the cheapest stress health cure on the internet
Do you feel stressed?
At a sale’s party for a health product recently the thought occurred to me that I was feeling a deep sense of despair, almost panic, that my stress may be too expensive to treat.
I know stresses in life at this time in history are insidious and difficult to decipher. I know this because even though I don’t feel that stressed, my body is showing signs that I am. Dry skin, migranes, fatigue, low immunity, and other small, but definitely stress related issues, that pop up all the time.
Health care is expensive, but I know preventative health is by far the cheapest choice – even if it means $14/hot yoga class, $40 a bottle of health-juice, organic veggies, hiring a babysitter to spend time alone, or to have a good chat with a friend – or my spouse, wonderful multivitamins, beautiful anti-oxidants and xanthones that are miracle foods. Even time to slow down, when I get paid by the hour can seem an expensive luxury – but its still cheaper than a doctor’s bill for a serious stress-caused illness.
So, I’m not arguing against any of these things. I am so happy when I have the resources to do them. But still. Why is cost part of this discussion? I don’t want to ever feel, no matter what my economic situation, that I can’t afford health – especially when I am already a healthful person!
I dont feel like my life is stressful. Honestly. I love my work, which has its ups and downs, but they are all manageable, and make life fun. I have my kids, which are great, and I love being a mom. (Granted, I do get a little wired up – especially around dinner time, when all are hungry and the breakfast dishes are in the way.) My friends and relationships are only improving and in general life is good. I make consistent efforts to bring joy into my life, I paint regularly, I have a prayer/meditation practice, I love to cook and we eat healthy. I go out dancing (well, OK not that much – but last night’s DJD funk-party was great!) I enjoy nature and time with family and friends. I think I have many stress coping mechanisms in my life. Despite all this, there are underlying stresses that I am not dealing with.
During my meditation today, the thought occurred to me that a feeling of kindness can offer a cure.
Pushing aside ”buzz” and tension, even for a few seconds, can build the long-term muscles to cope with stress. When the dinner is cooking, and Emery is at my feet crying because he cant get his lego sword to work, I can stop. Push aside my anxiety and tension, and look him in the eyes with kindness and ask him if I can help. The benefit is all mine.
The effort it takes to push anxiety out is monumental. Even if for a second. Like working out at the gym, I’m starting with the small weights. Its the feeling of kindness and love that makes the benefit. I can be helping people all the time, be of service to the world, and be a mega-star in selfless sacrifice, but if I dont feel that sensation of pushing aside the moment to be with someone, feel love and kindness and offer my help, then I wont have the same rewards.
If I can feel this at every opportunity, I will be building psychological muscles for health. Pushing those walls of tension aside, and letting kindness flood in, whenever I have a chance, is my new health-regime.
And its free.
This is what I wrote in my journal today about this:
“1 cure for stress:
To stop in the middle of madness and chaos, a look with kindness into a child’s eyes and to sincerely ask him what he needs, and then, with love and full joy provide it for him, as a lovely treasured gift.”
Baha’u'llah on kindness:
“A kindly tongue is the lodestone of the hearts of men. It clotheth the words with meaning. It is fountain of the light of wisdom and understanding.”
May 1st, 2011 at 2:20 pm
Oh, that is just beautiful. I do have this sense that as they go older things will get easier, though I am just going about it on faith because my life is like that too, too many kids screaming all that the same time. I regularly wear ear plugs during the day to take the edge off of the screams and I’ve been working systematically at discovering the things that make me the most stressed and then one by one figuring out a way to change or eliminate them.
But oh, who would have thought that parenting could be so rough?