On Stress

We all face stress at some point or another. And that stress is different for everyone. For example, some people are totally stress-free when giving a speech to a large audience, while for most people that would be a major source of stress.

          Whatever the cause of the stress in your life experts suggest to shift your focus and thoughts when you feel stressed:

·        Take three deep belly breaths. It’s something that can be done while walking or sitting.

·        Pick a spot for your keys and glasses and always put them there.

·        Allow yourself ample time to get where you are going.

·        Pace yourself. Athletes don’t play a whole game without a break.

·        Go for a walk. Get up, move and stretch.

·        Ask yourself: Will this matter in a hundred years.

·        Find something to laugh or smile about every day.

·        Learn to differentiate between what you can and cannot control.

·        Think of a current stress as a challenge rather than a burden.

·        Hug your child, your mate, your friend, your pet. Love and touching is good for your health.

·        Turn off the computer, the television. Read a book or listen to music.

 

Have a stress free day.

 

 

 

WALKING

Every year as the Irish get busy with preparations for their annual celebration, spring begins to poke its nose out, to give us a hint of the weather to come. There might still be snow piled up everywhere, but with the warming sun people come out to enjoy being outdoors again without freezing. But beware, an old friend tells me, the winter still has some clout and we’re bound to get a final snowfall. We might, but it does not deter anyone from thinking of the warm days ahead.

          I live near a lake where there are paths for walkers as well as for bikers and roller bladders. While at least one path is cleared of snow a few times during the winter, it is never clogged with traffic then as it is in the summer. The main reason is that the wind coming off the lake has an arctic feel to it most of the winter. However things change come March. In the last few days, as the snow has been melting and the winds milder, people have again been taking advantage of the beautiful scenery to get their exercise.

          It’s been proven that walking is a great exercise at any age, but especially for us who are no longer spring chickens. The idea, of course, is to do it regularly every day for about thirty minutes. Sometimes, of course, we simply don’t feel like walking outdoors and we try to convince ourselves that it’s too cold, too hot, too windy, too anything else that comes to mind. We forget that walking doesn’t have to be outside. Many large malls now have walking groups. In addition to being an opportunity to exercise in safety, it’s also an excellent way to meet new people and perhaps make new friends to say nothing of the shopping opportunities that follow.

          One of my sisters mall walks most mornings with a group that meets at 9 a.m. Since the stores don’t open till 10, the group doesn’t have to worry about shoppers. They are free to go at their own pace for as long as they want along the corridors of the huge mall. She finds it to be what she qualifies as a “social and bitching activity” because, since the members of the group all live in the same area, it is an opportunity to discuss the problems of the day in their neighborhood. And sometimes even propose solutions.

          What she likes best is that the temperature is always perfect whatever the season or the weather.  Since I don’t live near a large shopping mall, I have to be content with dressing for all sorts of weather as I enjoy the view of the lake on my walks. But, I’m never alone. The regulars are always there for social interaction, especially now that spring is just around the corner.