How I de-stress

No, I don’t play video games. (I used to play RollerCoaster Tycoon, The Sims, and Dance Dance Revolution as a teenager… lol… but I don’t know if that counts….)

So why, oh why—-you may ask me, do you have a picture of a video game 🎮 remote control thing on here?

Or whatever it’s called. Well, I gotta confession to make, guys!

My older son plays video games. So does my children’s father (whom I’ve been with for over ten years).

It’s something I don’t understand(since I’m not a gamer and everyone in my family knows it!) but I appreciate and enjoy watching people play video games!

I also like hearing men talk about sports on the radio! But I don’t really like sports either. Lol. It’s just soothing to me.

Maybe(when I hear men or women talk about sports on the radio) I just enjoy the passion in their voices; the way their tone rises and falls in anger or frustration, happiness or maybe a prediction of what may come with a team or a player—-whatever it is, it is soothing to me. The radio is a type of medium that is also nostalgic to me and a very relaxing type of way to listen to people. They feel far away and close to you all at the same time.

Maybe(when I watch my family play video games) it feels safe in a soft lit room, watching your family all together as they enjoy a nostalgic game from their childhood or play a war type of strategy game, or Pokémon too!—-whatever the case might be, it is just relaxing to me. I used to play Pokémon games on my Gameboy back about 1,000 years ago, and watching a newer, more updated version of the games I loved as child on the big screen TV is just an added bonus.

Another way to decompress from a long day or from anxiety is at night when you’re about to go to sleep.

Now, usually, it is super easy for me to go to sleep. I just close my eyes, and within a few minutes, I’m out. Seriously.

But, over the last few weeks, it’s gotten harder with stress and anxiety, and with winter setting into summer, things always feel like a bumpy transition for me.

A YouTube channel called Nemo's Dreamscapes is providing a level of support and moody background noise that helps me focus and chill. There are so many layers to these eight hour or longer videos, and the artist(I’ll call them an artist because it looks intricate and beautiful), shows us how they create each layer of sound, textures, sensory dynamics and patterns and all the different parts of the animation or the live action parts of the video. I was immediately impressed by this level of intimacy in such a small space——and how immersed and safe these videos can make you feel.

Here is a few of my favorite places to visit:

Another thing I do is write here on Vocal obviously! But, Sometimes you just feel lost and a bit off, and you need something to make you feel more balanced. When I don’t feel like writing something informative or something deep (lol! I doubt it) then I just write romance or poetry. I sometimes take a feeling or something I saw or heard, a thought or a sudden urge—-and use that to write a new character and drive it toward their story and their narrative. When I was younger, I would write horror stories with open to your interpretation kind of endings, or scary and ironic or sad endings—-now, I like to write happier endings. Not always! But, still—-it depends on the story and the characters.

For me, these are just some of the things I do to keep myself healthy.

I also love watching romantic meme type of AMVs. They are short, sweet and to the point and really are just adorable. That use fan art, fan comics or original art to showcase a romantic song or animation an artist created. I like them because they are sweet and kind and they fill me with nostalgia and hope. The fact that they are short and usually the fact that YouTube has so many available to watch is why I like them. Just a way to set my mood into a different tone—-and relax.

Here is one I like a lot:

and also this one:

So, I bared my soul a little bit to you, my people: I hope you can take what I enjoy and how I de-stress and maybe find a new way to help yourself feel better during anxious or more stressful moments in your life.

Also: Going outside, getting fresh air, exercise and sunlight is soooo important to your mental health. And seeing family and friends, too! I know it’s hard. Just try to get some time out of this everyday.

Anyway, stay safe and be lovely peoples!

Love, Melissa