by in this transcendental place. The water is waste deep and warm from the eternal sunlight rocks and pebbles blanket the bottom and boulders allow for a wonderful sunbathing spot. My favorite childhood memory is fairly similar to this. It is when I went to a resort up in the barrens of New York called “Riding High Ranch”. It still makes my smile thinking about it. It was the first time in my childhood that I was completely the raw Danielle and had friends. The place was secluded behind the barrier of mountains and had a wonderful crystal clear lake in the center which was meant for swimming, tubing and fishing. There were hourly horseback rides through the surrounding woods and scrumptious homemade food. On Friday nights everyone in the resort would get dressed in fairly nice clothes to eat a nice dinner and play bingo afterwards. I had befriended a group of kids that thought I was funny and exciting and that was the first time I actually can remember someone actually listening to me and accepting me. We played all day and manhunt until we would almost fall asleep in our hiding spots. In places similar to Riding High Ranch is where I feel my best; in the woods, with water, in the warm summer and animals to enjoy with people to enjoy my time with. Roaming freely in nature and running through the night and smiling in the sun. The most soothing sounds happen at these times too. There is no breeze and you’re sitting in the brush in the middle of the woods. It’s like you can feel the sunlight or rain or snow keeping the leaves in place, that somewhat silent sound is what makes me want to close my eyes and fall asleep on a bed of moss. Now, after talking about all this nature, I think it’s pretty evident of what colors affect me the most. If I still having you guessing, they’re any shades of blue and green. Obviously because they remind me of nature since a majority of plants and bodies of water are green and blue (though I’m not sure what color water Atlantic City has). In school, I’m the most relaxed during lunch time because I’m eating a delicious lunch and I can express myself with one of my favorite people, Vincent. Even out of school, lunch time is my favorite time because the sun is at its highest and everything is settling into the day. Writing about all this stuff makes me so happy for the free time soon arriving with summer, YAY!!
ReplyDeleteDanielle, I find it hard to really pull myself into an apocryphally filled setting, so with that being one of my down faults, I love that you are able to create a peaceful area that you can call your own. I believe everyone needs that one special place that they can get lost in and relax their minds. Your fall setting forest themed space sounds absolutely perfect! I like how you also were able to connect this place with your favorite childhood memory. It seems as if “Riding High Ranch” really holds a special place in your heart where memories were made that would last a life time, and to be able to keep them and combine it with your peaceful place is great! The way you tied everything together in this blog was fantastic, I really enjoyed reading it!
DeleteDanielle, reading your blog actually lulled me into a peaceful state. You are very gifted in describing your surroundings. I just about forgot where I was and thought I was in a secluded forest. As you said nature holds a special place in your heart, I too have found nature to be a beautiful component of life and have found it to be a great comfort to me. I am glad you have so much in your life to reflect on and grow from. Great post, very inspirational!
Deletei loved reading this and a different perspective from mine! This was an awesome blog post
DeleteDanielle, I often get much enjoyment out of reading your responses because they always seem to make me feel relaxed and soothed. This was obviously no exception. Your so called "happy place" is not much different from what I picture as my own, and the way in which you described it made it seem truly magical.
DeleteDanielle, reading your response just put me in a much calmer mood. Your descriptions allowed me to imagine as though I was the one roaming around nature. Honestly, I was never much of a nature person until I moved here. Moving here allowed me to be more aware of the beauty that surrounds me and allows me to be more connected to nature. I’m glad that I read your blog.
DeleteI really enjoyed your childhood story. For me, it really exemplified the nature of childhood, and it reminded me of a time when I still played outside with my neighbors when we would play until dark and swim in my pool all day almost everyday, and once I got older we would play manhunt late at night (around 8pm) with my brother and his friends. I found those moments to be some of the best from my childhood, and I can see why you picked that story as your best childhood memory.
DeletePart 1: Never in my life have I been as stressed out as I have this year. It seems as though there aren’t enough hours in the day anymore with all that needs to be done. That being said, stress has been a large component of this year and I have often felt pressed on every side and quite honestly still do. However, there are components of my life that help me through. One thing I like to do to escape the pressures of my life is to walk my dogs with my siblings. We often walk for hours and talk about everything and anything. Hearing about their lives and being a part of them causes me to get my mind off myself and my own burdens and focus on the wonderful kids that they are. I also often pray and work through whatever I can one day at a time. A tremendous amount of faith goes into relieving pressure in my life and it is sometimes a long road ahead, but I always look forward. I thought long and hard about what my favorite childhood memory is and to be frank, I still have not come to a conclusion. I have been blessed with a good childhood and I cannot pick any one memory for the life of me. However, as I was reminiscing I realized one common theme in all the candidates for what could have been “the best memory.” That is, all of my family members were included in it, including my oldest brother who has since gotten married and moved away. I miss the completeness of my family. How we would all play in the front yard, my parents in lawn chairs sitting together reading, us kids all playing Frisbee or flying a kite. I miss the late nights on the boardwalk playing mini golf or going on any ride that moved. I miss building a snowman, making snow angels and drinking hot chocolate. It didn’t matter what we were doing as long as we were all doing it together. It’s the memories I consider my best that remind me where I come from and make me see the better side of my life, that make me see that my life meant something and that there were people who I loved more than anything and that loved me the same. Running parallel with my last post, I honestly feel best when I am in Disneyworld. I know I know that doesn’t happen all that often (every five years or so) but I never forget how I feel when I am there. I in all sincerity love it and the magic that comes with it. I feel like a child when I am there and like anything is possible. It always seems that you forget your worries and just embrace being with the people you go with. The sky isn’t even the limit in my eyes when I am there. I feel my best because of the love I have for the place and the joy I feel when I am there.
ReplyDeletePart 2: There are several sounds that always uplift my spirits, however, the sound that stands out most in my mind and is of rain hitting the roof. Most people find rain to be inconvenient or annoying; however I find it to be the opposite. When I was a little girl my dad and I used to take walks in the rain with rain coats, umbrellas and rain boots to match and I would splash in the puddles and make a mess of myself. The sound of rain reminds me of that time and is just the most soothing sound I have ever heard. It lulls me into such a peaceful state. As far as colors are concerned, I don’t really think that they affect my mood. I admire color and love to see how colors complement one another to make beautiful pictures. However, I don’t turn to them in attempting to change my mood. However, if there is one color that would affect it I’d have to say it would be robin’s egg blue. I know this is specific but it’s my favorite color. In saying that, it affects my mood because it’s a color that I prefer and that makes me happy. I think it is beautiful and “light” in the sense that it lifts my spirits and helps me to feel at ease. On that note, the time of day that I feel most at ease is early in the morning. It’s at the time when it’s light outside but the sun has barely breached the horizon. The sky is full of colors you don’t even know exist until you see them, that don’t even seem real but at the same time you feel you can reach out and touch them. The air is cool and everything is still quiet and the birds are just beginning to wake and serenade the morning. To be honest I’m not sure why this puts me at ease. I suppose it’s because of the stillness, and the natural beauty that you can only appreciate through your own experience. It provides comfort to me because just sitting out on the front porch, a cup of coffee in hand admiring the morning, it gives me hope. It shows me that no matter how hectic my life may become, I can still come back to the stillness of the morning and all its majesty.
ReplyDeleteFrancesca, yes there was never enough hours to a day this year to really get everything done. It felt as though 24 hours was not equivalent to the amount of work from school, sports and outside activities we all seemed to juggle around this year. With that being said, I am very pleased to hear you have been able to comfort yourself with a special way of relieving yourself. I absolutely love that your way of letting stress out is by connecting with your siblings on a nature walk. I feel as though getting fresh air can really relax someone’s mind and on top of the nice surroundings you have your siblings there beside you which can make it all the better. I can also see that you have a strong relationship with your family in general by the way you described what you miss from your childhood. I hope one day things could get back on that path and you spend nights like those of your childhood. Great post!
DeleteIt’s very interesting how we have a certain place, memory, or sound that brings us solace and security. I’m sure we all have great childhood memories because there was a lot less worrying to do and a lot more doing your own thing moments. Since my birthday is tomorrow, I look through all the moments that I shared with people who brought me joy. One thing I wish for Friday is to have more lets-have-fun moments and times where I can evaluate the nuances that make me who I am. There was a great change in my life in my freshmen year that I appreciate so much because through the many battles, I have found a place to escape my problems and pressures. Ever since I enjoyed running, the only place I want to be when there are problems right and left is the outdoors. The outdoors alleviates my stress because the place has an abundant amount of things that makes you appreciate their value and beauty. The outdoors is the only place where I can run away from my problems and see a landscape that can never be explained in words. When I am on a trail run,I try to keep every image captured in my mind. When the wind embraces you, you feel like you can run with it through everything. In my run, when the trees move according to the wind, the sound that the leaves make against each other soothes me. When my shoes crunch every rock into the dirt, I can only image about the people and animals that have crossed the exact place. The sounds that nature plays is a lullaby that I wish everyone can hear and appreciate. The captivating images and sounds that nature provides me may be the only things that keep me strong through the storm. The only time when I can feel my absolute best is when I have a great run. I feel like I can tackle down anything, and I feel like I’m doing something right with my life. I feel very good when I have a long run because I remember how hard I worked to be where I am and how I much I have been and how strong I become from all the things that I had to overcome. When I go for a jog, I appreciate all the pain that I had how much everything has transformed me into a better runner.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite childhood memories was the day that I had my first snow day. I remember that day very well because I remember spending the entire day with my family. When I was younger, I could barely see my parents at the same time, all I ever wanted was to have dinner with my parents in peace without thinking about them having to work. When I got the news that I had the snow day, I was excited because I knew my parents were going to stay home all day and I finally spend time with them. Throughout the day, I enjoyed spending time with them without thinking about how they would eventually leave to go to work. I appreciated all their work and the values that they teaching me.
When I am stressed out, I never considered color to influence my thoughts or affect my mood. For the most part, I prefer to stay away from reds and and dark greens because they give me a type of unpleasant feeling. Reds and dark greens remind me of the most disgusting things, and there is only a matter of time where I can’t hand being uncomfortable. Unfortunately, the only time where I can be relaxed is Sunday mornings. For me, Sundays are meant to do anything, preferably, anything that doesn’t involve school. Sundays allow me to be free and spend time with my friends and family. When Sundays turn out to be the worst day of the week, I feel so agitated because its the only day that I could take advantage of.
For the most part, the things that make me happy and comfortable are only in a reach a hands, and the only thing stopping me from my happiness is my cowardness to risk and to search for the unthinkable.
David, I admire your desire for the outdoors as your stress reliever. I often go for a run to help clear my mind so I can understand where you are coming from. I love the way you capture the landscapes of nature that you pass as you go for your runs, and not just the images, but the sounds too. You seem to really have a large appreciation for the gift of nature that we have in our world. I wish more people would admire it as much as you seem to get because of all the beautiful things people could experience. Aside from the peaceful nature runs, I can see your childhood memory really seems like a special one for you. I enjoy the days that I can spend with my family. It always seems as if everyone is always running around on crazy schedules, never able to stop and breathe. So I can understand it’s hard to get everyone together. I hope you can have more of those types of days, with or without snow. This was a great post!
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DeleteDavid, I thought your statement; “the nuances that make me who I am” was very intriguing. Most people seem to think it is the massive details in our lives that make us who we are but I agree with your perspective much more heartily. We are a collection of smaller idiosyncrasies, talents and aspirations and I think sometimes it takes the nuances to bring us back to who we are. I also know exactly what you mean in running to alleviate pressure. There’s just something about it that makes you feel strong and free. Great job and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! :)
DeleteDavie, I found it interesting that you turn to the outdoors when stress gets to you. Aren't you bothered by the insects? All jokes aside, nature is truly a wonderful thing that more people need to learn to appreciate. The fact that Sunday is your favorite day of the week was rather striking to me. I thought Sunday and Monday would be two of the least popular days of the week. I can see why you like it though, its basically a Sabbath. Dave, this was a wonder blog response and have a very happy birthday!
Deleteyour blog post made me think! I think it is awesome that you love the outdoors!
