Develop Healthy Outlets

In my case, that was poetry and later counting my blessings from my earliest memory, recounting the different ways that God had shown Himself to be at work in my life, my family, friends and more. For you, it may be something completely different. Though I mention poetry, and it is most definitely a healthy outlet, a very therapeutic one, I can’t take credit for having found it! I didn’t. I’d had a recurring minor health issue that had unexpectedly resulted in an emergency admission to hospital. 

Unprepared, as I had been on my way to work, I had no reading material, nothing to ease the boredom of imposed bed rest. For the first time in my adult life that I can remember, I actually read an old magazine cover to cover. I didn’t’ generally read magazines much, the occasional story, problem pages, recipe pages, that was it! So, to read one as I’d done was out of the ordinary. What to do now…. I couldn’t go anywhere and could barely adjust my position in bed! The admission would be for 2-3 days, how on earth would I cope?

Under my breath (in the 6 bedded, fully occupied room) I cried “Lord, I’m so bored, what can I do?” and He said, fast as lightning, ‘write poetry’! I couldn’t believe what I’d heard but I did it, for 3 days and it was on the last day as I was packing to leave and read them through that I realised I’d written about my pain, my hurt and confusion, I’d articulated with pen, words my mouth could not say, that my heart cried. Words that brought healing again and again with every sentence. And as they faded away, I noticed the tone of the poems I wrote changed too.

My testimony ‘Count your blessings’ was an antidote for a spirit of heaviness I had unwittingly invited and when I realised where I had headed and asked God to ‘help me’ He told me to ‘count my blessings’ and how. The process of doing so gave me a thankful heart full of wonder, the spirit of heaviness was nowhere to be found.

On another occasion I was reminded of one of my favourite pastimes, one that life had become too busy to permit until it just fell off the radar…., walking. I used to go for long walks and simply enjoy the beauty of the natural world. I particularly liked walking through parks, along tree line streets and near water. The variety of colours, shapes, textures (I touched everything I could) and sounds were amazing, but my absolutely favourite time for a walk was in the evening when the stars or a beautiful full moon was out and the streets were silent; I could walk for miles lost in thought! At those times I would feel particularly close to God and I certainly grew in appreciation of His artistic ability. 

Those days I was young enough and foolish enough never to have considered the dangers I was exposing myself to until my mother realised what I’d been up to. So, I began to walk again through local parks, woods and nature reserves .... wonderful, amazing! that did it for me …. but we’re all different, find your thing and make time for it because in doing so you a actually making time for yourself and God, and it a great time to pray when there is no human distraction and your thoughts clear.