anxiety

dining room at St. Joseph's complex

radiator

When not feeling the best, when zonked or stuck, in other words, when you feel down, it's good to go up. Lohbado went up to Saint Joseph's Oratory and relaxed for a while. It's a huge quiet place on the edge of Mount Royal overlooking Cote des Neiges. Many people go there for various reasons. It offers a refuge from the speed, conflict and pressure of everyday life. It's nice to sit in a huge church and gaze up at a high ceiling and stained glass windows. It's refreshing to sit quietly, no background music.

An effective way to reduce anxiety is to be in a large quiet place, to relax then to look at what's going on in the mind, at the innumerable thoughts hurtling at high speed in one's consciousness and then to let go. One could breathe in, relax, then slowly exhale. While breathing out, dissolve the worry or tension, the thoughts and physical sensations. Thoughts come and go. No need to react. They're like dreams, momentary occurrences, point instants...

After visiting the sanctuaries, Lohbado took a few photos in a small building on the oratory grounds. It contained a dining room and gift shop.