Rushing to Relax
I like to have my days planned. When something happens to throw off my routine, I anxiously try to make up the lost time. Illness, of course, is unacceptable to me; denial is usually how I cope. Arriving on time to a scheduled appointment-then being kept waiting beyond five minutes-makes me a bit edgy, so I prefer to be the first appointment of the day to avoid my schedule being disrupted.
Weekends and evenings are often as hectic and planned as the workweek. I tell myself to schedule that leisurely walk, or allow myself to curl up with a book of fiction for relaxation. I’ve found, however, it’s really hard to slow down the mind and activities when you’re used to moving in high gear.
Today’s society would have us believe that the more stressed you are, the better your career must be going. Economists tell us that productivity has risen at an annual average of 5 percent during the initial stages of this economic recovery, faster than any rebound in 40 years. "Stress is a rite of passage, perhaps even a badge of honor," says author Krista Kurth, Ph.D.
A mindset, she also says, that must change-for our mental and physical health. I’ve grown weary of replying to the innocent "How are you?" question with "busy." "Tired" is probably a more honest answer than "great."
Like many working professionals, I was given a wake-up call recently. Fortunately, the diagnosis was only "stress," with the prognosis being more of the same, unless I follow the treatment plan of learning to relax.
Soon after my physician’s consultation, numerous articles and books amazingly appeared on my desk: articles like "Taking an ’Inner Vacation’: How to Relax When You’re Chained to your Desk," "Power Napping," "Does Stress Equal Success?" "Running on Plenty at Work," and a book entitled The Joy of Burnout. I began paying a little more attention to the articles. Obviously, I’m not alone in my stressful world.
Taking a vacation can help, but that’s seldom an option. So, I’m scrambling to find ways to de-stress. Attempts to maintain sanity without medication has created an increase in yoga classes, massage therapy, exercise, and biofeedback training classes. Rushing to squeeze in a half-hour of de-stress time during lunch or before or after work hasn’t proven very successful for me. Shopping therapy isn’t as fulfilling either. It’s just another thing to check off my daily to-do list.
So, as this year rapidly comes to an end, my New Year’s resolution is to learn to relax a bit-without rushing to do it! By the way, doesn’t it seem like we just began a New Year? TPW