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Keep calm and write it down By Sharon Johnson Jul 24, 2022 12:15 AM A A Here’s the scene. I am in my dentist’s office. I know of very few people who look forward to going to the dentist, and during the past year — for a multitude of reasons — I have postponed appointments more than once. The good news is I kept this particular appointment and arrived early. I’m paging through a magazine (Good Housekeeping, June 2022) that I found on the table next to my padded plastic chair. Magazines disappeared during the pandemic but seem to have returned to health clinic reception areas. The article I came upon had a reader-friendly font for the reminder “Quiet Your Mind.” It addressed staying calm in times of stress. “How very appropriate,” I thought. The first idea immediately caught my attention. It suggested forgiving someone you thought may have “wronged” you. I don’t recall the specific examples, but they were little things like taking a parking space you had your eye on or forgetting your birthday. I can only imagine how quiet the mind might become by forgiving someone for bigger issues. Other ideas also were interesting. They included suggestions like holding a cup of hot tea in both hands, noticing the color of the tea, the scent, what the tea tasted like and how it felt to sip it and let it flow into your body. There was a specific prescription for a type of tea that contains “chamomile, lavender and cornflowers,” but I prefer lemon mint tea, and as I was reminded of the calming impact hot tea could have, I vowed to enjoy a cup later that day. The ideas kept coming. Some were very innovative. As illustration: “Chew on some cherries.” Apparently cherries contain the antioxidant quercetin and have the potential to promote calmness. There was a recommendation from a registered dietitian to “roast” them and bring out the flavor. Then she advised blending the roasted cherries with ricotta and spreading the mixture on toast. Undoubtedly, it would go well with that aforementioned steaming cup of tea. My favorite idea was: “Breathe through your feet.” My daughter told me later that she does it all the time, reporting to me that it is especially calming if you’re outside on a grassy area. “Take off your shoes and press your bare feet into the earth; wiggle them a little” was her reminder. There’s a term for it: “earthing.” It’s apparently a way to feel more in control of our bodies — and as we age and are confronted with challenge and loss, that’s definitely a feeling worth experiencing more often. The final calming idea (there were 16 excellent possibilities in this article) came from Ernesto Lira de la Rosa, a clinical psychologist in New York City. He advised demonstrating to yourself “You have the tools you need to get through a tough challenge” and suggested writing down an anxiety-filled situation you have recently experienced and then noting, also in writing, how you successfully dealt with it. And so I did. Sharon Johnson is a retired Oregon State University associate professor emeritus. Reach her at [email protected]