I walked out of my house this morning with my emotions tied up in knots. The kids were bickering, I was scolding, feelings were hurt– the morning was a disaster. By the time I had dropped them off at school, tears stung my eyes. In the silence of the car ride home, I began to sing softly to myself. Another song followed. And another. I bounced from modern praise songs back to old hymns and back. Sometimes I just sang one line of a song and then let my voice wander into something else. I hoped no one was watching (or listening) from nearby cars as I drove down the road. But the act of singing was healing my spirit.
Last night, some friends and I went to see Footloose (a remake of the 1980s original). In one scene, the main character, Ren McCormack–frustrated by the world around him–lets off steam by secluding himself in an old warehouse and dancing, tumbling, doing gymnastics and (ahem) breaking stuff. The intense physical activity was healing to his spirit.
For the main character in my book, First Impressions, it’s drawing. When Laurie’s tied up in knots, she sketches out the things that are bothering her. Putting them to paper gets them out of her head and onto paper where she can better manage them. My hero,Daniel, walks down to the waterfront and hurls rocks into the water–the physical activity creating a release.
What heals your spirit? What unties your knots?
Gardening? Painting? Yelling? Prayer?
Will you share it with me? I’d love to hear from you. Maybe it can help with a future character. 
It isn’t who someone else is that calms me near so much as who I am in the Lord. I don’t answer to God for who they are (they make their choices), but who I am in spite of them.
I have a notebook that I’ve started writing out, as I read through the bible; God’s promises to me. A great place to go to re-focus in troubling times.
We can’t change anyone else’s attitudes, actions, abilities, thoughts, reactions.
But we CAN change our thoughts and what better place than God’s Words by “taking every thought captive, 2 Cor 10:5” and “thinking on lovely things, Phil 4:8”.
We will be surprised to see things go better if we just walk in obedience to God in spite of what others do.
This is a hard lesson and is in constant need of reminders. I also get plenty of practice going back to it to start again when I mess up.
It is when I allow my thoughts and actions to go where God would not be pleased that I am the most upset.