Rinse & Repeat.
I was taking apart a bed recently when I accidentally broke it beyond repair. Not only that, it fractured in a way that left my hands pretty cut up. Nothing serious, but enough to be really uncomfortable.
It happened at the end of a day when a number of other relatively minor things hadn't gone as planned and had thrown my day out of whack.
And now I had another problem: How was I going to get rid of a broken bed frame and mattress?
I went to bed early, frustrated and irritated.
The next morning, I got up early, made a cup of coffee and watched the most amazing sunrise. The birds were singing and were just about the only sounds on an incredibly peaceful morning.
And then an idea popped into my head about how I could make some of the fractured plans from the previous daywork out after all, and actually turn them into something positive that could serve others.
I laughed at myself for getting so upset over such trivial things.
More importantly, it reminded me of some of my simplest coping mechanisms:
Go to bed early, rise early, and watch the sunrise intently.
Get out in nature for at least an hour.
Work out to exhaustion.
Spend quality time with someone who inspires me or makes me laugh.
Serve others.
When I can do two of these in the same day - bonus. When I accomplish three, that's a really good day.
I've realized that my favorite coping mechanisms are also the simplest. They don't require much. They're reliable, they're available to me almost every day, and best of all, they're repeatable.
Rinse and repeat.
-Tony