DeleteHappy birthday Ddddaaaavvvveeeee. I find this blog to reflect your healthful tendencies. Your fascination with the outdoors and your healthy eating habits that I've picked up on during lunch with you really manifests itself into a rather concentrated and genuine human being. Using running as a stress reliever is a given since we run cross country. But even your fondest memory is one of snow and one of nature. What this contributes to anything? Nothing. Just an observation. Great job as usual.
DeleteOut of all the days of the week Sundays have always been my favorite. I always use Sunday as a day of replenishment and relaxation. I never do homework on Sundays (unless I've put it off, which isn't often). I do absolutely nothing, as a matter of fact. I can see why you like Sundays because it's a day that only emits comfort. I feel as if it's the most "laid back" of the days. Friday is the day of excitement and Mondays are the day we all dread the most. I also love how you find so much comfort in nature. I don't like bugs that much so they tend to ruin my opinion on the outdoors, but I try to enjoy it as much as I can. Wonderful blog post!
DeleteBefore I even start, I’d just like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It seems as though quite a few people actually use the outdoors as their stress reliever. It’s glad to know that people really do appreciate nature. I like the way you describe the nature that you pass as you run. You seem to really be connected with nature as you run. Other than that, I found it interesting that your favorite day is actually Sunday. I, myself, have never really liked Sunday, since it always means that we have school the next day. Well other than that, great job on your post!
DeleteDavid, I would have to agree the outdoors is one of the best places to be it completely relaxes me and forces me to take a step back and reflect on past times and evaluate my feelings toward those times and other times its just where I like to sit and watch, maybe do something silly and just follow a bee around.
DeletePart 1: This year alone has had to be one of the most stressful years of my high school career. While the amount of school work is a contributing factor, I don’t think it is the sole reason for why I want to rip my hair out of my head. If anything, as the days pass, I’m getting older and wiser and each and every decision I make is starting to get more and more important. The stress that builds up inside me is only so manageable up to a point where my mind can only take so much and then I have to release that undesirable pressure. I’ve always found myself relieving this burden within the comforts and confinements of my friends. I feel as if the best way to get rid of stress is to forget about it. Spending mindless time with my friends is the most effective way of momentarily forgetting about the problems of reality. Lately, I’ve been leaning towards my boyfriend, Trevor, for that momentary escape. He’s someone who doesn’t ask questions when they aren’t necessary and he knows that the best way to lift my spirits is to do something that deviates my mind from that of which corrupts it. It’s become apparent to me that I’m becoming dependent on people, whereas I used to be a very independent person, but I don’t really mind. I feel as if friends can easily help you, not necessarily escape, but forget about the pressures of life. I feel as if you can never truly escape that pressure for it’s always a lingering presence, but you can always hide from it (well, at least for a few hours or so).
ReplyDeleteAs for my favorite childhood memory, it’d probably have to be when my family and I first visited Manhattan. I remember it vaguely but it is because I remember it so vaguely that I admire it so much. All I remember from that day was seeing new things, trying new things, and importantly, during these endeavours, all that could be seen were smiles all around. It was a happy memory. If anything bad happened that day I wouldn’t know because I only remember the happy things. To me, that is my favorite childhood memory for all it encompasses is happiness and that all I ever truly try to achieve. I feel as if everyday always has it’s downside, but that day didn’t. It was a day of discovery and family. I will always remember that day as the time where my sister and I dressed up in our identical outfits and roamed the city with our parents hand in hand eating the typical NYC churro, bought off the sketchy vendors on the streets.
Where and when do I feel my absolute best? I used to have only one answer to this, now it has broadened to two. First, and foremost, I feel my absolute best when I’m reading. Wherever it is, as long as I am reading I feel transformed. Reading is like music, but to my eyes. I’ve always loved reading and I will always love reading. I find myself in the shoes of whatever character I’m reading about and all that they feel I suddenly feel. Reading gets my imaginations flowing and I guess whenever my imagination is allowed to run free, I feel free. I don’t think many of you will understand this, but for those few who do, it’s a great feeling isn’t it? As for my newly found reason for feeling my “absolute best” it’s when I’m with Trevor (DON’T ROLL YOUR EYES, I CAN TELL YOU’RE DOING IT). I always hated those cliche girls who clinged onto their selected other, and I’m telling you now that I am not that girl. However, it is true that being with him makes me feel my best. I feel as if I don’t have to try to gather his affection or maintain high expectations whenever I’m with him because he likes me for me. In a sense, I feel my absolute best when I am myself (that totally contradicts my first statement, but bear with me, lol). I don’t usually talk about my “love-life” because I feel as if no one really needs to know about it, but I wanted to be honest in this blog post, so I figured why not mention the little scumbag, lol.
Part 2: In addition, a soothing sound that soothes me is a matter of fact, rain. Not those gross gray rains that drains everyone’s moods, but thunderstorm kind of rain. Something about those harsh thumps of rain always put me in a “mood.” I like the sound of rain, and sitting at home, curled up in blankets reading a book is one of my favorite things to do when I want to clear my head. I LOVE RAIN, DAMMIT. Moving on (lol), the two colors that affect me the most are white and bright pink. White immediately puts me in a nonchalant mood. I feel as if you stare into a white wall your eyes start to deceive you and you see different colors. Am I alone on that? As for bright pink, it puts me in either a really elated mood or that of gross and disgust. I’m not really sure why, but pink has that effect on me. It’s really weird and I feel like going into depth on this will only confuse both you and I.
ReplyDeleteLastly, the time of day where I am most at ease is easily when I am asleep. This is because I am never at ease as long as I am conscious. My mind is a devilish thing that only burdens me with the pressures of life. When I’m asleep I don’t think of anything. Nothing at all. Even if it may seem like 5 minutes when you wake up, I savor those moments because at least I thought of nothing for those seemingly 5 minutes which were actually a good 6 hours. Though, while I like sleeping, I don’t because I feel like you’re wasting precious time that could be spent doing something more enjoyable. I’m contradicting myself so much in this blog post, but contradicting myself is my way of expressing myself. I really hope my blog post makes sense to you, because i’m not so sure it makes sense to me. But there you have it, my second to last blog post, DONE. How bittersweet.
Paula, I have always been an extremely skeptical person of people. It’s hard for me to trust and reveal my life to them. That’s why I think your ability to confide in others so easily and allow yourself to become a little dependent is very admirable. Friends are a true blessing and I’m not sure where any of us would be without them so I am glad that you can find such relief in their company. I also like that you enjoyed Manhattan so much because you don’t remember most of it. I think that when we only remember certain details of an event, they must have been really special otherwise they’d have been forgotten with everything else. It’s interesting to see what we remember and what we experienced that we will never come to know. Great post!
DeleteI'm not going to lie, I of course rolled my eyes the minute I saw you mention Trevor (haha). But after reading your reasoning I suppose that what you said makes good sense. You are comfortable when you can be entirely yourself, and that it a great thing. I also really enjoyed your description of your favorite childhood memory. I find it both interesting and pure that you look upon your time in Manhattan so fondly because you don't really remember it. You must have viewed it with the realest of child-like minds, so to speak, and you were only able to see the good in everything. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could all go about life with that mindset?
DeleteI am also stressing out a lot about the decisions I will be having to make pretty soon. Considering the only things i can see myself pursuing through post secondary education are trivial things that don't even guarantee me a steady paycheck, the choices I need to make are extra crucial, I want to follow my dreams, but I also want to not be homeless, and the choice between staying alive or living is something I really am not looking forward to making.
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ReplyDeleteLike most people the littlest things stress me out. Getting a bad grade on a test or project, not being able to perform a skill in the gym, having piles beyond piles of homework to complete in less than 24 hours are just a few of the millions of things that stress everybody out every day. Stepping into Oakcrest for the first time as a student back to freshmen year I realized I had a handful of opportunities ahead of me, many of which that would and have caused much stress. Though freshmen and sophomore year were rough due to the constant amount of endless homework and studying, practices and meetings I somehow got through it. I was told of the horrors of junior year, especially of taking AP Lang, and yet I still decided to go through with it and challenge myself, and a challenge this year was. Many of you may not have known but I began junior year by taking 4 AP classes. I wanted to push myself and see how much I could handle. Apparently four AP classes, gymnastics, dance team, historian of student council and babysitting was a bit much to take on. Within the first two days of junior year I ended up dropping AP Chemistry. I managed to get through honors chemistry last year with very good grades, but only understood the general ideas of each lesson and finally realized the AP status was just not for me. It took a lot to get myself to actually drop a class but once I did, it relieved so much stress off my shoulders and I have enjoyed honors physics this entire year. Then back in March I ended up dropping AP Calculus as well. Now I was afraid of dropping this class because I didn’t want to get judged for “giving up” on two AP classes in one year. But with calculus I got so far behind and lost each lesson I wasn’t sure how else to get by. The class was getting more stressful each day that it got to the point I had a panic attack one day because of being too stressed over it. I finally realized all this panicking and stress was not worth the frustration I was building on myself. So yes I dropped my second AP course in one year, and I hope I don’t come off as a failure to many of you. I can understand if it looks like I gave up, but honestly I tried really hard to get through it, but I had to find a way to relieve the stress, beside I’m thinking of taking calculus in college. So yes junior year took a toll on me (and that was just a fraction of the school part) but I kept telling myself I could get through it. Being that I seem to stress myself out often I’m happy to call my room my escape place. When I sit in my room I feel I am able to relieve myself the most because of being so comfortable in there. It is my own private space of peace where I can blast music, listen to the sounds of the outdoors, write in my journal, etc. My room is where I seem to be able to breathe and relax the most. With that being said it is also in my room where I feel most at ease. After a long, stressful day I feel most at ease right before bed. Throughout the day I keep a check list of everything I need to get done that day. Even if bed time doesn’t come until 1 or 2 in the morning I feel most at ease after getting everything done I had to complete for that particular day, putting on my pajamas and jumping into bed, cuddling with my teddy bear (no I’m not embarrassed to say I sleep with a teddy bear, it’s comforting). Once I know I got done whatever it may have been I feel a bit less stress and am capable of feeling okay to relax. As for sounds, I tend to turn to instrumental music pieces because of the beautiful sounds they produce; I often find them peaceful and soothing which they help relieve some stress. Along with the sounds I look for bright colors to sooth myself. Brightness brings me happiness because being bright I often compare to positive things, brightening someone’s day for instance, or just having beautiful colors surrounding me helps me realize that everything will be ok.
For whatever duress, I have put under, I don't think I have ever come over anything that could be described as.a "panic attack", but I imagine it must be terrible. I admire your desire to challenge yourself and equally respect your judgment to know when you are overwhelmed. I wouldn't be ashamed of dropping those classes; at the very least, your GPA will thank you.
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ReplyDeleteStress though should not be everyone’s only factor. Everyone deserves to enjoy each day to its fullest. Being that people do tend to still be stressed, I could only hope everyone still has at least one place they can feel their absolute best. For me I feel my absolute best when I am surrounded by loved ones, my family and friends and yes my Justin. The people in my life who would support me through thick and thin, who always seem to be able to lift me up when feeling down, and those who I know I can trust with anything are the people that I enjoy spending time with. The people who are capable of taking away the stress and worries and in place of all that bring in laughter and help create great memories are my versions of feeling at my absolute best. 8th grade is still considered childhood right? Because I still consider 17 as a childhood period. Well anyway, the end of 8th grade would have to be one of many of my favorite childhood memories. Back in 2nd grade my parents got a divorce and so my mom, older brother and I moved into a two room apartment, one bathroom and a very small kitchen and living room area. We spent over 6 years in the apartment, there wasn’t much space to stay organized and it seemed as though there wasn’t much freedom (I don’t know it’s hard to explain). But anyway, towards the end of 8th grade we began looking for a house and finally found one that was perfect for the three of us; 3 bedroom, 3 and a half bathroom, much more spacious kitchen and living room areas and on top of that, a basement and large back yard. Moving into our new house opened up many opportunities for me and gave me the feelings of freedom and comfort. Once we moved, it seemed as though it was easier and easier for friends to come over with having more space and it gave us all a better place to move forward. This memory of finally moving into our own house has a huge impact on me because since then I have felt more freedom, and able to grow stronger, I honestly felt trapped in the apartment, but being here has opened up so much more for me and I couldn’t be more thankful.
