A New Wave of Therapy

After a good-sized snow storm, there’s something special about  shutting down normal life for a day or two. We can cozy up to a warm fire while watching television, listening to music, or reading. Our only interruptions should be for snacks and naps. I kept gazing out at the snow-covered trees; their collective limbs crisscrossed the sky while the midafternoon sun hid behind a cloudy, blue-gray canvas. Picture perfect! Doesn’t a natural scene slow your breathing and lower your blood pressure? Maybe that’s one of the reasons we visit places like this:

                                         https://youtu.be/eDign7wVl00    

Tucked in Arizona’s wilderness, this site is difficult to locate, but once inside, the incredible swirly, hypnotic walls draw you in. We could wander around in the Wave for hours. If we’re fortunate enough not to get lost, it might be a therapeutic visit. Short of heading out to Arizona, how do you relax amidst the bustle of daily life?      

Reposted from Dec 2013     

The Big Clean-Up

Is everybody sick? Not mentally, I mean physically. I know of at least six people who are either getting, suffering, or recovering from cold symptoms. Several factors contribute to the rise in illnesses. First, the weather is iffy. One moment it’s sixty degrees, and an hour later it’s forty degrees. That’s not a fun situation when we’re caught outside without the appropriate outerwear. Second, warmer temperatures help germs to linger, giving us more time to be infected. Third, the back-to-back holiday celebrations brought guests  together, facilitating the spread of germs. Check out these unwanted guests:
       

                                         https://youtu.be/1xuEowtB7qg

Nothing like a strong visual image to encourage cleanliness. Doesn’t that video make you want to wash your hands, cough into your arm, and carry around a pint of hand sanitizer gel? We know whatever lurks on our hands can lead to illnesses, but so can worry, stress, depression, hate, and unforgiveness. So how do we cleanse our hearts and minds?

Stressed Out?

Since experts recommend we minimize our stress levels and treat ourselves to something special once in a while, I obeyed their advice and ordered a piece of jewelry through an Avon-like home-based business. When I held up my arm to display the bracelet, one of the kids asked if I burned myself again. Well, that spoke volumes. First of all, that only happened once. Okay, maybe twice as I rushed to slide food into the oven. Take my advice, that’s not the time to rush. Mistakes happen when we rush. Sometimes they’re painful results that last a brief time, and other times the consequences stick with us like a scar. In either situation, we experience this: 

                                     https://youtu.be/bdAsm2QCvdo

He said a mouthful. Have you ever been on the road and spotted the driver who tailgates and weaves through traffic like a bully? Invariably, that car ends up at the light alongside everyone else. There’s a lesson there. Most of our rushing causes unnecessary stress, making an awful impact on our mental and physical health. If you’re tired of rushing from point A to point B, what will you do to live stress-free?     

Fitting In

 A boy about four years old wearing a fashionable jacket and snazzy hat scooted into the row in front of me. Seated beside his mother, he removed his hat and waited for the assembly to start. Of course, within a few minutes, he started fiddling and fidgeting. Eventually he tried putting his hat back on, but it didn't fit. That’s odd, I thought. Why doesn't the hat fit now? As soon as he tilted it, I spotted the problem. He stuffed a chunky, toy inside the hat’s crown, leaving no room for both a head and a toy.  

Whenever you try to cram in too much, things are going to feel uncomfortable. I don’t why this group decided to sweat through this particular challenge, but they did.   

                                         https://youtu.be/YHlWUHYA6aY 

Overextending ourselves with work, activities, and too many commitments makes us cranky.  For whatever reason, we maintain our busy schedules and keep on going. Instead of struggling to scale back your commitments, what could you add to help cope with the busyness?  

A New Wave of Therapy

We had a good-sized snow storm this week. There’s something special about the snow storms that shut down normal life for a day or two. We can cozy up to a warm fire while watching television, listening to music, or reading. Our only interruptions should be for snacks and naps. I kept gazing out at the snow-covered trees; their collective limbs crisscrossed the sky while the midafternoon sun hid behind a cloudy, blue-gray canvas. Picture perfect! Doesn’t a natural scene slow your breathing and lower your blood pressure? Maybe that’s one of the reasons we visit places like this:

                                              http://youtu.be/eDign7wVl00

Tucked in Arizona’s wilderness, this site is difficult to locate, but once inside, the incredible swirly, hypnotic walls draw you in. We could wander around in the Wave for hours. If we’re fortunate enough not to get lost, it might be a therapeutic visit. Short of heading out to Arizona, how do you relax amidst the bustle of daily life?              

Shop, Drop and Stop

On your mark, get set—go! It’s Black Friday! There’s no stopping us now—shop, shop, shop ‘til we drop—not literally, of course. We’re on autopilot. We can’t stop shopping, moving, talking, doing. There is at least one thing that’ll stop us—a funeral. Do you groan at the sight of blinking hazards, orange “funeral” signs and the lengthy line of cars snaking past you even after your light turns green?

At a funeral l attended last week, I heard that it’s state law to stop for a funeral procession. Later that same day, I came across a second funeral. As the mourners crawled through traffic, headed to the cemetery or to the family meal/repast, their light changed from green to red. Wouldn’t you know that when they kept moving, one of the drivers outside the procession starting beeping? If I had questioned the beeper, I’m certain the driver would come clean and admit to wanting to get home for an “important” TV show.   

In our zippy, fast-paced lives it’s difficult to slow down to acknowledge someone else’s grief or to simply savor a moment. In earlier posts, I‘ve suggested ways to question, examine and modify our behavior. Well, I’m offering another challenge: sit. Yep, that’s it. I think this guy is on board. Have a listen:

It’s easy, or is it? Try sitting and doing nothing for a full five minutes—no listening to music, no texting or tweeting, no watching TV. Don’t let the silence stress you out, believe me, it won’t last forever.

Let us know how you feel after tuning out the distractions that compete for your attention, we’d love to hear what you discover.