Posts Tagged ‘Stress’
Mini-Vacations to Relieve Stress
Last night I was walking home from the tanning salon listening to Billy Joel’s “Glass Houses” on my iPod, and I felt really, really good: both mentally and physically. I actually felt like I do when I’m on vacation; if only for a brief moment in an otherwise hectic week. I felt as though ten minutes in a tanning bed and a twenty minute walk had completely reset my system. For that moment I was devoid of any stress, and I was filled with total relaxation and endorphin-induced bliss and calm – sort of like I feel when I’m laying in a cot somewhere on a beach in Mexico.
The purpose of this article is not to debate the merits and risks of artificial tanning (I’m doing it to help correct an apparent Vitamin D deficiency), but rather to highlight the benefits of ‘mini-vacations’ – whatever form that takes for you (likewise, this article isn’t a plug for Billy Joel: I just happen to think that Glass Houses is a great album, and it always succeeds in taking me out of my head for awhile!)
I thought about these mini-vacations, and how I don’t do this often enough. I have a habit of waiting for the ‘right time’ to engage in self-care, and I tend to view a break as something that needs to cost money and time. But stress relief isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. And it can be done for free and in small increments.
I also came to realize that I don’t always know I’m stressed until I’m not any more – and that it’s a good idea to be proactive instead of reactive. When stress starts to show up physically, it’s gone too far: when you start to experience things like gastrointestinal problems, tension headaches, and problems sleeping, you haven’t really been listening to your body up to that point.
So a good way to combat stress is to be proactive with our health by taking these ‘mini-vacations’. For me that might be a ten-minute tan and a walk with Billy Joel. But a mini-vacation can take a million forms (and of course a mental health breaks should be longer than a half hour, but sometimes it’s all we can afford).
What do you do to be proactive with your stress? Do you take regular time off? Do you practice good time management? Do you stay active and engaged with your passions? Do you get enough sleep, eat well, and meditate? Could you make it a point to take regular mini-vacations?
Stress Management and the Art of Being
I sat down to write this article today and I experienced a bit of a block – which, ironically, caused me some stress. And as I struggled with how to formulate the topic, I began to think about the process of writing itself, and how it might feel to actually ‘be a writer’ – to derive great natural enjoyment from being immersed in the process; easily getting into a state of ‘flow’. As I pondered on this I just began to type my thoughts about it (which I’ve actually saved elsewhere, likely to become the base of another article).
What was interesting thing to me, though, is that what I wrote actually seemed to ‘pour out of me’ as I was imagining and describing the process of spontaneous writing. In other words, I found myself in a ‘state of flow’ as I imagined what a state of flow might be like. The process wasn’t my typical labored, “type-backspace-retype-cut-and-paste-until-I’m-happy” method. And there was no stress involved.
So my original intent for this article was to highlight the virtues of learning to “just be” sometimes, as opposed to always having to “do” – but through this process I realized that ‘being’ and ‘doing’ aren’t necessarily exclusive ideas. And so the understanding I’d like to share is this:
The first piece is that it is important to learn to just ‘be’ sometimes (if we don’t normally make the effort to do so). We can easily get caught up in all the things we need to do, and rationalize to ourselves and others why we can’t take a break. Granted, there are certainly times when it’s not realistic to stop what we’re doing – but how often do we fool ourselves into thinking that this is always the case? It helps to examine our assumptions about this, and ask ourselves if things really will fall apart if we just stop for awhile.
We can also ask ourselves honestly if there are other reasons for our perpetual motion: perhaps it’s uncomfortable to be alone with our thoughts. Or perhaps we feel a sense of guilt when we’re not contributing. Or maybe we simply haven’t learned to be any other way. The point is that we need to reexamine where we can give ourselves the time and space sometimes to regenerate and just contemplate about nothing – and learn to trust that it’s okay to do so.
The second thought is that if you truly are a “doer” (and you’ve established that you’re not avoiding anything or perpetuating any false rationalizations by always “doing”), then perhaps try doing more things from a state of just “being” – in other words, where you can experience that sense of flow. Try doing something with your family just for the sake of spending time: really ‘being there’ with them without ruminating over the tasks you have to accomplish today. Go for a run and ‘get lost in your thoughts’ along the way. Hit the highway for a day-trip to nowhere. Write something just for fun…