Monday was one of those days that tries the patience of a saint. Never mind the mad state of the world, a lot of little things went wrong and a couple of household accidents wreaked havoc with my state of mind. All this was capped with a conversation with my daughter, making some big decisions regarding her school/career path. So the only thing to do was bake something.
I turned to the Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cook Book given to me by my mother's best friend when I was nine years old. And I made sugar drops, the easiest way to satisfy a sweet tooth craving. You can see by the stained pages (pictured) how many times over the years this recipe has been used. Sometimes the simplest solutions really are the best, don't you think?
Some other - and less caloric - stress reducers are reading a good book or leafing through favourite magazines. I also like watching DVDs that make me think (the CSI series) or movies that I missed in the theatres. And for real escapism, there's a very camp British series/soap opera currently on French television called Footballers' Wives. The actress Zoe Lucker is superb in the lead role. The series features sex, sport, drugs, fashion, attempted murder, kidnapping and general mayhem. It's so bad it's good in its thinly-veiled send-ups of certain real life Brit football managers, players and their partners. Delicious!
Riding a bicycle or taking a walk are healthy stress relievers. I also like strolling around a museum and looking at art, which helps me focus on something other than immediate problems. Taking care of a garden or looking after plants helps calm me, as does working on decoupage or some kind of art. And of course, counting my blessings usually makes problems diminish in importance.
What helps you combat a bad day? Do you do yoga or play music? Do you have a glass of wine? Do you pummel a punching bag? What works for you?
That cookbook makes me smile. I have been known to spend an entire Saturday or Sunday afternoon camped out on the couch (when I'm home alone) watching bad reality TV...and feeling utterly UNguilty about it. ;)
Posted by: Marilyn | 12 August 2006 at 15:00
What works for me is losing myself in my garden.Taking photos of my garden.Looking
at the collection of photos I have taken. Writing about my garden.Ah yes my garden my respite.Oh and I forgot GOOD chocolate!!
Posted by: naturegirl | 05 August 2006 at 13:21
Getting outdoors (country) and watching a happy movie.
I owned this cook book as a teenager given to me by grandma. I loved it!
Keep smiling sweet Tara :)
Posted by: Tammy | 03 August 2006 at 02:01
Chocolate.
Talking to my best friend.
DVDs.
Writing.
And sometimes all of them at once.
Posted by: The Bold Soul | 02 August 2006 at 15:56
I sit in my garden and smell the phlox and listen to the birds and think. I go to the gym. I have a glass of wine. I read in the bathtub, immersed in scented water. I talk myself out of panic and stress if I can.
Your cookbook image and story are wonderful, so very you, apparently.
Posted by: Laura | 02 August 2006 at 12:05
Something sugary often hits the stress spot! I prefer to use a children's cookbook for sweet treats too - more my level ;-)
And at the moment - yes blogging is a good cure for stress getting lost in other lives, or whipping the camera out and literally framing my surroundings in a different way.
And if the head has gone beyond being able to be engaged in a good book then maybe, just maybe, some trashy tv. My favourite trash? 'Wife Swap' - shameful I know!
Posted by: bb | 02 August 2006 at 09:27
The cookbook is delightful! So sorry you had to have a bad day though to get it out. Hope the sugar drops helped - that would help me - although something chocolate-y would have been my first choice! Hope tomorrow goes better for you!
Posted by: tinker | 02 August 2006 at 08:28
I have a lovely cook bok as well.........it is called "the emotional cookbook"...........so you can find recipes according to your emotions.....at it works!
But I specially need nature on those moments! or a garden at least
Posted by: Catalina | 02 August 2006 at 06:16
Oh, I'm going to admit something terrible. I clean house when I'm stressed. It's probably good because I don't clean house when I'm depressed. There's something about setting order to my home that gives me a sense of control over my life and well as burning off the frenetic energy of stress. No...I don't do windows or housecleaning for anyone else. :)
Posted by: deirdre | 02 August 2006 at 05:57
bad days? I develop knots in my neck & then have to go have a massage, which is good. I also garden or sew. gee, I made a whole quilt when I went through my divorce, years ago!
Posted by: miss*R | 02 August 2006 at 05:14
What a wonderful piece from your childhood. Oh yes, I like to cook also when I'm feeling overwhelmed. (But then I like to eat it too!) Hope your day ends better than it began. I hate days like that. I've had quite a few lately!! Grrrrrr. Hang in there! (Hope you're recovering nicely too. I'm sure that has a lot to do with your feelings at the moment. You know that anesthesia stays in your system for quite a while and can make you extremely irritable. So hang in there dawling!) xoxo
Posted by: Rosa | 02 August 2006 at 04:28
Shopping de-stresses me. Lots of shopping for clothes that I don't need. ;)
Posted by: Erin | 02 August 2006 at 02:56
Yowsa!!! 22 comments! whew! The cook book rocks! And I must say...you live in the stress relief capital of the world! ha! All you have to do is open the window and shout...I LIVE in PARIS!!! Wheee! Although chocolate runs a close 2nd!
Posted by: Pam ARIES | 02 August 2006 at 01:56
Yoga is wonderful for me-
playing music - i play
piano - poorly -
and violin - even more so -
i love blogging - it is
a bit obsessive lately -
and reading!!!!
have a lovely day!
ps - my mom gave me that
book when i was 7!!!!!!
Posted by: Sophie | 01 August 2006 at 22:53
Bad days? I do try to love on myself, to give myself something to look forward. Last night a crotchety family member tried to sabotage my happy Monday night but all was better with some good food(including brownies), escapist TV, and one small girl, who always makes me laugh and melts my heart - truly, my goddaughter brings me closer to God!
