Friday open thread: swallowing the little book of calm

[dolorosa_12]

Well, it has been A Week. I made the preemptive decision some time ago that I would refrain from going online from the point when I went to bed on Tuesday night (UK time) until when I felt in the right frame of mind to deal with the news coming out of the US. That meant no social media, no news websites, and, above all, no hysterical, frenzied, real-time speculation about the election result until the outcome was fairly close to certain.

As a result, instead of feeling like a gibbering wreck for the past few days, I have felt completely serene. I've read three books. I've cooked slow, warming food. I've gone running out in the fens, and done yoga every day. And, best of all, I went out walking at dawn in the eerie mist. Everything was still, and cold, and starkly beautiful, with cows looming out of the fog.

And so, my question to you all, for this week's open thread prompt, is as follows: how do you keep yourself calm? What activities help you maintain a sense of equilibrium? What soothes you?

Comments

[isis]

I should specify I mean real news, e.g. the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Guardian, and a local and regional newspaper website.  And I don't read the comments.  I stay away from Twitter and Facebook - those definitely don't calm me down!

[dolorosa_12]

Oh yes, I assumed that's what you meant. I used to find that kind of news calming as well — back in the days when I lived with my family and we got a print copy of the newspaper every day, and I read it in the morning.

It's the frenzied flood of news and analysis being posted in real-time on newspapers' websites (usually in the form of a politics livefeed) that I can't handle, especially since it tends to involve intense speculation without all the facts being known.

I agree with you regarding Twitter and Facebook.