I remember one day in March randomly stumbling into Calc and noticing you not being there. To this day, I'm sort of mad at you for not asking me for help because you know you would've gotten it. Or anyone for that matter. One of the things about the AP community is that it is a... community. I'm sorry to hear about the struggles you've had in your life. And one of your most redeeming qualities has been your prevailing positivity. This context helps me better understand this perception of you.
DeleteFirst of all, no one thinks you're a failure for dropping those AP classes. You have a lot more on your plate in terms of extra curriculars than most teenagers so it is entirely understandable that you couldn't handle it all. If anything I respect you for your ability to know your limits and for not pushing yourself past your breaking point. Second, I will never forget the day you moved into your new house (or I guess it was technically the day after because I couldn't make it on the first day). But that is a very fond memory for me as well, and I'm so glad that you feel that moving had such a positive impact on your life.
DeleteI definitely feel you on how incredibly stressful Junior year has been; I think we all have. And you are doing a tremendous amount of activities on top of school so really I just have to commend you for even taking on that workload of a second. Some people probably gave up before even starting. And if you truly aren't learning in a class it's better to drop it and go back to a place you will benefit from than trying to force yourself through a class that offers you nothing; so your choices cannot be faulted at all. No one has the right to call you a failure, not even if it's you telling yourself that inside your own head! So please don't ever think you 'gave up' or anything like that; rather I think we should all just be congratulating ourselves that we made it through this year at all.... or well, almost made it.
DeleteAll my life I have been at least under a little stress. Despite all of the good things my mom does for me, one thing she's always good at on almost an artistic level is stressing me out. That being said, there is one place that I can go to relieve stress. The stage. No stage in particular, just any stage will do, even one that isn't a stage under normal. Whether its a rehearsal, a show, being on stage seems to be able to clear my head incredibly easily. I get to spend time with people that I like the most doing something that I love. Whenever I'm stressed or tired or sad, I know that being on stage will fix that right up.
ReplyDeleteNow my favorite childhood memory, that is a tough one. I'd have to say one of the many times that we went to Disney World. You see, before the Recession, my uncle had a significant amount of money, and bought some timeshares in Disney, As such, we took a vacation there every year. These were the very few times when our family was nice and happy, with minimal arguing, and if I could go back to do it again, I would in a heartbeat, without hesitation.
I have always been someone that seeks approval from people, in various ways. Whenever its someone appreciates the work I put into a task, I a, happy. That being said, my favorite sound in the world is a tie between laughter and applause, because both are confirmations that I did something right, and that always makes me happy.
The time of day that makes me the most at ease though, wold have to be around 8:30 at night to later. On a regular day, at this point I am home, just relaxing after an eventful fulfilling day, working on homework interspersed with having fun on the internet. Its very low energy in a good way, and chill, as long as my mom decides to keep it that way. Plus, after that, I get to go to sleep, and that is something I have been needing a lot recently.
Everybody has those little happy things that make them them. Those just happen to be mine. I hope you found them interesting!
Thomas, I have never been to Disney World before! It seems like a truly relaxing place (perhaps one of the most relaxing in the world). I will agree with your statement about laughter. The making people laugh is one of the best feelings in the world; it's as though both parties involved have finally dissolved the awkward tension between them. Late in the evening is also one of my favorite times during the day because that is when I know my day is over and I am able to sleep. This was a wonderful blog response and I hope you continue to find the stage to be your "happy place".
DeleteDisney world is an awesome place. Gosh this just made me want to go back!
DeleteI can relate to mom's being the core source of stress. I feel as if my parents are always clinging on to my back like a monkey that refuses to let go. I try to steer clear from them when they're in one of their "moods," but living in the same household doesn't really help. I also really liked your choice of sound. I think its admirable how both laughter and applause make you feel happy, and important. You're a wonderful actor so applause is always going to come your way. Plus you're incredibly funny so laughter is always close behind.
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DeleteSince you are both a talented singer and bit of a class clown, I can definitely understand why the laughter and applause brings you pleasure. But more than anything, I appreciate that it is a "happy place" for you too. There are far too many talented people who never actually enjoy what it is they're supposed to do. In your case, I'm glad to heart that this is genuine.
DeleteI can relate to your mom being a big source of stress. I always feel like my parents are always watching my every move and always criticizing everything I’ve done. It’s funny because they’re actually criticizing me and stressing me out about my SAT scores as I write this. The sad thing is, it’s kind of really hard to avoid them whenever they’re in a mood or you are. I also did like your choice of sound. The sound of laughter always puts me in a good mood as well. You’re a great actor and I’m glad that you enjoy doing what you do.
DeleteI can relate to disney as I almost used that as my own, I really don't think anyone can go there and not be happy. I can also relate to my mom stressing me out as I can be completely mellow and all the sudden my mom comes home in a bad mood and I've got one too.
DeleteI think it is really cool you find a place that is terrifying to most so enjoyable because it just shows how unique you are in a good way. i would also have to agree with you when you say Disney was one of the best places to be no matter how old one gets they can never get tired of Disney magic.
DeleteI definitely understand the appreciation for applause and laughter because they represent positive signs of approval. Being the performer you are, these positive sounds are of great importance. I personally find myself stressing over the amount of applause I will receive whether it be because of a performance on a stage or even a speech in a classroom. As humans, we tend to often doubt our abilities no matter how talented we are but the power of a hearty applause can really boost one's confidence and pride.
DeleteI understand completely why you go there to relieve stress because I find the stage to be very soothing, too. It's the perfect place for both laughter and applause which are very important forms of praise to an actor. The stage gives performers a sense of serenity and comfort and acceptance which provides the perfect environment for creativity.
DeleteWe as teenagers know a lot about stress. Well, I know I do. It could be family issues, school. Friends, or anything else but I know speaking for myself I have my get a way place that relieves all that stress. That place is the soccer field. After my parents got divorced when I was 4 I learned at a very young age to just get away from that everyday drama I had in my life. Though there was a lot of negativity in my childhood I always made the best of it. I feel that my best child hood memory was when my little brother was born. I love taking care of him and the fact that I could be a role model for him and watch him grow up like I have for the past 9 years. Now when it comes to relaxing there is only a few things that truly soothes me. One of those things are having my back scratched or my face. I will fall asleep in your arms instantly. Also the sound and feel of a fan in my room is one of the most relaxing things in my life . I can’t sleep or be in my room without it. Colors? Hmm…I love bright colors. Bright colors affect me the most and I think characterize who I am. I painted my room bright green because It reminds me of happiness and that is how I try to be all the time even though it is extremely hard at times. Remember when I said how my fan is one of the most relaxing things in my life? Well, a part of that relaxation is at night when I can finally call it a night regardless of how my day went or the stress I am feeling the night time is when I am most at ease. My music is playing, my fan is on blast and my mind is turned off from the world. What can be better than that? Exactly nothing. Nothing at all.
ReplyDeleteDom, I'm glad to see that you were able to find an escape during your childhood. You hit the nail right on the head when it comes to getting your back scratched! That is one of the most pleasant sensations in the world! I, too, must have a fan on while I sleep. The bright green in your bedroom definitely suits you. You are an outgoing and vibrant girl, please don't ever change!
DeleteI think we all know the power of sleep and that moment as soon as you climb into your bed and can finally say that the day is done and there is nothing more you can do. I find solace during this time because I like to think that during those few minutes before you fall asleep, nothing can hurt you. No teachers can yell at you, no parents can punish you and, if your phone's off, no drama can reach you. It is one of the few times that you can disconnect completely, and that is well worth appreciating.
DeleteI can definetly see how you feel that bright colors are most like you because when I think of you I also think of bright colors. I have never had my back scratched but yu make me want to tell someone to do that just to experience the reality of instant sleep.
DeleteI think its good that you find relaxation in the sport you play because sports actually stress a lot of people out and you are the complete opposite so that's pretty cool. I also think a fan is relaxing because my parents always put me to sleep with a fan on when i was little so it just makes me fall right asleep when i hear one. and finally i think its a really good thing that you always strive to be happy because a lot of people in the world don't, and honestly when your name pops into my head all I can think of is how happy you seem all the time.
DeleteJust like you, sports is something i can never live without. I know it sounds absurd but to me it brings joy which helps release the agress i go through everyday. Sleeping is and has always being my escape from trouble and actually it is amazing how that helps. You killed this blog. Great Job.
DeleteYou guys can all probably guess where I go to escape the pressures of my life… dance! When I’m at dance I feel like I don’t have any other responsibilities, like for that couple of hours I don’t have to worry about homework or my stressful family or trying to fit in or anything really. In those couple of hours I spend in the dance studio it feels like the entire world has just stopped and the only thing that fills my mind is the next dance step I have to complete. I’m always filled with only positive energy at the dance studio. I’m surrounded by my best friends and we all just laugh and dance together. There’s never any drama or fighting and it feels so good to just be myself without anyone judging me. When I’m at dance I don’t touch my phone for hours and it feels great and relaxing to just be disconnected from the outside world for a little bit.
ReplyDeleteMy best childhood memory.. This one is really hard because I don’t exactly have the best memory to begin with and now thinking back to it my childhood was pretty boring. There was this family vacation to Virginia that I went on that I would say is probably my best memory. I don’t usually like my family that much cause they annoy me and stuff. But it’s almost like a tradition for something to go wrong on every family vacation but on this vacation nothing went wrong at all. It was actually really great, my family didn’t get on my nerves and it ended up being really fun. I was ten and I remember thinking “wow this is the first time my family has actually gotten along.” And it was, my family really bonded during this time we spent together which was really awesome.
For the question, where do I feel my best, I would have to go back to dance and say that I feel my best while performing. When I’m on stage I feel invincible. I feel like I could do anything. While I’m performing on stage I get such an adrenaline rush that I feel like I could just keep dancing forever. I don’t get tired on stage, however once I get off stage I’m like a 80 year old woman with lung disease and before I go on stage I’m a nervous wreck. But for those three minutes while I’m on stage and everyone’s eyes are on me, I feel amazing. I honestly can’t even describe in words how I feel when I’m dancing on stage. It’s just the best feeling in the entire world and this feeling only occurs when I’m on stage and I’m performing. Like there’s a difference between dancing and performing and I really get this feeling when I’m performing. When you perform your body just flows precisely with the music like it made just for me and I show the emotion of the dance and I don’t know it’s just great.
This is a hard one, but the most soothing sound for me is like at night when the crickets and the frogs and all the other bugs are making their noises and it’s just really quiet outside, like there’s no cars or any other distracting noises just the peaceful sounds of the night creatures. A lot of people think this is like the most annoying sound ever but I absolutely love it. It just sounds so peaceful and relaxing to me.
The color purple really soothes me for some reason. Usually you hear that the color blue soothes people but a nice shade of lavender is just really relaxing for me. I guess it might be because the colors of my walls are this color and while I’m relaxing and falling asleep in my bed I look at my walls and it just soothes me I don’t know that sounds weird but it does.
The time of day that I feel the most at ease is at night right before bed. All day, every day I’m running around and constantly doing stuff. From the moment I wake up in the morning I’m so busy, I have school and then right from school I go to dance for hours and then finally I get home to do my homework and it’ not until about 11 at night that I can actually just lay down and relax. At that time after I’m finally done everything I need to get done and before I fall asleep is when I’m the most at peace. I am able to just sit down and have some time to myself for once. It’s great to distress after a long day so that’s when I’m most at ease.
I love how you have such close ties to dance. I wish I had an activity that I had such a strong passion for and that I could exert all my time in. What I found very interesting however is how you find crickets and frogs a soothing sound. I would have never thought of that, but I can't say I disagree. Looking back, I always found myself in a state of peace whenever I was in my backyard, lounging, at night and all you could see were the clear skies and bright stars. However, along with that was the sound of crickets and frogs. I don't find it annoying. I actually find comfort in it.
