Sunday, October 12, 2008

Stress Free Areas

A good friend who quilts told about a group of quilters who get together to do their creating, the rule at the house they go to is; you must leave all your stress and problems at the door, before you come in.

That's not a bad idea for a lot of things we do. Let me ask a question. Who would you rather be around, a person who is positive and fun or someone who constantly whines about everything yucky going on with them? You want to be with the positive fun person right? There is a big difference between hashing out a problem with a concerned friend and just spending all your time whining.

Everyone of us has stuff going on in our lives that can drive us nuts if we let it. If we don't have enough poo going on in our own lives we can just turn on the news and look at the state of the economy.

We can take a page from our quilters book and have places that stress is not allowed. I'm by education a psychologist. So I learned all kinds of stuff about helping people cope with the stresses in their lives. Like a couple should never, ever, under any circumstances argue in the bedroom. The bedroom should be where we go to rest and feel safe and feel close.

Make the place you exercise a stress free zone. Tell yourself, there is nothing I can do about...insert what is bothering you at the time...right now so it will wait, the next hour is mine. It's a good idea to make meal time a stress free time also. If you are in mental chaos you will, I guarantee, stuff yourself with just what you would normally have the will to resist.

When you are meeting with your friends, don't try to one up them with the crap you have going on, talk about and share the good stuff. It's amazing how small things can grow the more you dwell on them. Things have a way of working out, they do.

The more you practice making your stress wait at the door while you get on with your life the better you will get at it. The more you dwell on the positive the better you get at that to. For example if you dwell on all the stuff your spouse or child does to make you crazy you will be more abapt to pick a fight or be less than understanding. But if you instead make your self think of their positive qualities you will feel better about them and be much happier yourself.

Thanks for reading.

Stress Free Zone Panda

1 comment:

denise said...

Thank you Dave for reminding us all what's important in life. Each other. It's not where you've been, it's where you going now. Running or walking, keep moving.......