It's Not Really a Snack...

...and it might not sound insane. But it's worth a try instead of you vegging out on chocolates and chips.



A glass of red wine a day. Antioxidants. Great taste. A touch of class.

Now, study how to taste wine. Go for the basics: see the wine's legs, smell the bouquet, taste it on your palate, and savor its many flavors. Now, do this alone.

1) Sit in a corner. Pretend to face a camera or a live TV audience.

2) Hold a glass of wine in one hand and use your free hand to gesture, but calmly.

3) Now, talk about your dreams. What kind of house do you want to have? What kind of car do you want to drive? What are your goals in life? What are your ambitions?

If you have a fireplace, have a warm fire going and pretend to have a fireside talk of sorts with your imaginary audience. Take a sip of wine every now and then, but don't refill your glass. You're on a snack mission with some imagination thrown in.

More Journal Keeping Tips: Give Yourself Questions!

Have you ever played Jeopardy? For those of you living under a rock, the main idea of the game is to provide the appropriate question for a given answer. "The capital of Brazil." What is Brasilia?; "A mineral made up purely of carbon, and perhaps the strongest mineral on the planet." What is diamond?

You can also play Jeopardy with your journal. All you need are a few answers. This works especially well for the times when you can't give a straight answer to certain questions, which may also occur due to the fact that you don't want to give an answer. A secret? A little skeleton hidden in a closet? Let's let it out.

Question these answers in your journal.

1. The most embarrassing moment in my life, when I really wanted the earth to swallow me up.

2. The person that I most regret hurting.

3. The person whom I would give all my riches, money, and investments to see again and say "I love you" to

4. The person whom I would give all my riches, money, and investments to see again so that I can punch his/her face in.

5. The one place on the planet that I would never want to be in.

6. The happiest day of my life, the one that I would want to relive again and again.

7. The person that I regret knowing.

8. The sentence that I most regret having said.

9. The song that truly describes my love life right now.

10. The question that I always ask myself.

If Ye Like Hiking...

Then you may want to try this out on your friends. The next time you all decide to go hiking, give up any chance of seeing any deer. Why? Because you'll be singing.

Now before the wildlife experts out there start crying foul, you'll have to wait a heigh-ho minute. There are a few rules that you have to follow. First, you need to sing low: not a whisper, not an all-out-at-the-top-of-your-lungs voice. But sing as though you were talking.

Second, no scaring away of wildlife.

Third, don't be too engrossed in your singing that you'll miss the warning signs that you're: 1) being eaten alive by mosquitoes, 2) crawling with chiggers, and 3) serving as the flesh fest for a family of ticks.

Fourth, you all need to learn some songs so you can sing them together. Now the choice of song will depend on your chosen theme. Would you all like to sing heartbreaking love songs? Or would you all like to sing Disney songs? Pick a theme. Each person has to select a song for that theme, and then send everyone the lyrics. No need for rehearsals: let's all be honorable and show up prepared.

The next time you hike, make sure you sing together. It's a good bonding experience, and it can take the boredom out of an unremarkable hike, especially if you're on a trail that you already know and you're just there for exercise. The singing, moreover, will train you to breathe properly.

Now, breathe deeply, and start practicing...

Heigh ho...heigh ho...we're nuts but we're not slow...

Open Up to Yourself: Another Journal Entry Suggestion

A journal should be your way of expressing yourself, of speaking out even when no one listens - and sometimes, you do precisely that. You speak out because you know no one will hear you.

Today's journal entry is a free form essay. This means that all you have to do is write down your answer to the question without thinking of grammar, syntax, usage, spelling - in other words, go nuts with your writing!

Today's Question is:

"There's something that I've been aching to tell . This is what I've been wanting to tell him/her for the longest time...."

Be as happy, as angry, as mushy, as gushy, and as nonsensical as you like. After all, you're the only one seeing this entry. For all you know, the writing process could give you the courage to speak up and say it all out loud!

Connecting Them Dots Makes You a Good Kid!

All right, maybe not.

