i want to figure out more free or frugal ways to change my emotional state at will. i also started reading a little bit about stimulating the vagus nerve and am interested in more ways of doing that, helps create a glorious feeling of expansion, like your heart swells with good feelings, like you're bursting out of your skin. if you have tips on how you change your mood and/or create that feeling of expansion, please list specifics, for example, for music, specific album names that achieve this change in emotional state for you, etc.
i'll start:
-listening to music. when i want to feel energetic or revved up, i listen to the rolling stones or the strokes. when i want to feel dreamy or feel an enchanted vibe, i listen to harry potter or edward scissorhands soundtracks. if i want to feel quiet and in a slightly melancholic quiet work mode, something like miles davis. if i want to feel like i'm getting out of the city, i say "alexa, play nature sounds" and hear crickets or bird calls or the ocean or rain. or i'll play this https://youtu.be/atELVQ9aVGw when i want to feel cozy.
-going for a 20 minute walk or more. this gets me out of my head and calms me down, and good ideas come to me when i'm walking.
-walking through nature, calms me down quickly, and i love to breathe the fresh air and see beautiful flowers and trees.
-taking a shower or washing dishes. really good ides come to me when i'm dong this, and i've read it's because those are the only times when you're not doing anything else.
-singing or listening to strong harmony-based music. i think this falls under "stimulating the vagus nerve." when i sing harmony with someone else, i get high and feel expanded in a way. same effect happened when i listened to this (start at about 1:27 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Swa9CYgRk), has great harmonies.
-giving an unexpected gift. i gave a stranger reddit gold the other day and was surprised it made me feel giddy and that rare awesome feeling of expansion. i had heard once this also has something to do with vagus nerve.
-talking to or seeing a very good friend. not a friend i feel half assed/conflicted about, but really someone i love talking to.
-napping. sometimes i'm cranky and i just need a nap.
-eating a snack. sometimes i'm cranky because i forgot to eat, and my blood sugar got too low, which really drags down my mood.
-writing. the times i have had trouble with a relatioship, and couldn't get rid of the obsessive thoughts, writing helped me approach the situation more analytically and let the situation go a bit.
-swimming. just makes everything, my body, my mood, bright, like a refresh/reset.
-staring at a candle/meditation: haven't done this since i was 13, but i used to just darken the room and stare at a candle flame, which i suppose is meditation. i guess it's just another method of focusing and stilling yourself.
-touch. just holding someone's hand makes me feel calmer and more connected to others, i guess bc of oxytocin release.
-laughing. this is a huge one. i thought of starting this list because i was on the subway ride from hell yesterday. my fiance said something that made us both crack up for half the ride, and i thought, well shoot, woudln't it be great if i just saved an mp3 file of a comedian (can you recommend any?) so i could just laugh at will?
-splashing cold water on my face clears my head and makes me feel away. also read this stimulated vagus nerve.
-dancing. another one that gets me out of my head.
-looking through magazines or window shopping (not actually buying). i just love looking at beautiful colors/designs usually in the form of clothes or beautiful scenery, but it doesn't involve $. i get the mags for free.
-activity of any sort. for people like me who have a tendency to think too much, just getting up and doing something or getting out of the house helps change things for the better.
-playing with dogs or cats, or any animal really. pure love.
-breathing deeply, that oxygen gives me energy.
i am starting to notice almost all of these get you out of your head. i am interested to hear, what do you do when you want to change your emotional state? and also, if you are able, i'm interested to hear what you do to create a feeling of expansion?
August 18, 2017 at 10:14AM
