WHY REFRESH
Chronic Stress has been attributed to over 60% of all disease and illness on the planet, and has been diagnosed, “the health epidemic of the 21st century.” Long periods of stress without the ability to rest keep our bodies wound up like a rubber band, stretching to its limits until at last… it snaps. These “snaps” can cause a wide variety of problems from disease, illness and disfunction that keep us from living a full and healthy human life. Beginning a routine to refresh on a regular basis can help combat chronic stress and help return our mind, body and spirit to a balance that is much needed in today’s stress-filled world.
IDENTIFYING THE CULPRIT
Humans, animals, plants and all life as we know it has a stress-threshold that must be balanced in order to remain healthy and happy. “Balanced” is a key word here because not all stress is unhealthy. Some forms of stress allow us to react quickly and make important decisions based on the situation at hand, this is called the flight or fight response, but over-stress, long term stress or chronic stress is where things begin to go down hill. So how do we identify the unhealthy kind? There have been numerous tests, experiments and observations detailing the decline of life under chronic stressful situations, but one does not need to read a scientific journal or lab report to understand the effects of long term chronic stress. All you have to do is really listen to yourself, your mind, body and spirit. Become aware of your own built in meter and you will quickly know when you have had too much and need a break. A good rule of thumb is to give yourself a refreshing moment each day for even a short period of time, this can help replenish and rejuvenate a much needed reset.
WHAT TO DO
The world is your oyster and you are only limited by your own imagination. The numerous ways nature has given us humans to refresh are so plentiful that it just becomes a matter of what feels good to you. The most important thing to consider is that what you choose will truly refresh your mind, body and spirit, the whole of our being. It can be as simple as kicking off your shoes and going barefoot in the park, practicing a form of meditation, an exercise like yoga, even a form of martial arts. It doesn’t always have to involve being still or quiet, sometimes I love to be loud and go hard, surfing the waves of the Pacific Ocean, mountain biking down the hills in the Santa Monica Mountains, or even jumping out of an airplane at 12,000 feet and parachuting to the world below. Different strokes for different folks and the good news is that we don’t have to worry about running low of amazing and powerful ways to refresh on a regular basis for the rest of our lives. The sky is the limit.
WHY NOT START TODAY
No time like the present. The above information should set off an alarm bell deep inside of you, setting into motion a call to action, especially if you are not getting the meaningful and refreshing moments that we have spoken about. But if you’re like me, sometimes we become callous to our noisy busy lives that we simply “deal with it” as if it is natural or normal, but it is anything but normal. Days can go by, even weeks or more before we ever decide to do something for ourself, usually by that time it is because we now have noticed a mental or physical breakdown manifesting in some way. It is never too late and it certainly is never too early to begin right now, today.
NOT JUST FOR US
When we are refreshed we feel good and when we feel good we are happy. This happy energy does not stop with us but continues to everyone and everything like a wave of positive vibrations creating a domino effect far into the reaches of the Universe. An energy we desperately need at this time.