But still, you can keep your insanity down by being a little insane yourself, kids style. All you need is an activity book with connect-the-dots - the more complicated, the better. Now, take up that pencil or pen, and start working.

Remember, keep your lines straight

. . . . .

Have fun! Remember, you need something to make you think that you're within bounds and in a sheltered, cocooned, controlled place where things aren't going haywire. Let them dots make you a good patient in this Mental Hospital we call Life.

Staying Awake During the Day - Survival in the Real World

(thanks to www.poetryfoundation.org)

Did you know that an apple can substitute for coffee in the morning?

Instead of drinking one big cup of coffee in the morning, drink smaller cups throughout the day. This way, you're alert, and you're not getting the jitters.

Avoid coffee at least six (6) hours before you sleep. Even if you do fall asleep, you might wake up because of the coffee hitting you.

(thanks to www.coffeelab.com)

For every cup of coffee you drink, drink two cups of water. Coffee is a diuretic: it pushes water out of your body, and you could end up damaging your cells if you don't have enough water to keep your body healthy. And yes, coffee does have antioxidants, but don't overdo your drinking.

Now add some craziness: amuse yourself at work by pretending to be a coffee expert. Gather your friends round, and together, critique the office coffee. Talk about texture, taste (or lack thereof), and what the flavor reminds you of. And be crazy about it. We aren't talking rough or smooth, bold or robust, or woody or chocolate-y.

We are talking about comparing your coffee to weird things, like mud, grass, or asphalt. Be as nice or as wicked as you want.

But drink water and keep the coffee to a minimum, too. Be crazy about this, and you're all set.

Board Games Keep the "Bored" Out of Parties

Monopoly, Rigamarole, Mastermind, Clue...a board game can keep you and your friends occupied for hours. So why not have a game night?

Instead of pulling out the PlayStation or the Wii, or polishing those chips for poker, why don't you organize a game night and get some Pictionary or Trivial Pursuit going? A board game really can bring you and your friends closer, and it can encourage team play, not to mention participation by every single person. So instead of taking turns with the electronic games, and instead of betting real money, why not have a board game for a night?

Here's a recommendation: try not to cringe at the prices, but Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot is a great game to try out. The more, the merrier.

The key to enjoying this is to be insane. Board games can be as insane as you make them: feel free to take risks with Clue, and to gamble your play money in Monopoly. Killer Bunnies is great for letting out the lunatic in you. As long as everyone's enjoying and joining in, boredom won't be a problem.

Let's Be Ridiculous - A Journal Adventure

This is part 1 of a possible journal adventure for you, and here's your first entry involving it. All you need to do is to copy the following questions onto your journal and then answer them. You don't need to explain anything, or even feel guilty about your answers. You just need to answer the questions and laugh your journaling session away.

Today's Questions Involve PEOPLE

1) Who would you most want to be stuck in handcuffs with?

2) Who would you NOT want to be stuck on a desert island with?

3) Someone gives you a surprise kiss on the cheek. You turn around to see who did it. Who would you like to see?

4) Who would you like to sit next to in an Advanced Calculus class?

5) Who would you want to hand over to be sacrificed to the gods?

6) Who deserves the honor of Best Person, Like, Ever?

7) Who should NEVER get a hold of your journal?

8) Who do you want to dance the Macarena with?

9) Who do you want to watch a cheesy B-movie with?

10) Who do you never want to say goodbye to?

Color Your World Again (And You Can Do it Outside the Lines This Time)

Remember those days when you worked on your coloring books, and had to keep within the lines? Ever felt stressed as a child just making sure you didn't go beyond those dark lines with your crayons? Now, you don't have to be stressed - and in fact, you can have a lot of fun with coloring books!

Coloring books are actually therapeutic: they allow you to play again, to be a kid again, to be young and relax. All you need are as many crayons as you want, and the coloring book of your choice. Pick a nice spot where you can color comfortably without people passing by and wondering if you have your head on straight.

Now, color - and don't be afraid to use weird colors or go past the lines. Just color and don't think. Oh, and breathe deeply - take this chance to stay sane by going a bit insane.