MiXED NUTS - Drumming and other alternative tools

[Martha]

One of the things I appreciated in the book was the author's belief in flexing his style and suggesting a variety of different activities that clients could practice, many of which weren't traditional "therapy". One example I liked was how often he suggests his clients get involved in drumming and other music.

What kind of activities/hobbies do you take part in that help you achieve balance / recovery / happiness? Any recommendations?

[Marina]

I agree with you, Martha, the thing with drumming was very interesting. I read that drama therapy is sometimes used for PTSD and that it's very useful for sufferers. That's another kind of alternative therapy.

One of the activities that help me achieve balance is exercising. Obviously it is generally acknowledged that exercising helps boosting the mood. This is true in my case. Sometimes deciding to get up from the couch and go the gym is very hard and a big challenge (in fact, I haven't gone to the gym for one and a half years - shame on me! but I'm planning on starting again next autumn), but it's definitely worth it. Another thing that used to help me a lot was Pilates.

Moreover, I have a blog where I write about books, and I find this is very relaxing for me. I like writing, I also write a journal in my notebook from time to time, and it is very liberating.