Coping with stress
I think that many of my fellow humans try to cope with stress every day. My biggest source of stress is wanting to be, but not being, on a stable path in my life. Feeling conflicting emotions causes much stress and anxiety. For example, partly I want to stay in Denmark, and partly I don't. Some days I am happy in my relationship but other days deeply unhappy. Some days I have a deep sense of belonging in the region where I am, while other days I feel that I want to move. I am struggling in my role of a stepmother, though I also feel love towards my stepchild.
When I feel stressed, I do the following. First and foremost, I seek solitude. This is one thing that is perhaps most healing for me. I don't feel alone when I am spending time in solitude, as we are always in the world with others. I pay particular attention to non-human others such as trees and stars. I also read, write and draw. When I draw, I don't try to produce something beautiful. Rather, I do it to relax and calm my mind. When I write, sometimes I choose to work on my book and other times I work on my autoethnography. These projects remind me about what is important in my life. Sometimes I simply write to capture my emotions, and then I delete this piece of writing later. When I choose to read, I read philosophy and about others' experiences of living a more ecological life.
Sometimes I go for a walk. Here in Copenhagen I do less of this, as where I live the streets are busy, and there is no raw nature. There are parks and cemeteries. But at times even parks suffice.