DeleteI can definitely relate to your passion for dance. Although not necessarily with dancing itself (I have the coordination of a stick of butter), but with performing, There's just something about practicing a routine, song, dance or show for a long time and finally getting to unveil it to people that is really rewarding, and you definitely deliver whenever you step onto stage to dance, the only thing that I regret is that I wish we cold have kept you in drama, because you were absolutely phenomenal freshman year, and just know that if you'd ever feel like making a return venture, we'd be happy to have you try out :)
DeleteThe feelings that you receive from certain aspects of the "dance life" so to speak is exactly how I feel. Of course it's only a recent occurrence for me, but I still have a complete understanding of the rush that comes with dancing in front of a crowd and the overall happiness that comes with moving your body around in rhythmic ways. There is just something beautiful about portraying emotions without words even if these portrayals result in near-cardiac arrest effects that come along post-performance. Either way, dance is definitely one of my go-to's whenever I am in need of releasing bursts of excitement and energy.
DeleteI wish being on a stage or in front of anyone made me that kind of excited. My body's response to being in front of a crowd is usually something like: "Hey. See that window? I bet this would all look better if jumped out of it." But that's nothing to be surprised about. And I forgot lavender was really a thing to be honest. But it's supposed to be one of the more relaxing and calming thing there is. When I was young my aunt put lavender oil on my feet to make me sleep, which might be weird but I guess it worked, and it smelled pretty nice.
DeleteIt is really fantastic to have something you have such a passion for. If that releases stress than by all means do it! But be sure not to always make it competitive, or else you risk making your de-stressor a source of stress
DeletePart 1
ReplyDeleteOne of the most interesting of human paradoxes is one of productivity versus sanity. It is important to keep a stable basis in reality but at the same time, reality proves to be troublesome for many of us. We know that there are some problems that are best met head-on. But this can prove to be simply too much stress. It is human nature to accomplish great feats but at the same time it is also human nature to just deflect problems altogether. In Psych this year, I learned of the different forms of Freudian coping mechanisms. Repression, projection, reaction formation, and sublimation are among the most notable techniques. However, I have always found that the best coping mechanism failed to make the list. The best coping mechanism is pure distraction. Some might label this as repression but I see it differently. Repression involves copious amounts of internal conflicts and cognitive dissonances. With repression, we pretend that something isn't bothering us when it is simply the opposite. Distraction can be voluntary or accidental but it is successful in that it diverts our attention completely. Then when we come back into reality, our problems don't seem so agonizing. For me, social facilitation has always been the most successful in distracting me.
So the places I go to escape pressures often follows wherever my friends happen to be. These places can be the mall, boardwalk, or first period Latin (ironically, the apex of my most reoccurring pressures). Wherever I can get a good laugh and focus on some abstract subject matter having to do with some ironic or disturbing imagery, I'm game.
My best childhood memory... that's sort of difficult. I was always such a miserable little bastard. I'm going to assume my "childhood" includes up until eighth grade. With that in mind, my fondest memory of anything ever is one of Christmas three years ago. It was the day that I was given my prized Gibson SG. Well sort of. I remember finding $900 randomly missing from my bank account the following January (the guitar cost $1200 plus tax). At the time I was pretty excited in the moment though. More so than ever before. I cut the tape off a intricately shaped box, pulled out a sweet smelling leather cases, and soon caressed a smooth mahogany neck that was smooth as all get out. It is literally my most prized possession. If I ever had to save one item from my burning house, it would be my SG.
I probably feel my absolute best when I'm at home and in bed. I don't know particularly why. But I feel like it has something to do with the lack of time I actually invest into enjoying my bed. I have absolutely no trouble falling asleep (though I used to so thank goodness I do now) and I always spring right out of bed when the alarm goes off. Whenever I can enjoy my bed for even ten minutes, it transports me to a place of pure bliss as I can usually feel the pain in my tense neck and back flow out of me. And once I find that perfect position, once homeostasis has been established, I just relax. And relaxing is something I don't do too much of.
Part 2
ReplyDeleteThe most soothing thing that I can imagine hearing is, ironically, the sound of a propeller plane. Ironic? Yes. But let me explain. Despite the fact that World War II vets may dive for cover and shoobies may stare directly upwards like stationary flamingos when this sound is heard, this sound is very symbolic of summer. Almost all day from late June to late August, I can hear one to two prop planes fly over per hour. The sound triggers memories of time at the beach, mindless yet satisfying yard work, and just an overall warm feeling. The sound itself isn't as soothing as the things I just happen to associate it with.
I often find myself playing with my favorite colors when it comes to picking my phone wallpapers. I got the Galaxy S5 around three weeks ago and Android TouchWiz 4.4 is a largely blue operating system. It comes default with a multicolored lock screen to appease the masses. But once you unlock the phone, there is a blue wallpaper, blue backgrounds for windows, blue buttons for basic radio operation, blue dials, and blue happens to be the recommended color for the phone itself by Samsung. Blue is cool. I don't know why; it just seems to look good with many things. Except for the S5 itself ironically since it for some reason looks like a blue band-aid. But just the other day, I changed my phone to a reddish color. The Golden Gate Bridge is my lock wallpaper and some random red design is my home wallpaper. At this point, I've always realized that blue and red have always been my colors of passion. I guess I must be American... or French, British, Russian or whatever. But for some reason blue seems to calm me down while red seems to excite me. I guess that's why I changed the wallpapers... my phone must need more excitement!
I feel the most at ease when I take my daily walk. I often put my hands in my pocket and rather walk around the cemetery, industrial park, or Egg Harbor River. As I isolate myself from the work to become merely an observer of the world while my musical artist of choice narrates these observations, I just find a great inner peace. It is probably the most relaxing because it is the only time of day where I literally live in the moment. Most of the time my eyes watch my teachers while I think about string theory or electromagnetism. But if I'm on a walk and I see the alpha male turkey that often engages in mass orgies in the Union Cemetery, I think: "Holy crap. Look at that fat fucker. He probably got skeet on my grandmom's tombstone." It's superficial thought at its finest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity. Distraction, distraction, distraction. That is my happy place.
I agree with you that there are fine nuances between repression and distraction. Repression seems to me, as one of the things you do in an attempt to forget while distraction functions as a safety valve, it gives you a few moments away from reality so you can breathe and then pick right back up and deal with the problem. I also feel best when I am laying in bed, particularly right before I go to sleep because it is the only time you can enjoy sleep as your mind slowly shuts off. It is a time when you can say that you've done what you can and the outcome of your days work is out of your hands. It is one of the few times during the day, actually the only time, where your only responsibility is to push your stressors out of your mind.
DeleteYour mention of how the sound of the propeller plane itself isn't soothing but rather the memories it evokes are soothing is really important because I think it's a really fascinating thing how certain sights, smells, or sounds can trigger happy emotions in us just because of the memories we associate it with. The human memory is an odd thing and personally I find it true that I associate images and small details like smells, taste, sound, etc. with situations I've been in than any word-for-word playby of the event. There are certain things that just evoke good memories in me too, like a certain song or food or just sensation. Lying on the porch with the sun shining down brings me back to memories of earlier summers I enjoyed when I was younger and whenever I can recreate those feelings it is perhaps the best feeling in the world. So I just wanted to say I totally get you with that propeller thing- it's usually what we associate with it and not the thing itself. After all, there could be an amazing song you hear but if it's playing during something horrific you're never going to be able to appreciate it fully.
DeleteI agree with that general idea of plane noises being calming. In general, it just reminds me of Mays Landing. Going to place without such daily fly-overs leads to this absence of plane noises that is very foreign. And distractions, when they don't detract from the business at hand, are wonderful. Nice diction with the turkey thing, as always.
DeleteEven though junior year is winding down, I am still finding myself under a lot pressure and stress. In order to evade these feelings of utter helplessness, if even for a little while, I sleep. That's right, I curl up into a ball in a chair in my living room and I sleep. While I am knocked out, I dream about the pleasant things in life such as friends and family. Sleep also allows me to forget anything that has been bothering me seeing as I am unconscious. I do not know what I would do if I could not sleep. In fact, I just woke up from a cat nap and I'm feeling rather refreshed.
ReplyDeleteI do not recall dreaming about my childhood while I was asleep, which isn't abnormal for me. I usually dream about myself at my present age. In my eyes my childhood was somewhat noteworthy. The most memorable aspect of my childhood was my first trip to Baltimore, Maryland. I was about six years old at the time and I think that was the first time I ever stayed in a hotel. I walked the inner harbor with my parents and the sun was beating down on my face and the wind was blowing over my cornrows. I was just elated to be outside on such a beautiful summer day with my parents (they both worked during the summer and they still do. Any time that I got/ get to spend with them during the summer months was/ is precious). The little red bricks beneath my feet made me giggle and grin (red has always been my favorite color), but these long walks with my parents were not the high light of my trip. A few days into the trip, my parents took me to the National Aquarium which was situated near the inner harbor. In fact, it was the large glass building that I keep looking at while walking with my parents earlier on in the trip. The moment I was let inside the aquarium, I was fascinated. The sights were simply breathtaking, especially the dolphin show! I haven't been to back to Baltimore in about a year and this blog has me hankering for a trip!
Moving forward, I feel my absolute best when I am at home in the evening. I don't know exactly what it is, but I feel as though there is something majestic about my house in the evening that calms me down. Maybe it's the way the sun hits the front of the house and streams in through the windows of the family room. This feeling of calm is the most apparent on Fridays. Fridays are the start of the weekend and I celebrate this by lazing around the house and by sometimes writing in my journal. The most soothing sounds that I can possibly think of the introduction to "Little Wing" by Jimi Hendrix and the song "Hey Jude" by the Beatles. The Beatles have been my favorite band for two consecutive years now and I am always excited to hear one of their songs on the radio. Hendrix, on the other hand, is relatively new in my life and I am learning to love his music more and more with each passing day.
The color that brings me the most ease is the color red because it is my favorite color. The color that bothers me the most is dark purple. This strong dislike of dark purple began shortly after reading Shannon Draper's "Romiette and Julio" a few years ago. I would honestly like to think that I am getting over this overall agitation, but then again, that's just me. There you have it kids, yet another look into my awkward life and as aberrant as this may sound, if any of you decide to read "Romiette and Julio" you will all understand why I cannot stand dark shades of purple!
I can relate to your feelings of still being stressed from the school year. I thought that once my AP exams were over that I would just be breezing through the rest of the year with no homework or even class work for that matter. Of course I'm wrong, in fact, I found out that my German final exam is next week and it is a completely different format from before in that it is all reading comprehension. I'm bad at reading comprehension in English so I'm dreading to see how I do in German. Also, I also enjoy sleep as well, I too took a nap after I got home from school today and have never felt better.
DeleteJasmine I loooovvvvvve to sleep to I feel like all I ever want to do is sleep. Sleeep is the only time where I am truly relaxed and where no steress invades me.
DeleteA lot of people seem to sleep and avoid stress.... And I really wish I could get what you guys are raving about but I'm actually incapable of taking naps. I actually wake up feeling achy and sore and more stressed out than before I went to sleep. But if you can find solace in that then I am jealous; catch that sleep for me, I guess. I just find this blog interesting however because I get to read about so many little nuances of people that I never would have known. Like getting a dislike of a color from a book- not something you would have guessed but it was interesting to hear!
DeleteIf it was possible I would make it a law that people should take naps after hard and stressful days . Feeling refreshed after a nap really is wonderful. Especially with all this stress from school it will be welcomed with open arms. But soon we'll be done and have an entire summer to relax and sleep.
DeleteEver since this school year has started, I have realized that sleep is something that should be taken up at any given opportunity. This year really screwed up my sleeping pattern and I find that I am incapable of sleeping at anytime before 1 am, no matter how tired I actually am. I wish I got more sleep that way I could also escape into my own pleasant world for extended hours on end. I also agree that the evenings are the best times of the day because it sets up such a great atmosphere for winding down and gathering thoughts. I'm not sure why I feel this way though but I definitely relate to your feelings towards the evenings.
DeleteIt's wonderful all of us do that. We all just get home and then just lay down. Like damn. The day is done. Let's sleep! It's like we all collectively take an AP Lang Nap. I actually just did before blog responses. Woo! And I think you're the only person that can really be calmed about the color red. It's usually the other way around. But I love that aquarium. I probably could've written about that actually. My older brother touched a shark. I thought he was going to die. It was exciting.
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DeleteI'm a bit curious about people dreaming of themselves as kids on a normal basis. I think it would a nice flashback if you got to dream about your favorite childhood memory. On another note, I really hate purple, too, but it's not because of Romiette and Julio. I just really don't like the color. It makes me angry because I find it to be so unappealing.
