Writing my way through the A-to-Z blogging challenge, I’ve tasked myself with exploring the concepts of pronoia (the belief that the universe is conspiring to shower us with blessings), quiety (serenity) and peace – all through the lens of unusual, obscure, or simply delightful-to-me words.
P is for…
Pacation – The act of soothing or calming something, derived from the Latin word for “peace,” pax.
It’s not healthy to live in a state of constant or prolonged stress, tension, anxiety, and urgency – it’s taxing for our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. We all know this, and yet we’re not all skilled at implementing strategies to help alleviate the strain. We need to become better at this, and we each need to find things that work for us. There are very few, if any, one-size-fits-all solutions in this world.
Sometimes serious situations call for complete overhauls – big changes in how we navigate our lives. Frankly, I think as a collective we could well use some re-thinking and restructuring of how we live our lives and what we place importance on.
But that consideration aside, often it can be helpful to simply take a few moments to re-set our energies and pull ourselves out of the noisy fray and find our way to some moments of peace. There certainly are a number of strategies that are soothing and that promote a heightened sense of calm and peaceful tranquility, and I thought I’d review a few of them in our exploration of pacation.
I’ve been thinking about Isak Dinesen’s proclamation “The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea.” I’m a big fan of salt water baths for clearing energy, detoxifying, and relaxing. I often use a combination of dead sea salts, epsom salts, and Himalayan pink salts. I have a supply of rosy pink salt “rocks” that are delightful to add to a tub of water – they look like chunks of rose quartz. Other things can be added to therapeutic baths, including flower essences, essential oils, various botanicals, and even water-safe stones if you’re so inspired.
Rhythmic motion is also calming. Anyone who has rocked a crying baby knows this well. So any slow, repetitive motion can often be helpful, whether it’s sitting in a rocking chair, or swinging slowly, or simply rubbing your hand (or another part of your body) back and forth or in circles. There often comes a point with such motion where your attention becomes so focused and then it suddenly shifts and you experience a sense of expansion and release.
Working with essential oils can be quite soothing as well. Lavender is one of the safest oils and most people find it a pleasant scent. It can be used in a diffuser, or a few drops added to a bath, or sniffed directly from the bottle or from a hanky containing a drop of oil. Dressing a candle with a bit of oil and then burning the candle is also a lovely way to enjoy the fragrance and its benefits.
Soothing music is helpful to turn to as well. There’s a difference between calming music and uplifting music, and while your ultimate goal may be to shift your mood to an uplifted one, it’s often easier to first move into soothed and calm and from that state move into uplifted. Slow, steady, small steps are often much easier to manage than big leaps.
Meditation is definitely a calming centering practice, and yet not every form of meditation is a good fit for everyone. Mantra-based meditation works for some, emptying the mind for others. paying attention to one’s breath, walking meditation, flame watching – these are just some options to consider. If you’ve tried one thing and it hasn’t worked, consider trying something else.
De-tensing your body is also a helpful strategy. Alternately tensing and relaxing body parts; slow, deep breathing; reflexology can be useful. A relaxing massage can be heavenly.
Being out in nature is another practice that can shift things profoundly. Grounding practices, slow walks, quiet observation – all these things bring quiet into your body and your fields.
And sometimes the best re-set is a nap and a conscious decision to call a do-over. Start again. Begin anew.
What soothing practices do you find most helpful? How do you find your way to peace in this often crazy, over-stimulating, tension-filled world? Do tell – you know I love to hear.
Hi Deborah – pacation what a lovely word … soothing souls is so often something we all need … the pacation of peacefulness… I have to switch off and move away – though I must say at the moment I’m going all out to finish today – and perhaps tomorrow I can get a few more things done … and we all do things in different ways … cheers Hilary
http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/p-is-for-pigs.html
Pacation of peacefulness – that in itself sounds so soothing and tranquil.
Good luck with finding your perfect-fit pace Hilary – and hope there’s a passel of pacation in there for you.
I keep thinking I need to go to the beach and just watch the waves for a while. That sounds like a pacation to me 🙂 I am getting behind in the A to Z – real work calls me.
It’s wonderful you live so close to the beach that such a getaway is entirely possible. I’m with you – wave watching and listening is utterly relaxing.
You’re doing a lot of work for each of your challenge posts – I’m not surprised time is getting tricky. But it’s all fun, so don’t get stressed out.
