However， if you honestly feel that there is no one you can talkto， then let me tell you about the Save-a-Life League—it has noconnection with the Boston Dispensary. The Save-a-Life Leagueis one of the most unusual leagues in the world. It was originallyformed to save possible suicides. But as the years went on， itexpanded its scope to give spiritual counsel to those who areunhappy and in emotional need.
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Talking things out， then， is one of the principle therapies usedat the Boston Dispensary Class. But here are some other ideas wepicked up at the class-things you， as a housewife， can do in yourhome.
1. Keep a notebook or scrapbook for “inspirational” reading.
Into this book you can paste all the poems， or short prayers，or quotations， which appeal to you personally and give you alift. Then， when a rainy afternoon sends your spirits plungingdown， perhaps you can find a recipe in this book for dispellingthe gloom. Many patients at the Dispensary have kept suchnotebooks for years. They say it is a spiritual “shot in the arm”.
2. Don’t dwell too long on the shortcomings of others！ Sure，your husband has faults！ If he had been a saint， he never wouldhave married you. Right？ One woman at the class who foundherself developing into a scolding， nagging， and haggard-facedwife， was brought up short with the question： “What would youdo if your husband died？” She was so shocked by the idea thatshe immediately sat down and drew up a list of all her husband’sgood points. She made quite a list. Why don’t you try the samething the next time you feel you married a tight-fisted tyrant？
Maybe you’ll find， after reading his virtues， that he’s a man you’dlike to meet！
3. Get interested in your neighbours！ Develop a friendly，healthy interest in the people who share the life on your street.
One ailing woman who felt herself so “exclusive” that shehadn’t any friends， was told to try to make up a story aboutthe next person she met. She began， in the street-car， to weavebackgrounds and settings for the people she saw. She tried toimagine what their lives had been like. First thing you know， shewas talking to people everywhere-and today she is happy， alert，and a charming human being cured of her “pains”.
4. Make up a schedule for tomorrow’s work before you go tobed tonight. The class found that many wives feel driven andharassed by the unending round of housework and things theymust do. They never got their work finished. They were chased bythe clock. To cure this sense of hurry， and worry， the suggestionwas made that they draw up a schedule each night for thefollowing day. What happened？ More work accomplished； muchless fatigue； a feeling of pride and achievement； and time left overto rest and to “primp”. （Every woman ought to take some timeout in the course of the day to primp and look pretty. My ownguess is that when a woman knows she looks pretty， she has littleuse for “nerves”.）
5. Finally-avoid tension and fatigue. Relax！ Relax！ Nothingwill make you look old sooner than tension and fatigue. Nothingwill work such havoc with your freshness and looks！ My assistantsat for an hour in the Boston Thought Control Class， whileProfessor Paul E. Johnson， the director， went over many of theprinciples we have already discussed in the previous chaptertherules for relaxing. At the end of ten minutes of these relaxingexercises， which my assistant did with the others， she was almostasleep sitting upright in her chair！ Why is such stress laid on thisphysical relaxing？ Because the clinic knows—as other doctorsknow—that if you’re going to get the worry-kinks out of people，they’ve got to relax！
Yes， you， as a housewife， have got to relax！ You have one greatadvantage—you can lie down whenever you want to， and you canlie on the floor！ Strangely enough， a good hard floor is better torelax on than an inner-spring bed. It gives more resistance. It isgood for the spine. All right， then， here are some exercises youcan do in your home. Try them for a week—and see what you dofor your looks and disposition！
a. Lie flat on the floor whenever you feel tired. Stretch as tallas you can. Roll around if you want to. Do it twice a day.
b. Close your eyes. You might try saying， as Professor Johnsonrecommended， something like this “the sun is shining overhead.
The sky is blue and sparkling. Nature is calm and in control ofthe worldand I， as nature’s child， am in tune with the Universe.”
Or—better still—pray！
c. If you cannot lie down， because the roast is in the oven andyou can’t spare the time， then you can achieve almost the sameeffect sitting down in a chair. A hard， upright chair is the best forrelaxing. Sit upright in the chair like a seated Egyptian statue，and let your hands rest， palms down， on the tops of your thighs.
d. Now， slowly tense the toes—then let them relax. Tense themuscles in your legs—and let them relax. Do this slowly upward，with all the muscles of your body， until you get to the neck. Thenlet your head roll around heavily， as though it were a football.
Keep saying to your muscles （as in the previous chapter）： “Letgo... let go...”
e. Quiet your nerves with slow， steady breathing. Breathe fromdeep down. The yogis of India were right： rhythmical breathing isone of the best methods ever discovered for soothing the nerves.
f. Think of the wrinkles and frowns in your face， and smooththem all out. Loosen up the worrycreases you feel between yourbrows， and at the sides of your mouth. Do this twice a day， andmaybe you won’t have to go to a beauty parlour to get a massage.
Maybe the lines will disappear from the inside out！