DeleteIf repetition is one of the primary tools of rhetoric, then I must be doing quite a decent job of convincing you guys that nature is the place of my soul. It’s the place where I can transition into any mood I chose, think of anything and most importantly, forget anything. I do a pretty bad job at mental relaxation. For me, it has to be a place, something I can touch to convince me beyond all doubt that I am in my safe place. That’s just a quirk of mine, I am a very “touchy” person. (Don’t take that the wrong way please). The greatest place I have found so far is a place I actually rediscovered. It’s a small beach along the river that I kayak to almost everyday in the summer. It takes a while to get there but it is well worth it. I just park my little boat in the sand, hop out and sit on the beach watching summer play out in front of me. I got a sample of my favorite sound there as well. the sound of wind blowing through pine trees is by far my favorite. It reminds me of when I was little and the teacher would be reading some fairytale story. Never to be disappointed to this day there was always some adaptation of the “whispering trees” or the “whispering winds”. The sound wind makes as it glides through the pine needles is the only thing I have found that can replicate this magical element of nature that was always included in my favorite stories. This is the place where I feel my happiest and it must be during the summer because there is simply no other time in the year that I can get there. I could bike, but then I’m always afraid people would yell at me because this beach is supposed to be just for the people who live on that street. But to be honest, the few weeks of summer is all I need. The place is just that special.
ReplyDeleteRarely do I ever manage to have an entire day that is happy and good, but those days that I go there, nothing else can bother me, not even my parents’ occasional bad mood swings. In my childhood these swings were far less often. I guess my parents were just younger and had more energy and tolerance to deal with four strong-headed kids. I have a lot of happy memories from my childhood and to be honest, not many stand out. It just seems like the excitement you felt in the moment just dies away even if the memory stays clear. I guess my favorite was traveling to Germany for the first time. It’s not really one memory but it’s one event so I hope it still counts. A lot happened as you can imagine. I saw my first castle, Neuschwanstein Castle. I remember how dazzled I was that so much gold could be in one room. It was one of the bedrooms and everything was coated in a layer of gold foil, even the tassels holding back the fancy tapestries and the murals covering the ceiling. It was truly spectacular. Then to find out that the room was never slept in and was instead just dedicated to a dead king who never even saw the room, at the time, made me even more amazed. Then to see the kitchen which had the giant copper pots you always see depicted in movies was a sort of pinch me moment because I realized then that people genuinely used to live like this, practically covered in gold. You always think of these sort of things as storybook material but this was real. I was also amazed at the fact that every town, every village and every city had at least one building that was at least five hundred years old. I could go on and on but I feel life that would be pointless because it would still come off as slightly boring to you. So to summarize the most important aspect of this memory, I got my first taste of another way of living, and for a girl like me, that was all I needed to fall in love with the place. When it comes to lifestyle I love change especially to a system more in tune with my own ideals. I felt like I fit in with the culture, like I was around people that all had the same root notions in their minds and that made me very happy.
There’s no easy way to transition into talking about the effect colors have on my mood because I don’t think they do. Maybe because I love to draw and paint and am therefore constantly exposed to colors that they have lost their affect on me. But whatever it is, I don’t find colors do much for my emotions, they are just nice to look at and that’s all I can say about them. To keep with the unconnected ideas, my favorite time of day is just before I go to bed, ironically the time of day where you can’t see any colors. It’s my favorite simple because I have the most comfortable bed in the world. It’s perfect for me and I’ve had it so long that it is molded to my body. So, I love the evening because I get to lay down in this soft wonderland and think about whatever I want, even if it is to think about nothing. I am completely free in my head and my bones are perfectly at rest. It’s the perfect combination. It’s the only time you get to enjoy sleep if you think about it because the rest of the time you are actually asleep and can’t remember anything except maybe a dream. It’s also a very short time span, I fall asleep quickly, but I don’t mind since I get to enjoy it everyday. I personally find it important that the things we enjoy most be closest at hand and common because it simply sets us up to be happier and what’s better than that?
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that nature, specifically for you, that river, is a great place to unwind. Fresh air and sun are always great things to get when you're feeling stuck, if anything just to clear your head. Although I have blue eyes, and pale skin, so the sunlight isn't very nice to me, and my combo of cold-triggered asthma and a pollen allergy makes fresh air rather iffy sometimes, but I digress. Great post!
DeleteThere's a lot of stress in my life and I am unfortunately very easily affected by stress; so the fact I haven't gone completely insane by now (although this may be debatable) that means I must be coping somehow. And I guess really the best mechanism to combat stress is to really just forget about it for a while as best you are able and just take time to relax and do something you genuinely enjoy. Stress will eat you alive otherwise.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess the place I go to escape the stress and pressure of my life isn't necessarily a physical place but rather a mindset. Oftentimes I'm in my room when I enter this mindset of 'not caring about work and focusing on what I enjoy', but I could be out walking my dog or downstairs playing a game or even out at the movie theaters. Because I find that occupying my mind with something else lets me avoid thinking about all the things I have to do far better than just... trying not to think about them does. I'm not really a meditation person; I have too many thoughts to ever really empty my head. Trying not to think about anything often leads me to worrying more. So I do things at home that I enjoy and immerse myself in those to avoid really stressful moments.
However, the next question is harder because I can't really pick out any specific childhood memory. It's just all one big indistinct blur that I never really delve into; so by not accessing it my memories grow really vague and unrecallable. I guess it's kind of sad that nothing in my childhood really sticks out to me but I guess it's better nothing sticks out to me than a bunch of bad memories. In fact thinking about how there is a distinct absence of easily recallable, clear memories from my childhood memory is kind of alarming if I dwell on it for too long so it's time to move on.
Well, true to my introverted nature I feel best when I'm in my house with people I know. Going out to new places full of strangers only imparts more stress upon my life beyond what any normal person might feel due to a bad case of social anxiety. Walking out the door to go to a social event is sort of like walking out the door feeling like I'm marching to my death or some other certain doom. So really, it's at home I am most comfortable. Of course there are other environments and people I take comfort in but the solace of my own house is undisputable. I guess I feel my absolute best in my room, on a weekend or day off with the sun shining outside and through my windows and the fan cooling my air, maybe just lying in bed reading a book or looking at things online. It's not particularly exciting or incredible but it's something that is comfortable and familiar; a place where I do not have to feel self conscious or stressed or deal with any of the other anxieties that plague my mind. It's easiest to just do what I like and not worry in a place like that.
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ReplyDeletePerhaps the most soothing sound I can imagine is the sound of rain against the roof. I know it's kind of cliché, but it really is incredibly soothing. And I don't mean really heavy rain or really light rain either; it has to be the perfect sort of strength and it has to be quite so that you can hear it. Another sound I find incredibly calming is not so much a sound as an absence. You know how still it gets out at 1 am when it's snowing out? And how you can just stick your head out the door and it's like the entire world has momentarily halted and the stillness is so perfect and absolute that you can actually hear the snow falling? That is my absolute favorite feeling ever and it almost makes winter worth it.
I think colors that make me the happiest and bright (but not glaringly bright) pastels. Something about too-dark colors rubs me the wrong way, and too-bright colors make me irritated and hurt my eyes. But pastels are light and creamy and frankly, everything should be colored that way. They soothe me and make me happy and just please me aesthetically. As an artist colors are especially important to me so it's really easy to be thrown off by a certain combination of colors or certain shades or intensities but you really can't go wrong with pastels. Trust me.
The time of day I love the most is when it's near the end of the day, that time period of a little before sunset through dusk. The sun and the heat are never too bright and the colors of the sky became stunning. There are the sounds of the night creatures beginning to awaken and at certain times of the year fireflies even come out. Additionally, at this point in time I'm usually home from school or have cleared whatever obligations I have for the day and I have not yet grown tired. I hate the dark that follows after but those few scant hours where the daylight is waning are my absolute favorites.
I fine nothing particularly exciting about my life in fact in most cases I get the short end of the stick (literally). So I like to escape into other people’s lives through any venue whether it is movies, music or my personal favorite books. I like to live vicariously through other people because whether their lives are better or worse than mine it’s a different experience I don’t get a whole lot of different in my life. In fact, sans freshman year my high school life has been pretty redundant and nothing really ends with me coming out on top. So when things like that start to get to me and I get to caught up in my own head I like to take a glance into someone else’s that way I know it could be a lot better but it could also be a lot worse. The people’s lives that I happen to think are a lot better give me hope that one day I I’ll be happy with what I have and other people will be envious.
ReplyDeleteMy childhood was nothing particularly exciting probably because I ‘ve always been an awkward turtle not converting with many not even my own family members which is weird because my brothers are social butterflies talking to anyone they can while I just sit there and wave. But my best childhood memory is when I finally got over and met the only friend I had that would withstand the years. It was one day where I noticed we had new neighbors and I finally decided to introduce myself I’m glad I did because never in my life have I met someone who was so much like me. Just when I worried that I would never have a close friendship I found one and I couldn’t have been happier. I feel my absolute best when I’m at practice and I’m doing a race piece and everything just clicks it feels right like nothing could go wrong. It’s like I could just fly away if I really wanted to. Most of my life revolves around crew which is why the most soothing sound I can imagine is the sound of the blades hitting the water and as we move the oars I could honestly make a soundtrack of those sounds and listen to it all day long.
I happen to wear a lot of gray not on purpose but I think subconsciously it’s to not call a lot of attention to myself and gray just feels more like me. The colors that excite me are the really bright ones like neon yellow or green when people where those colors to me they exude energy and activity. The colors that soothe me are sky blue and lavender which are the colors of my room. They really just calm me down and make me feel like I can just go to sleep. The time of the day that provides the most comfort for me is in the dead of night when everyone is asleep except me of course and everything is just quiet. This since of quiet is something I don’t get much in my house with people around me everywhere. It’s since isolation that gives me comfort but also makes me lonely sometimes.
Like you I thought the night was the time of day that provided me with comfort. But I came to realize that dead silence has come to be a little scary and uneasy for me. Though I'm glad you find the quiet you want after your day.
DeleteSince there is silence at night, it is the time of the day where i talk to myself and relfect on my thoughts whiles looking at the stars. It is nice to know that these colors keep you calm. It is cool how the sound of water affects ourlives. Great job.
DeleteNothing's wrong with liking to be alone sometimes. I talked about that too. I love when everyone else is asleep. But yay another grey-lover, or at least somewhat. Yea. I feel like a grey. And I'm kind of jealous your life revolves around crew. I wish my life revolved around tennis. I just started playing again recently, and next week the court is being resurfaced. The universe is upsetting.
DeleteTamirah I really agree and can relate with your post. Just like everyone else the night is our best friends. There is nothing wrong with the peace and quiet that the night bring since the day is full of loud people. The night is truly the place where people can be quit. Your color is awesome because it nice that colors can excite people like how red and blue excites me. Overall you did a great job on the blog Tamirah.
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ReplyDeleteI find that it is safe to say that this school year has collectively been the most stressful year of my life. Between school work and other pointless drama these past seven months have definitely taken a major toll on my mind and spirit. But that is why it is important to maintain places where mental release is possible, places where I can set myself free and not worry at all about the pressures of life waiting for me when I am forced to return from my solace. I suppose my ‘happy place’ is sort of an imaginary place inside of a tangible place. In order to obtain entrance to this imaginary solitude, I must first be in my bedroom. For whatever reason, my bedroom has always provided me with a sense of comfort and security, I know that I am safe from all the troubles of the world the minute I cross through the doorway and that has been the case for as long as I can remember. Now, there are certain things that must be fulfilled to ensure complete escape from the turbulence of life. Whenever I wish to free myself from the hustle and bustle of the world, I set my tape player up in the middle of the floor, pop in my favorite Pink Floyd album, and light a stick of frankincense scented incense. Once that is all accomplished, I lay a huge fluffy pillow on the rug in the middle of the room and lay back staring up at the ceiling. I realize that this ritual probably makes me seem like a wannabe hippie (maybe I am) but I do it because it relaxes me more deeply than anything else in the world. Once I am cool, calm and collected, I let my mind roam free, and somehow it always finds me in the same place, laying amongst a row of luscious palm trees on the Beach of Paradise Island in the Bahamas. I have never felt better than in the times I spent on those beaches. Everything about being there is absolutely perfect, the sand is a magnificent shade of pale pink and is nothing like the powder crap we have in New Jersey. It is coarse and smooth, with the texture of real broken shells and rocks, a beautiful combination that provides a perfect bed for soggy toes. The ocean is clearer than bath water, warm and gentle with waves that politely fold around you and gurgle genially onto the shore. The sun is always shining, even when it rains. The only sounds are that of the gentle breezes through the leaves of the palms overhead and the bubbling of velvety waves on the sand. I believe that I feel my absolute best here for obvious reasons, who could possibly feel stressed out in a place like that? That beach always has been and always will be my happy place.