Lots of good suggestions here. I think I mentioned in a previous comment my love for walking in the forest. I think I have some lavender oil, though. I should use it more often. 🙂
I love the Japanese term “forest bathing.” Isn’t that a perfect description of the joy of soaking up all that forest-y green energy during a walk? Hope you manage to fit in many of them.
Thanks for the wonderful post , Deborah ! Love your word of the day, as always . Also, the soothing techniques you have mentioned sound really awesome. I think prayer and a soul -talk with a close someone, work for me. Massage is very de-stressing too.I am yet to try lavender oil, though.
Best wishes,
Moon
https://aslifehappens60.wordpress.com
Close intimate communication can be such a wonderful thing Moon – I think it’s a great choice. Maybe someday you can manage a massage with a bit of lavender oil – that sounds quite relaxing.
Listening to Sufi music and gardening (feeling the soil in between my fingers) takes away all my stresses.
And then there is the act of reading a post like this one, which makes me feel like I’m lying in shavasana on my mat:)
Thank you for this.
P is for Poetry, Petra and Pottery
Those are beautiful stress busters Arti. And thank you for the kind words.
Wonderful post! I especially like what you wrote about being out in nature and how it can create a shift in a person. When I go on a walk with my dogs – or even by myself – I always experience a sense of peace by looking at the rural landscape, wildlife, the clouds, or just the quiet and peacefulness of country life.
It really is the best of remedies isn’t it Ann?
Some wonderful words you’ve chosen for P.
Phillip | P is for Paper Bags
Thanks Phillip, and I appreciate you stopping by and saying hi.
The concept of soothing or calming something was certainly at the front of my consciousness during my child care years. It’s interesting that there’s a word for that besides “soothing” or “calming”. Now that you’ve introduced us all to”pacation”, I have to laugh. In my head it comes out as “pay-cation” — like “vacation” or “stay-cation”, not what you intended, I’m sure. Am I pronouncing it incorrectly?
I’m grateful I don’t often experience anxiety, but occasionally, demands on my time increase beyond my ability to meet their deadlines. My response is to step back and take a moment — take a walk, cuddle with the dog, have a quiet cup of coffee — do something relaxing that seems counter intuitive, but actually recharges me. Then my approach to the work is better focused and more efficient. Stress is gone. 🙂
LOL – I do love the idea of a pay-cation – more of that please! But I believe the correct pronunciation is pass.. – so it’s similar to pacify. Make sense?
I like your strategy for dealing with time/task overwhelm, and I experience that as helpful as well.
My preferred style of working is having multiple creative projects going at once – I like the how the inspiration and ideas bounce off each other and create unexpected and delightful connections. However, it’s always a delicate balance between creative tension and overwhelm for me. And when overwhelm hits, sometimes the most helpful thing is to take my arm (whether literally or figuratively) and sweep it across the table and clear things.
Haha! Thanks for clearing up the pronunciation for me — that makes a lot more sense.
I also thrive on multiple creative projects going on contemporaneously. Of course, those I do for my own gratification take a back seat to those I do for a living. I’ve never been tempted to sweep the table clean of my own projects. If I get stuck, I just stop and let it all simmer; most of my own deadlines are fluid. The money projects, however, sometimes make me want to scream and tear my hair out when time is flying toward the deadline and the project is only crawling.
Reading, writing, and walking off my worries. Failproof solutions for all my stresses.
Loved that quote about salt water – so true!
Nilanjana.
Madly-in-Verse
Perfect approaches Nilanjana.
I don’t know how Pacation passed me by but I’m glad I found it – I feel placated in just reading it thank you Deborah. Often a walk does it for me, just being outside, exercising my body a bit and letting the ego take a break as I walk in nature. Meditating does it for me too, first thing in the morning when I’m awake. I must find some essential oils for my bath though I often put in a splash of something delicious and fragrant.
Lovely post thank you so much, with some added ideas – epsom salts I do use occasionally.
Being out in nature is such a healer at so many levels isn’t it Susan? . It’s so helpful to remind ourselves of our connection to Earth by actually interacting with her.
Excellent post about something dear to my heart which, until this moment, did not have a name. Thanks you!
Affirmations for a Good Life
It’s always a delight when we find the exact word to describe something we know so well isn’t it? Thanks for stopping by Beth, and wishing you a wonderful day.
Pacation is a beautiful word. It sounds gentle…soothing…
Soothing music is a great way to de-stress.
How true Michelle.