Relax – It’s Only Halloween.
Boo !!!
<insert mental image of a wicked laugh here, or press play>
Sorry if I frightened you.
Here at Calming Music Weekly we are not usually in the business of scaring people.
Apart from my rather lame jokes, we usually try to keep everyone on a nice, calm and relaxed path and away from all things frightening.
And while Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson are outstanding musicians in their own right, their style of music is not one we would recommend to our readers even at this allegedly ghoulish and ghastly time of year.
What we do try to recommend – apart from blatantly plugging our weekly calming music membership program – is to relax, calm down and take a metaphoric chill pill.
Holiday seasons and especially the lead up, build up and anticipation thereof, tend to be rather stressful periods of time.
Christmas, Birthdays, Easter, Ramadan, Halloween, Thanks Giving, Australia Day, School Holidays, Summer Holidays, vacations and holidays in general – the list of “things to do before the holidays” tends to get longer and longer the closer the holiday actually is.
Is your boss hassling you to complete your current project, “it must be done before Halloween !!” ?
Are you hosting a Halloween party for your friends or your children ?
Do you have deadlines (get it DEADlines ?!? Halloween joke….) that will end the world if they are not met ?
Are you expected to provide mirth, merriment, frights and fun for your work colleagues or your family, as well as cook their dinner, make their costumes, clean the house, wash the car, mow the lawn, move the garden a little to the left and rotate the house a quarter of a turn clockwise ? All before the end of October ?
Me too.
The tension, the sleeplessness, the worry can become overwhelming. Family and social expectations manifest themselves into something most unpleasant. The self expectations – the desire to please others (not a bad thing) at the expense of your health, your wellbeing, your sanity (definitely a bad thing) – can make people extremely unhappy.
Here is a thought – why not take five minutes and try to block the “festivities” from your mind.
Sit on the couch. Stare out the window or at the wall opposite you. Go outside and sit on a chair in the sun. Stop, just for a few moments. Take 5 big deep breaths, each time slowly exhaling and release the tension, even if only symbolically. Recharge your batteries and your mind. Prioritise your “to do” list. Prioritise yourself.
Take the dog for a walk. Don’t own a dog ? Go for a walk by yourself, with a friend, with a husband/wife/partner/son/daughter. Hey, it’s almost Halloween…. Why not buy yourself one of those invisible dog leads and have a little bit of fun as well.
Why not make the effort to schedule in 15 minutes of deliberate relaxation time into each and every day for the next two weeks. Listen to some calming music. Read a book. Just sit. Close your eyes. Smile.
Recognise that you can’t please everyone all of the time, so if that is the case then try to at least please yourself as much as is realistically possible.
Calming your mind and your body, relaxing, reducing your stress and worry is not easy, especially when you need to do it the most. It takes practice. It takes time… although 15 minutes every day is not a big ask.
Perhaps you could have a little bit of fun planning what you are going to do with all of the extra pumpkin you will have after you’ve carved a few jack-o-lanterns ?
Thanks,
Matthew
Calming Music Weekly
P.S. How do you manage self or family or peer expectations ? Please share your ideas in the comments below.
P.P.S Do you have any good pumpkin recipes ?