Part Two:
ReplyDeleteMy favorite childhood memory really isn’t anything special, but it is something that I know I will never forget and also a day that puts a smile on my face and a warm feeling in my heart every time I think about it. I remember the detail vaguely because I was five when it took place, but that fact makes me appreciate it all the more. It was a summer night after a long day at the beach, my sister and I sat on a big couch in the living room of our old house with wet hair in our nightgowns with sippy cups of chocolate milk in our hands. It was way past our bedtimes, but it was one of those rare occasions when our parents decided to let us stay up late (and I don’t know about anyone else but those were always the best nights when I was a kid). My dad loaded one of our classic family playlist CDs into the stereo and turned it up considerably loud. The first song that came on was “These Are the Days” by Van Morrison, and I don’t know if any of you have ever heard that song but if you haven’t I suggest you look it up because to this day I get the chills every time I hear it. As the music began to play, my parents started to slow dance in the middle of the room in front of us, and I remember looking at them with such awe and childlike appreciation. I felt so much love between every member of my family in that moment that it was overwhelming, especially for being so young. At that moment I remember jumping up off of the couch and running over to where my parents stood swaying back and forth, and squeezing myself in between each of their legs and rocking back and forth in perfect sync with them. It was such a short experience, but its effects will stay with me forever.
As for colors that affect me most, I’d have to say a combination of pale browns and light blues. Something about that color combination never ceases to bring me peace of mind and comfort. When my parents finally granted me the ability to redecorate my room a few years ago, my decision was to paint three walls mocha brown and one wall a pale turquoise. I don’t know what it is about those colors, but they have always soothed me. My favorite time of day would have to be the few minutes before I drift off to sleep, the time when I can lay my head down on my pillow and know that I made it successfully through yet another day and my reward of a good night sleep is soon to come.
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ReplyDeleteSeeming like a stereotypical Asian teenager I have to admit that my parents are a big source of stress. With this being said, there is absolutely no place in my house that helps me escape from the pressures of my life. This has been an EXTREMELY stressful year. Not just because of school, but many other bad events that all seemed to just crash down at the same time. Due to myself not really having the comfort to staying at home to relieve myself from stress, I always find myself walking around the neighborhood or going over a friend’s house to relieve myself from stress. It’s nice to know that once I step out of the house, there’s a place where I won’t get consistently nagged by questions that just pile even more stress on me and that I’ll get to just relax and even have fun. That being said, I absolutely don’t hate my parents, but sometimes they just get a bit too much.
ReplyDeleteEven though I made my parents sound kind of bad in the last paragraph, one of my favorite childhood memories is actually singing with my whole family at church. My dad and I have always sung at our church ever since I started to sing. My mom has never really been a singer. She would shy away from singing karaoke during parties and would always say that she’d just leave the singing to my dad and me. My brother during this time was actually still pretty young and couldn’t really sing. He still had a little kid’s voice and practically just stood on stage with us. I honestly don’t remember how old I was when this occurred, but I will always love that performance. It’s not because we sounded the best, but it was because we came together as a family and had fun singing songs. For weeks leading up to the performance, we would listen to the song on repeat until we knew the song by heart. The fact that we never got mad at each other for messing up and actually laughed at some really bad articulation of lyrics just made every step leading to the performance to be fun.
Where and when do I feel my absolute best? I honestly feel my best whenever I’m just sitting around playing music. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always been surrounded by music. Whether it is my mom’s piano playing or my dad’s singing, music has always been a part of my life. Every time I sit down and play music, my imagination could just run free. I always seem to forget about everything else and just connect with the music. There’s honestly no better feeling than this for me.
I’ve never been one to really like loud sounds or always pay attention to sound. However, I would say that the rain or the sound of laughter actually soothes me. I love hearing the steady beat of the rain hitting the roof. I love being lulled to sleep by the steady sound of rain. On the other hand, hearing someone else’s laughter puts me in a good mood. Knowing that someone is extremely joyful just makes me happy. When it comes to colors, I would say that any shade of blue would affect my mood the most. Blue is my favorite color and any shade of it instantly draws my attention. The lighter shades, such as a light blue, always just put me in a happy mood. They usually lift my spirits and actually calm me down. However, I also appreciate a nice navy blue. However, colors don’t necessarily always affect my mood.
Finally, the time of day where I am most at ease is around the time that I’m going to fall asleep. I love that time of day. Everything is calm. My mind is finally calm. My parents quiet. My brother no longer singing along to pop songs. When I’m about to go to sleep, I seriously feel peaceful. I’m getting ready for the time that I get the much-needed sleep that I need and could finally get rest. Well, here it is, our penultimate blog post. On that note, I should probably go get that much-needed sleep I was talking about now.
I can't agree with you more that it's bend an extremely stressful year. And I'm sorry to hear you can't find comfort staying home, but I'm glad you found it somewhere else. Also the sound of rain is another one of my own most soothing sounds but it's interesting how you find the sound of laughter to be soothing too.
DeleteRemember the blog where we were to explain whether junior year is the most important year to colleges, it is mostly true, having experienced it. This year has being extremely stressful but it is nice to know you have a place where you can dump all these stress. Great job.
DeleteDanielle you are right this year has been the most stressful and toughest years I have ever had and even though it was kind of horrible I am going to miss it a bit. I do understand how Asian parents are a big part of our stress and that is tough but at least you have something to calm your stress. I like the sound of the rain because it is not any human voice and for that I can be relaxed from it. So overall you did a great job on the post Danielle.
DeleteStress will always be a part of my life no matter what. I always seem to involve myself in stressful situations and such, but pull out in the end. After repeating this continuousness circle I’ve grown accustomed to being stressed before being relaxed. Everything needs to become a little bumpy and uncertain so that I’m reassured all is clear to turn my back for a moment. But there is times (many) in which I wish to escape the pressure I put on myself and what others may put on me. I take refuge in my room, where I close all lights, then switch on channel BBC on mute, and open the window to then lay in bed. While laying down I don’t concentrate I simply breathe and let everything flow.
ReplyDeleteAnd during those times I may begin to drift into my best childhood memory. The memory consists of a beach day I spent with my little brother and best friend. We ended up extending our beach day till sunset. And I remember lying in a sandy sea puddle while watching the sunset with no other sound but the crashing waves. The water sparkled like glitter and the sun no longer felt unbearably hot, simply like a cool fluttering flame. Despite the scratch of sand in unwanted places my mind was too overloaded with awe of the never-ending raw and pure moment.
But although that beach day became a close memory I don’t feel my absolute best there. That feeling is saved for a more sacred place. The place is in the woods of my own backyard where I can be nothing but myself. This place allows me to move freely and do as I please without judgment. I feel my absolute best there because there’s no place like in the whole world. It’s peaceful but never fully silent it’s truly the best of both worlds. So from this also the most soothing sound I could ever imagine would be the rustling of leaves in the breeze with natural sounds of forest creatures.
Now considering my mood, there is only two colors that affect my mood the most. Summer splash blue and Light grass green, also the two colors that cover the walls of my room. This blue and green have such a great effect on me especially when I don’t feel the best. When I see these specific colors together, no matter how dark my mood is, I become drastically happier in moments. It’s always seemed to be the perfect combination of colors that brought happiness since most likely due to my love of the outdoors.
Finally during a day the time that eases me the most would have to be on the bus ride home from school. It’s the time where I can finally ease the tension in my muscles and give myself a pat on the back for completing another day. I’m the last person on the bus which gives me a chance to unwind my mind for a few minutes. I review my day and eventually let my mind wander to think about anything that pops to thought and let it lead my mind. I’m comforted by the fact that no is around to question my glazed over stared and to finally be permitted a moment of pure “alone time.”
Sotira I agree with your post that stress will always be a part of everyone life in fact there will always be more piling on top of your previous stress. Your childhood memory is really sweet and nice and believes in you that it was fun. Your post is so simple but it is very amazing in the aspects that you have a great stress reliever. So overall you did a great job on this post Sotira.
DeletePerhaps I wasn’t in class when you explained your meditation exercise to us, but mind is starting to run with all the possibilities of what that ritual could possibly be. For whatever reason, incense is an integral part of that imagination, but perhaps that it is just my projection of what meditation is. I really like the smell of incense.
ReplyDeleteI suppose, for as little time that I spend in it, the place I go to shelter myself from the cruel realities of the world is my own world. I suppose that’s natural; it is the privacy I find the most comforting. My room is perhaps the only place on Earth that is coldly and whole-heartedly mine. No one else lays claim to it and no one else may enter its threshold without my express regard (except for my parents, but such is life). I can’t say my room is very personalized, but I’d hesitate to call it bland. I like it in the plain manner that it is. I feel like it contributes to the peaceful atmosphere, exactly what I want to experience when I am in it. When I am feeling down and seek to shelter myself from interaction and observation, it is really the only place to go. I can’t just lay down in my exceedingly comfy bed and let all the stress and pressure fall off my soldiers.
My most vivid and happiest childhood memory, at least that I can recall, was my first plane ride (that I could remember). It was a flight on a Boeing 737 from Virgin America to London. Everything about it was foreign and awesome. The shiny, bustling airports filled with all sorts of cool detectors and strange people of different nationalities and ethnicities inspired such wonder in me. The colorful displays of flights with red lights, green lights, and all sorts of special gate lines and locomotives made JFK International the most impressive edifice I could ever remember seeing at that point in my life. I had a nice, cushy seat right up by the window on the plane, so I could watch in astonishment as my surroundings changed so vastly while I remained stationary. The trip from the gate unto the plane was the beginning of the long awaited suspense. On the screen in the plane, they were playing Ella Enchanted and serving all sorts of fun snacks and a particularly fizzy variety of soda. The flight attendants were pretty and unabashedly polite. One of them struck up conversation with me, in which she enumerated all sorts of neat facts about the plane and England and the airliner. The pop in my ear during take-off and landing was incredibly cool and made my mind race beyond belief.
I suppose I feel my absolute best when I am just walking around my house listening to music, with no stress or time pressure. I am left alone to the comfort and grandeur of my thoughts. It truly lets me depart from the real world and enter this state of bliss. Some part of me enjoys music so much more when I have the sensation of motion. I think it stimulates my mind in some indescribably wonderful way.
I suppose the most soothing sound is the sound of ocean waves crashing against a beach during high tide. The rhythm and power is somehow deeply moving. The color that relaxes me has to be that deep blue we describe so simply as “blue”. It is my favorite color and the color that makes life ostensibly better. I find the color “red” quite provocative though. It’s just very energetic, despite the fact that it has the longest wavelengths (and thus carries the least energy).
I feel most at ease around 4:00, which I guess could be described as the afternoon. My sleeping schedule is so disrupted and messed up that my circadian rhythm just has me falling asleep promptly at that time (assuming I am not doing something at the time). It is my mid-day nap time.