Posted by: samantha | 01 August 2006 at 22:15
The best recipes are the ones with the most stains on their pages.
Posted by: Gemma | 01 August 2006 at 22:15
Does reading blogs count?
Posted by: Neil | 01 August 2006 at 21:55
I've felt like pummelling something hard quite a lot recently, but actually I find a long walk or bike ride preferably by the sea, a good book or anything that can take my mind of things, to be more effective.
Hope the rest of the week's less stressful!
Posted by: Kamsin | 01 August 2006 at 20:43
Escape for me is falling into a really good book, zoning out on TV, reading blogs, etc. It's all so visual. Now if I would just move my fanny!! Bet that would work too. LOL
Posted by: annieelf | 01 August 2006 at 19:54
I wish this weren't true, but for me shopping really helps "combat a bad day." Lame, I know.
Posted by: twitches | 01 August 2006 at 19:45
I do all the things you do especially cook, but the last time, I just let myself cry and wow, what a relief!!
Posted by: jzr | 01 August 2006 at 19:32
Oh, I'm sorry you had a bad day! I hope it is over now. ;)
I usually like to do things with my hands to relieve stress. Things I don't have to think about too much. I bead, or paint things. But, lately, this isn't working too good, because I just can't focus with all the stupid meds I'm on. Laaame.
:)
Posted by: amber | 01 August 2006 at 18:18
Looks like we all covet the cookbook!!
I do yoga, walk in the park, use a mantra, paint, practise flamenco steps. If it's really really bad, I pummel a pillow, but that is rare these days thank goodness!
Posted by: Colette | 01 August 2006 at 17:43
Dancing. Blogging. Having my haircut. Taking a deep breath and focusing in the present. Hugging and kissing my children. Screaming out the car window helps too.
Posted by: Tongue in Cheek | 01 August 2006 at 16:55
I like your cookbook. It's very Jetsons Family, isn't it? What do I do when I'm having a bad day? I'll buy a quick fix at Starbucks or I'll go to the gym. Sometimes in that order! Or I'll drop an email to a good friend or my twin sister asking for positive reinforcement. They always know exactly what to say to pick me up. I hope you're feeling better soon!
Posted by: susanna | 01 August 2006 at 16:28
walking, for sure. you can put the world to rights during a good stroll - it's relaxing, energetic and you see things you might not have seen had you stayed in one place. I have always been a walker.
running and yoga are very good too for breaking down the link between the good and the bad thoughts.
i have not tried baking. :o)
Posted by: ian russell | 01 August 2006 at 16:12
art; reading; watching movies - and like kristen... chocolate chocolate chocolate
Posted by: AscenderRisesAbove | 01 August 2006 at 15:30
Baking is a great stress releaver for me. As is a day at the beach, a great glass of wine, a good book. Sometimes just lying around watching t.v.
Can you point me to a good web site to get the most unbiased yet well informed info on the war. I can't find a good news source.
Click the email button on my bloggy - thanks so much.
Posted by: bella | 01 August 2006 at 15:28
sometimes a glass of wine is just enoough to help me unwind.
sometimes a hot bath will suffice. but when i'm streesed i need to be quiet..conversation goes right out of the window.
i love that book, it looks so well loved...and the pics are so of that era.
great:)
BTW, Tara, thanks for the tip re; neil's crush..i would never have spotted it.that made me smile today!!
Posted by: madeleine | 01 August 2006 at 15:24
Like kristen, I want your cookbook! I have my adult version and my mother's teacher's adult version, but not the cute one you have.
And as for unwinding, I like to walk-- anywhere for however long I can. And reading blogs is good. And crocheting works for me. Moving my body or focusing my mind on something else are my answers.
Posted by: ally bean | 01 August 2006 at 15:21
When I'm stressed I love to make jewelry. There's something so relaxing and satisfying about creating beatuiful things with my hands that it is likely my number one choice to decompress.
I also LOVE to cook, but the lack of ingredients here in MZ sometimes makes it very frustrating, although other times I take it as a creative challenge as well.
I also like to play with our kittens, read a good book, read blogs, talk to my mom on the phone, and organize my closet into color-coordinated perfection.
Last night I was stressed and took my first proper bath, complete with bubbles and candles, for the first time in a year!
Posted by: Ali la Loca | 01 August 2006 at 15:19
You know, I was just having one of those moments here in Belgium.
I've worked on and off all morning, I have things I 'should' do, I've eaten a little but nothing I wanted, I don't have a book I'm devouring although the shelves are full of them, I looked at the small collection of dvds but there's only so many times I can do that ... and there's heavy rain outside and I'm not driving Belgie's crazy roads just yet ... and I was in a little bit of a blue funk and came over here via wanderingwoman's in Spain and your post gave me one of those 'aha' moments.
Red wine ... hmmm, is it too early.
Posted by: Di | 01 August 2006 at 14:54
Cooking is one of my favorite ways to relax. And a glass a wine seems to help, too :)
Posted by: meredith | 01 August 2006 at 14:35
Bad days..hmmm, I've had a few. Making music is usually my first recourse to getting myself on track.
Tickling (or sometimes pounding!) the ivories always relieves my stress.
BTW, I have that cookbook too, and, I also have one someone gave my husband when he was a boy! They are fun, and I still use my occasionally as well.
Posted by: becca | 01 August 2006 at 14:04
First off, I covet that cookbook. It looks like the adult version we have here but I think I remember having the juniors version oh so long ago??
I wish I could say that I did all those intellectual and physical things you listed when stressed, but like you, I reach for sweets but unlike you, I don't even bake them, just reach for chocolate in a small little foil with a white tab.
Posted by: kristen | 01 August 2006 at 13:33