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| Instead of letting stress detour you, stay on track and follow the road to bliss! |
Even the happiest, most well-adjusted people despite wealth, success, power, position, or beauty that you may think have everything going for them gets stressed at times. That perfect life that you may envy has up and downs too because no one is immune from problems. The only difference is each one of us have different ones. However, instead of letting stress keep you prisoner and force you to therapy or medicate, I have a few ideas to help get your smile back.
My first suggestion is give yourself something to look forward to at least one day a week. Regardless of a heavy workload that may even have you working weekends like myself or constantly overtime, setting aside at least two hours of time that you know will be waiting for you for relaxation is important. Something as simple as renting the latest DVD movie that you didn’t have the time to go see can lift a bleak mood.
In case you don’t know this, check your local library because they often order the latest DVD feature films, including plenty for children that you can order through their catalog online and later picking up at the library or even another branch closer to where you work. You don’t travel out of your way and can redirect that extra money that does add up over time for something else like your coffee fund, etc.
If you are not a slave to your job and are luckier, give yourself a day to play. Doing fun things that you’re passionate about like golfing, tennis, painting, baking, reading, shopping, whatever gives you happiness is what I’m saying can do wonders to lift your spirit. The secret is the anticipation of what that particular day holds in store for you–-something pleasurable to look forward to.
Since stress will cause muscles to spasm, I am a firm believer in massage. You can do this two different ways, depending who is in your household. If you are alone, then get a tube sock and two clean tennis balls to stuff it with before tying the open end. Lie on the bed or floor before grabbing that filled sock so it is under your lower back with the balls situated on each side of your spine. What you do is roll your body slowly back and forth and allow those balls to deeply massage, easing the tension by working those tight muscles.
On the other hand, if your husband or boyfriend is around, then invite him to your massage parlor for some much needed massage or myotherapy. Bonnie Prudden, a physical fitness expert, pioneered myotherapy for erasing pain caused by muscle spasms. I highly recommend getting an illustrated anatomy book and ones she wrote on myotherapy to learn your trigger spots. Also, there are various Bonnie Prudden videos online to further guide what is possible through the magic of your talented fingers. The illustrations in Prudden’s book are not the best but only give you a general idea of the areas you need to work.
Sometimes, we blow our troubles out of proportion, firing up our stress levels more than we need to. After all, whatever the issue is, it could be worse. Often, all you need to do is redirect that negative energy on another task can help, preferably a physical one. The more you practice blocking out your problem that is consuming your energy and happiness to focus on other things, the less weight distracting you from living that you’ll be carrying around.
Of course, I never claimed to be a psychologist or psychiatrist. I am just another person like you in this muddle we call life. What I was sharing are just some stress-reduction techniques that may help brighten your outlook and hopefully the number of smiles you share in a day.