Growing up i found my mothers arm to be a place where all my troubles and pressures would just escape. However, that has not exactly being the case lately, i find myself to be matured enough to handle certain pressures life throws at me regardless of the hardship. I have discovered a place where no one is allowed in or out just me. I have and will always believe that no one can stop me from thinking and that my mind is priceless. The place i like to escape to when i feel the pressures of life, is the same place it attacks first, my mind. In my mind, i have created this santuary where positive thoughts are the only keys to get in or out. At this place of thought, i am able to overcome most of the pressures. Honestly, i never liked dogs when i was little, but my mother did. She adopted a dog when i was little and i never really wanted to play with this dog. It is not the cutest of all dogs but it is cute. One day, as i came home back from school, with no homework or serious test to prepare for, i went outside to play with the dog. Spending a couple of hours with dog suddenly turned into spending half of my time with this dog daily. He became a part of me that perhaps thought of nothing but food, love and nothing else. His name was Prime. He died at the age of seven, i wish i could have spent a lot timetime with him because he had an impact on me. My mind is where i feel my absolute best. I feel my absolute best when it is very late in the night .The time of the day where my mind is relaxed and is reflecting on the activities of the day. Hearing the sound on the flow of a waterfall puts be in the right mood and causes me to feel very relaxed.Blue, black and white are the colors that positively affect my life because they allow me to think positively. However, depending on the day certain colors do not affect me positively.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I forgot to mention my mom when as a safe place when I was younger. Anyways, I also escape to my own mind when I need to run. Its a good change of pace for me. It helps to slow things down. Waterfalls don't personally make me feel better, too loud for my taste but hey, we both enjoy water falling!
DeleteRelaxing after a hard moment in time is literally my favorite thing to do, usually I will just randomly scroll through my phone looking at pictures or things related to my favorite show after my day is completely over, and that is when I feel the most comfort. I feel this because I know the daily trials of life are over for another day and all I have left to do is sit in bed and probably eat, but my true relaxation spot is anywhere in nature with my beloved dog who is no longer with me. I absolutely love everything from the animals to the trees to the rocks (except stupid bugs like mosquitos, I hate them) but nature actually amazes me what is in this world that humans have not created and are only beginning to understand. Honestly the only reason I go on my phone to relax most of the time because by the time it is ok to relax its dark and I do not prefer nature when it is dark because it is actually pretty scary. I live in the woods at the very end of mays landing and we’ve seen coyotes, bears and what we think was some type of big cat because we just seen giant animal run across the backyard that made absolutely no noise at all and its really quiet out here so we can’t even try to pretend the noise from the nonexistent highway covered up its sounds. But the point is nature is an escape and when I am able I like to walk and just clear my head of everything and anything. Moving on, my best childhood memory would have to be a few years ago I remember it like it was yesterday, it was Christmas morning. Many would say it’s my best memory because of the presents I received but that was not the case at all I remember being smothered in presents and loving it until I all of a sudden stopped and kind of looked around my living room. I just sat there for a minute gazing at everyone and Christmas was no small thing, everyone was there aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, brother (I only have one), and of course my parents. I was thinking to myself what a good day everyone was happy and together and I just thought this is one of the best things because I have no idea if it ever will happen again little did I know it never would, that was the last year we celebrated Christmas as one big family and though it is still wonderful it could be better to just experience all of that joy even for just one day. This was one time I felt my best and as of now I usually feel my absolute best at my Grammy’s house after a long week because it is just one of the most comforting places to be. She’s my soother I can always count on her for anything and I know she will always baby which I will admit I love. Many people know I am a rower so naturally one of the most soothing sounds I can hear is when we work as one and make a heartbeat. For those that do not know it is not our actual heart beating together but all of our tap down, square up, catch, and finish in perfect unison and the boat will run so well and all it does is calms me and lets me know how well we are working. Another sound I really love is the bubbles we can hear when we hear the heartbeats and the boat is gliding on the surface of the water. Finally the colors that affect me the most are neutral colors because they relax me too. For example a sky blue is one of my favorite colors because it instantly makes me think of clouds, soft fluffy pillows, and sleep. And all this does is make me relaxed. I usually stay away from really bright colors because it hurts my eyes and that is too loud for my personality.
ReplyDeletePart 1: Everyday I seem to be facing loads and loads of stress that slowly pile up to the point where I feel like I’m going to explode. Between school, sports, activities, work, etc., my brain becomes boggled with the amount of tasks and goals that I must fulfill in order to keep myself afloat. Even though it is almost the end of the year, I still find myself making a mental to do list that stretches from miles on end. There is never a time when there are absolutely no assignments to complete and sometimes that makes me feel incredibly overwhelmed. Some days are better than others but that still doesn’t stray away from the fact that my stress load makes me stressed. Luckily, my own personal stress free zone is easily accessible for those days when life just wears me out (which is everyday). My home is the perfect place for the perfect escape. Within my abode, I am free to privacy and relaxation. There are different types of remedies for different types of stresses and my home accommodates to all of the pressure relievers I’ll ever need. Some of these destressors include listening to music, eating food, and taking baths. It’s funny how some simple relaxation activities can instantly send me straight into a state of serenity, even if it is only temporary. At the end of a rough day, my abode becomes a world of tranquility.
ReplyDeleteIt may sound a bit sad but I can’t seem to remember a specific good childhood memory. I wouldn’t consider my childhood to be depressing in any way but I wouldn’t exactly call it something special. There is a general memory from my youth that sticks out in my head and I often get nostalgia when I think back to it. Summer has always been my favorite season but my summers as a youngster were always the best. I can always recall going on morning bike rides, swimming alongside friends, sitting by bonfires, and typical summer-eque things like that. Experiencing these things as a child seemed so magical and I seemed to have carried those feelings with me to the present day. Even as I think about it now, I can almost smell the early morning dew drops that scattered the grass. I can just feel the brisk water splashing my face as I listen to the sounds of my giggling friends. Every miniscule detail of a generic summer sticks out in my mind. I tend to trace these details to my childhood because it reminds me of carefree happiness, which seems to be a rare gem nowadays. I often wish that my days of youth were longer but I know that they are now all just memories that can only be cherished.
Part 2: Being able to define a feeling as your “absolute best” seems incredibly vague but for some reason I feel as though there really is a universal understanding to exactly what qualifies a feeling as “the best.” I could never explain this feeling in its entirety but I personally feel as if it is a combination of confidence, pride, joy, strength, victory, and much much more. I used to get this feeling very often when I used to be in competitive gymnastics but as time went on, this euphoric emotion became a thing of the past. Even when I had made significant competitive accomplishments within the sport, I always seemed to be bothered or angered about something. However, I think I can confidently identify the very thing that makes me feel on top of the world. This recent phenomenon all started when I joined our school’s dance team as a freshman. I loved the rush of performing in front of crowds both big and small. I loved the idea of being able to showcase something in a carefree manner that could never be found in competitive sports. As someone with very little dance and performing experience, I think about how much I’ve accomplished as a “dancer” every time I perform and I can honestly say that it is something that I enjoy greatly. I live for the breathtaking feeling that comes after every dance performance whether it be on a stage or on a football field. I never would have thought that this performing arts would make me feel such gratitude and I believe that feeling of accomplishment that comes after the end of every dance is what truly defines my feelings at it’s peak of everything that is positive.
ReplyDeleteThe only sounds I have ever immediately identified as soothing always came from the music I listen to but I am definitely aware that there are serene sounds that are typically heard in the outdoors. For me, the sounds of soft wind chimes somehow manage to send my mind into a world of absolute peace. Also, the sounds of water flowing through nature manage to send my mind into a world of absolute relaxation. The combination of the two would create a perfect tune of tranquility. I seem to find comfort in these sounds because they summarize the harmonious nature of nature. They are reminders to myself that despite all of the craziness that this world has to offer, there is still a sense of calamity that is still within existence. In reference to the basic human senses, colors definitely play a huge role in manifesting different moods and emotions. Colors that impact me the most are usually the ones that give me extremely positive feelings and for me that color is light blue. Of course there are different variations of light blue, some that even go into the teal regions. Any of these shades instantly give off bursts of happiness and balance. I think this may trace back to the whole idea of admiring the sounds of water and other water-related qualities. It’s extremely hard to comprehend as to why certain colors make us feel a certain way, especially when we all have different preferences. There must be some sort of explanation behind this psychology but even that wouldn’t explain the cause in it’s entirety. Any basic sense that provides humans with an emotion will result in a web of tangled up complexities and theories that simply can’t summarize such an abstract concept.
Part 3: As I have explained before, my home is my absolute comfort zone. With that being said, the best time of the day is in the late afternoon and evening. During these times I am able to freely return to my world of serenity given that a typical day is a school day. Besides being able to be at home during these hours, I feel as though the later hours of the day are the best times to just wind down and slowly prepare for the days to come. During these hours is when I feel almost as if I receiving an award for surviving a day of the soul-sucking and energy-diminishing daily life. These are down times that allow me to ponder about different things in life as well as the latter, which is to slowly disconnect myself from an overwhelming array of thoughts. They are my chances of getting away from the chaos of life in a manner that is near close to complete isolation, which is healthy for everyone if it is in moderation. Overall, there are so many factors that go into determining one’s mood or behavior. It is both fascinating and confusing, which is what makes the whole tranquility concept such an intriguing subject. It’s good to know that there are many doorways to serenity in the authentic game of life because at the end of the day we are all in need of a little escape.
ReplyDeletePart One:
ReplyDeleteThough depending on whenever I post this it may seem like I started at 11:45, I promise right now it’s only about 10:30 and I did have my whole response planned out. The only issue seems to be the fact that today was a very stressful day with the talent show and One Acts and my lack of sleep or proper nutrition, but I digress. I suppose that’s actually why thinking about relaxing now would be a good idea. Anyway. I have always lacked imagination, so in the sense of an escape of some sort, mine is actually a physical place, if not a tight hug with a certain person. There is a couch in my house that has been recently moved because my mom bought new furniture. This has upset all my relaxation habits greatly. While that couch and my room are both my places of sanctuary, my room has become associated with late nights and constant working. That couch is where I do nothing except sit and watch TV after or during dinner and wait to walk the dog, it’s where I collapse into a nap when I come home from school after a hard day, and it’s where I sit with Wig on a Wig day and watch dumb Disney channel shows or Fox News because we’re too lazy to change the channel and would rather just eat containers of microwavable chow mein. Yay! Lazy happiness is the best happiness. The lazy couch is probably happy place #1.
As I got ready to complain about how I didn’t have a favorite memory, I thought of one. Woo! Well when I was younger my home situations were always weird and complicated, because I would live with my aunt or my parents, but no matter what I adored my siblings. All of my favorite memories revolve around them. The memory I’m going to choose comes after watching one too many episodes of Blues Clues and being inspired to tell my mom I wanted a baby sister. Specifically one bought from Shop Rite, as soon as possible. And then a year later I had Marcy, who did more than enough to satisfy the requirement really. I have a lot of memories of laying with my mom when she was pregnant and rubbing her belly, and her telling me that she could speak Baby and one day I would learn how to do it, too. The weird thing was Baby always told me to do things like turn off the TV or brush my teeth. But I just went with it. And when he was born my mom would raise him into the air while we were in bed and make him drool on me. It was whatever. He was a cute kid.
Dude, blue's clues was the shiz when I wad younger. That's a good show. Anyways, I enjoy that your favorite childhood memory was getting a younger sibling. Being an only child, I've never experienced what it's like to have an older or younger sibling (I do a step brother but he's my age so not younger or older but still cool).
DeletePart Two:
ReplyDeleteAnd I have two answers for when I feel my best. When I play tennis, and when I watch a good anime. Unfortunately, while yesterday I was ready to cry about how much I missed the sport and how happy I was to be playing it again, today was a crappy tennis day because I sucked, so I’m forced to write about the latter, which is the kind of thing I don’t like saying in public and no one really cares about. I enjoy it. I fangirl a lot over really good movies just as easily, but of course more airtime means more character connection and that kind of thing, and I just started watching it again for the first time in a while so it’s on my mind. In a few respects, normal TV shows just don’t cut it. They don’t have the same kind of action and adventure and great art that goes into every episode. The fact that things can be ridiculous and anime creators aren’t scared to take full advantage of any kind of deus ex machina is part of what makes it interesting, even though it also makes it easier to make fun of. I’m a strong “fangirl”. I just don’t get the same feelings out of watching normal shows, not that I’ve given any much of a chance. It helps they can also last forever. I watched 118 episodes in about 10 days starting maybe 2 weeks ago. It’s intense. I go hard. It’s just what makes me the happiest. How can anyone not enjoy being thrust into a world where any school could be Hogwarts, or my aunt could die and I get 30 million dollars, or I could find out it was my destiny to fight giant robots, in my own giant robot? .. Whatever. I enjoy it.
