Riding without stabilisers... How to keep going forward without losing your balance and crashing!

Life always throws challenge into the heady mix of the day to day.  Myself, I have a husband undertaking spinal surgery today, as a result a week full of house guests, a busy job, and I am also trying to secure a new employment position.  All of this has created a heightened sense of instability and therefore the need to keep centred, a cool head, plus to deftly switch hats from employee, partner, mother, hostess etc in order to meet everyones' NT expectations! Performance anxiety abounds!!

So, my question is...

What keeps you grounded when the world sometimes spin too fast?

What routines, internal mantras, techniques do you use to keep your "**** together" and to stop you imploding into a shutdown/meltdown/implosion/arrrrgggghhhh??

Hope all is well with everyone out there! best wishes to all

Ellie x

  • Thank you DC perceptive and wise as always x

  • Glad Tidings and Good Forune to Miss Elephant and to all that you want to give them to...!

    As you are "All That" upon this Forum, and I keep seeing this Thread reoccur... I shall Post something. Maybe helpful, maybe not...?

    With regards to PushBikes: I cannot ride these anymore, (uphill,) due to Asthma... but they ARE fun fun fun! The best fun I last found was riding in a local Park... I saw a double-slope ahead of myself (two hills). I listened carefully, to know that no-one else would get in my way...

    And then I just let go... dropping down the hill, allowing circumstance to give me speed, yet braking so as not to lose control! It was exhilarating and thrilling and challenging...

    Upon reaching the next Peak, I brake, of course, to stand still, to take in what was done, the enjoymentof it, the success... and most of all... that no-one was around to impede myself!

    With regards to "metaphors" upon this Thread, I suppose that this  (waffle) is to say that... when in control, and confident, then GO FOR IT! But Always always learn, and be aware of losing control or/and of other persons (getting in the way). 

    That ends this Post... Beware - I may Post "confusing" things, if anyone is curious about  my own answer to what actually "keeps you grounded"...(!)

  • Hi there, what keeps me sane is doing some breathing, meditation or relaxation techniques. A little bit of mindfulness. Maybe have a herbal tea and I feel fine. This may not work for all but it works for me. I also enjoy listening to audiobooks, writing, going to a park, gallery or library.

  • Put the kettle on and get the teapot out.

  • Footnote: How good are we taking our own advice! :)

  • Who cares what everyone else expects? What do YOU want? What do YOU expect? Concentrate on that and, even if everything doesn't completely go as you might have liked, you won't have wasted your time worrying about what might go wrong.

    Sound advice Dragon Cat... 

  • From the title, I thought this question was actually about bicycle riding, but perhaps the advice is the same:

    The faster you are going, the more confident you are about your direction and your destination, the easier it is to keep your balance. You are more likely to fall off if you are concentrating on every crack in the road, so keep looking forward and don't sweat the little things. Just ride over all those cracks.

    Who cares what everyone else expects? What do YOU want? What do YOU expect? Concentrate on that and, even if everything doesn't completely go as you might have liked, you won't have wasted your time worrying about what might go wrong.

  • I tend to retreat to my room and just sit in silence, thinking through what has been happening. I have to take breaks like that if there are visitors especially, otherwise i stop being able to manage even really simple tasks.

  • A ball! Eureka, tell your dog, thank you! Hehe! 

    ....it’s all coming back to me now!

    ....that’s it!

    The bike just didn’t feel right..

  • I think probably my children are my gravity, they keep me grounded and on track even when my instinct is to fly off E.T.-style. As for what calms me down, either reading (just to lose myself in completely and escape) or the dog. He gives me a look when I'm freaking out that's part way between "Seriously?" and "I don't know what I've done but I'm sorry anyway!" and either of those makes me stop and b-r-e-a-t-h-e-...  Or he brings me a ball, apparently a ball is always the answer. 

  • Mr Ellie is just out of surgery now and in recovery... hence all my forum ramblings this afternoon...I’ve been waiting all afternoon and draining the NHS of its WiFi..

  • Hi Ellie, how are you holding up? and is Mr Ellie out of surgery &ok?

  • Thank you Tom. Have you tried lowering the seat or did the crash happen before you had a chance to put your feet down?

    hope you’re ok

  • I hope everything goes well for you both, Ellie.

    I'm like this just now..