what physical experiences do you find soothing?

[aroraborealis]

You know that amorphous feeling of agitation that can lead you to jiggle your leg, or fidget, or just feel kind of antsy? What actions and sensations help you manage it or, ideally, dissipate it?

For example, sometimes I have this mix of formless antsiness/dread that wiggling my feet gently can almost completely erase. Or, if I'm having trouble settling my mind, I use an eye pillow filled with flax seeds, which provides a cool weight over my eyes and forehead that is very peaceful. Sometimes when I can't sleep, putting a slightly rough terrycloth towel over my pillow or over the sheet where I'm sleeping provides a soothing effect.

What works like this for you?

Comments

[harimad.livejournal.com]

1. Getting stuff done.
Usually this feeling represents an underlying anxiety about undone jobs. My solution is to get jobs done. Doesn't have to be huge jobs: once I vacuumed the car.

2. Go to sleep.
Occasionally I get so tired that I get physically restless. Stretching my legs provides (very) temporary relief. But the only real solution is to sleep.

[aroraborealis.livejournal.com]

Hm, these are interesting, but in my mind, they're in a different category from physical experience (actions or received experience). Do you categorize them differently?

[harimad.livejournal.com]

I started with "What makes me have an amorphous feeling of agitation or just antsy?"and went from there. For me, physical responses don't alleviate the antsiness.

(Does that help? I'm answering while tired, which might be a mistake.)

[aroraborealis.livejournal.com]

I would prefer if when I'm asking a specific question like this, you have an answer to a related but different question, that you save it for a different time or post it in another forum. For me, when people answer questions off topic like this it makes me feel like I haven't been attended to and that they care more about speaking than sharing. (To be clear: I'm not saying that's your intent or motivation, just that that's my experience of this kind of exchange, and it's my preference to avoid it.)

[harimad.livejournal.com]

I didn't perceive it as a different question - but if you'd like, you/I/we can delete these comments (save it for another time perhaps?). I wouldn't take that personally or as an affront.