And for a soothing sound I don’t really come up with much. I like tennis sounds. And the sound of typing on an old computer. And my dog when he sleeps heavily, but doesn’t snore. I don’t really use sounds to soothe me though. I’ve never gone out of my way to do it. But I do like certain smells. My mama’s laundry. Freshly washed blankets are like really good chocolate chip cookies that won’t make me fat. All soft and luscious. Yes.
And of course, I’m not affected by colors that much either. Of course, blue is calming. It’s the color of calm, and 87% of the world’s favorite color. But I’ve always liked grey which people view as weird, but that love probably came from the symbolism of grey and not a color. I think if I were a color, I might be grey, which is incredibly boring, but I feel like it might be true. And if we’re talking about soothing colors, brown. My room in this house is a semi-generic, gender neutral, domestic shade of brown. I kind of love it. The color itself is just very relaxed without being dark, and I adore it. It makes me think of lazy do-nothing times where I do nothing but watch Netflix and rub my dog.
And bad for me, my favorite time of the day is usually late at night. When it comes time for bed I have something of a schedule of activities. Call Wig. Wait til he sleeps. Call Gabbie and Emily. Wait til all work is done, or we stop blobbing long enough for me to hang up. And only then am I free to do whatever I want without any family, friends, or even Wig to bother me as terrible as that sounds. Any other time I am happy to be surrounded by those loved ones. But once it gets to like 1 a.m. it’s like my break time. I just indulge however I’m inclined without anyone around to give me shit for it. Which is nice. The other time I like is when I have nothing after school and I come straight home and sleep, but that’s not nearly as nice to explain. It’s just the moments before I become terrified of the work I have to do or have put off and can instead enjoy my sun couch while stuffing my face. Distractions, such as the joy of food and anime and the color brown and whatever else I mentioned, are wonderful and the reason we aren’t all stark-raving mad. Huzzah for relaxation.
When life beats me up and I just feel horrible from school, friends, or family and I am about to just lose it, the only place that can restore my sanity is my room. I know that response is not like most people but it works for me. All I do is just lock the doors and just empty my mind. Just listening to sounds from birds, TV, and cars and only focus on nothing. Whenever I just get to that point all I ever do is just focus that “nothing worse can happen” and just start breathing to return to my state of mind. My favorite childhood memory was when one summer vacation day and I was hanging out with my whole family and having a barbeque. That memory was amazing because it was full of fun times, great food, and amazing conversations. Nothing can beat hangout with family because it just full of fun especially in the summer since people will be away from school and most of the things I am stress out. For me I feel the absolute best whenever I am on the tennis court. That place is just the best because there I can just hit without any worry because from the court I am just a player who trains hard and work hard. I just feel the best all the times whenever I am on the court. There I don’t have to worry about stress because I can just hit my stress away, I can have fun and be extremely happy without a care in the world. The tennis court whenever I am there is the place where I am at my absolute best. For me the soothing sound is common noises find in a house and not any human noise. I enjoy television noise, bed creaking, and the wind blowing and those are the most soothing sound I could ever imagine. I don’t want to be bothered by any human interference whenever I am stressed out; I just want to be alone. That is why I prefer any noise other than human voices. The color I enjoy red and blue because these colors always seems to peak my interest. The colors just get me excited and it helps relive me whenever I am bored. The color red and blue are my favorite because it helps spark the positive vibe within me. I considered myself a nocturnal because I always stay up late and sleep during the day. This is because I don’t like to be around people and I can find peace at night when everyone is asleep. So the nighttime is when I feel at ease the most. The night is peaceful and serene because there is no sharp light and no loud noise coming from every direction. So overall my state of peace is determined by the amount of time I spend with people. I am truly relaxed if I am alone and away from people and am allow being able to empty my mind.
ReplyDeleteLife can be a pain in the butt sometimes, and when that happens, I like going into my living room where my piano is so that I can play that one song that eases my stress levels. Once I feel like I’m calmed down a bit, I like to go out onto my deck and just lie there listening to “the quiet place” soundtrack which are the most soothing sounds I could imagine and watch the clouds go by and listen to the trees rustle, and that is where I feel best. Well, I’m stuck between that and one of my favorite bands concerts (especially Twenty One Pilots). Their concerts give me comfort and happiness like no other. It’s like getting a big hug from a teddy bear the size of you. Other times, I like to imagine myself center stage in the empty auditorium: no props, to costumes, no set, and no people. Just me. That picture gives me comfort because I know that anything can happen on stage; the stage is my canvas. I can create any story, any set design, and costume that I want. It is completely open to creativity. It’s like lucid dreaming except it’s a reality as long as you have the money for it.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t always live in a typical modern day American neighborhood. I lived in a medium sized 100+ year old house with a big back yard with plenty of flowers and fruit trees/bushes for the first five years of my life. One of the few moments I remember from those years was seeing fireflies outside of my house. One night, my brother and I wanted to go out and play with the fireflies, so we went out with my dad and my brother automatically chased after the fireflies. I, however, was terrified of hurting them by trying to catch one, so my dad caught one for me, and let it crawl onto my hand so I could hold it. Once I learned that I wouldn’t destroy all beings in the process of catching a firefly, I tried to catch a firefly by myself with my hands. I didn’t know what to do with it though, so I just let it crawl around a bit and then my dad and my brother brought out a jar with some holes at the top, and we put the firefly in there for a few minutes so we could take it inside and show Mom, and then we released it. Now fireflies just seem like creatures from another world that I will only be able to see in my dreams.
In my dreams, there would only be soft colors. I wouldn’t have to worry about neon colors hurting my eyes or disgusting oranges and purples ruining everything. That is the ideal world. Unfortunately, that is not a reality, so I’ll just have to use beautiful shades of blue, pastel pinks, yellows, and greens to help me get by. Blue gives me this sense of comfort I can’t explain. The shade of blue in my room brings me so much joy. Maybe, it’s because it goes with so many skin tones.
The time of day I feel most at ease is early in the morning when I get up early voluntarily on a sunny day. I like to hear the silence in my house along with the beautiful bird songs outside of my window as I watch the sunrise from the trees. Early mornings give me this nice sense of serenity like no other time of day. It’s the perfect time to lie on my deck and watch the clouds go by because my house gives me shade from the sun, so I don’t have to worry about getting burnt, and my neighbors aren’t awake so they can’t creep on me.
But I suppose that is the least of my worries. There are much more important things that I should be worrying about like how to improve myself or my plans for the future or how to write a song or what Twenty One Pilots or Vinyl Theatre song should I cover next.
I never thought about how awesome early morning is. Sometimes I wake up early too just to feel the easiness and peace that engulfs my neighborhood. It's a rare sincere peace. Good post bro
DeleteWhen it comes to escaping the world, I don't have a specific tangible place to go. I just look for somewhere to be alone from people I know. Not people. But people I know. Strangers can walk in front of me and it'll comfort me. Mostly because I'm glad no one I asking me what's wrong. I like to be alone when I'm upset, so I guess my place would be my mind. I retreat to my head.
ReplyDeleteMy best childhood memory is the first time I scored a goal in soccer. In hindsight it wasn't that spectacular. It was just a random lucky kick, but it was my random lucky kick. The ball just ended up in front of me so I hit it. It was so exciting for me as a kid. It was the best feeling I ever remember having as a kid.
This is about to seem contrary to my old beliefs, but I feel my absolute best when I'm on the stage. I learned early on this year that doing a show is one of the most magnificent feelings I could ever have. The joy felt after a good show, the excitement during the show, the nervous feeling before. It's almost indescribable. Its second nature to me now. Being on the stage is almost like a second home now.
The most soothing sound to me is very cliche, I enjoy the rain hitting the roof. Its a reminder that nature is always working. The rain happens for a reason just like everything else. The pitter patter of the rain makes sleeping much easier, it's almost like nature's lullaby.
Bright colors are life. I love bright colors. They make life more exciting. I'd rather walk into a room full of bright green and blue rather than gray and black. Bright colors are a way of expressing yourself. It shows people that you don't want to do anything but stand out. You're easier to approach, easier to see, easier to understand. Bright colors make me feel alive, it's the way they make me feel that I can't really explain and give justification to.
I feel the best during night. Mostly because sleep occurs at night and I love sleep. Sleep is life. Also at night, it's my time to just be there. I don't have to do anything. I don't have to be impress anybody. I don't have to dress nice. I'm just there. I'm resting and reflecting on life. Its a good time. Its when my real thoughts come out.
I am a person that get's very stressed very easily. And with such a ridiculous schedule and standards to meet, I find myself needing a place to breathe. The place I usually find myself running towards is the beach. I can never get tired burying myself in the sand and feeling the sun radiate its heat on me. With such a perfect environment around me, anything pressuring me is immediately pushed to the back of my head. However, it's not always warm enough to find a sense of peace at the beach. Weirdly enough, my other place where I go to free myself of pressures is my shower. The first thing I do is let go. I'm really good at bottling up everything so when the time comes when I'm about to break down, I sit on the wet floor of the shower and cry for hours. With all of my frustration and tension being drowned out by the feeling of warm water pulsing on my body, I'm not able to decipher between my sad and stressed out tears between the calming warm water pouring from the shower head. When I finally have nothing else to let out, and I am empty and light headed for the heat, I feel a weird sense of calm. I don't know if it's the fact that I'm overheated from sitting in the shower for hours or what, but whatever it is, it works for me.
ReplyDeleteAs you can tell from my last thought, I really love being around water. Growing up on the river, I spent most of my time with soaked hair and wrinkly toes. My favorite childhood memory would have to be any time we took our boat out. When I was younger my parents bought the nicest speedboat you can imagine. Every day in the summer we'd venture out into the channels and go tubing, or ride out into the bay. I felt so free as I snuck up to the front of the boat while my dad was speeding along and I'd dangle over the edge to watch the sea spray and froth spring to life from the water. I would get so excited about the ice cream I was sure to get from the shack at the shady marina. And best of all, when the days were long, I remember falling asleep to the motion of the waves under the boat and I'd wake up to a starry night sky and my dad carrying me onto the dock and back home to bed. Sadly, as my sister and I's soccer schedules became more serious and committed, we had no time to ourselves in the next summer years. My boat found a spot in my driveway where it still stands to this day. I really miss those days, but seeing it out there every day gives me a lot to look back on.
This year really proved to me what I enjoy, and what I actually only did to make others happy. The one thing that made me feel the absolute best I can be is when I'm performing, and I'm confident about it. I don't necessarily mean on a stage under a big spotlight. It could be behind my little glass podium at the church that I sing at. But finding that people not only want to hear me, but like to hear me sing is such an amazing, yet still strange feeling. If I know I did the best I did I am so satisfied, and no matter what happens that given day, nothing can touch me or bring me down.
The most soothing sound to me is the sound of rainstorms at night. I even have a little noise maker that plays the sound of raindrops on my nightstand that lulls me to sleep on nights that I find myself awake. I don't know why exactly, but rain, or the ocean, or any flowing water is so calming to me. In away, it brings me peace and almost is a sign to me that all is well.
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about colors affecting my mood. I know wardrobe wise, sometimes I'll wear a color that fits my feelings about that day. But besides that, thinking more deeply about this, I guess the color I could say that affect me the most are blue, yellow and orange. Blue is a very calming color, while yellow is very vibrant and happy. However, all these colors make up what I see is what most sunrises look like, which I try my best to watch as often as possible.
The time of day that I feel the most at ease is either the hour I have getting ready for school in the morning (when I'm not running around) or the time of day when I'm finally done with schoolwork and any extra curricular. For the mornings, the only people awake in my house that early is my mom and myself. As a result, I am free to be by myself and get what I need done. I don't have to worry about tending to others or answering to anyone. I simply am only focusing on the idea of preparing myself to the day ahead, in the quiet environment of my home at 6 a.m. On the other hand as the day goes on, theres a 99.9% chance that I have something besides school I need to worry about. Whether it's soccer, a high school sports practice, a tutoring session, or a choir event, I'm pulled in 1000 different directions most of the time after the final bell for school rings. However, most of the time I'm done everything by 8 pm. So used to the whirlwind of every day, when everything finally stops moving, I allow myself the luxury of nothingness and pure unproductivity. I catch up on law and order, satisfy my addiction to wedding shows, catch up on school work, or sleep. This point in time, I am so grateful to be bored.