Wednesday, November 14, 2012 —
“The early bird catches the worm,” is an aphorism pertaining to diligence and hard work leading to successful endeavors. But what happens when we are over-diligent? What results from working too hard? Just like the toughest metal, if you put too much stress on yourself, you will break.
The holidays are bearing down on us much like an out-of-control freight train, and as has become the norm in this country, we will begin rapidly preparing for the events of the season. This will involve untold hours spent shopping, cooking, wrapping presents and traveling. Not to mention the already hectic lifestyle that many of us maintain: rearing children, participating in civic and community activities and, most tiring of all, working.
How can you do it all without cracking?
I believe one thing that can help with the stress of the holidays is taking the time to do nothing. I’m not talking about the type of nothing where you’re sitting in front of the TV or lounging around the house, waiting for something else to happen. I’m talking about truly doing nothing.
For five or 10 minutes each day, take the time to sit still and clear your mind of the plethora of thoughts and ideas inundating your every waking moment. Find a nice, quiet place to relax, whether it’s outside or a solitary corner of your home, and let your brain be at ease.
Don’t try to control the thoughts as they flow through your mind; hold no thought firmly, but let them pass through your mind like a running river. Don’t think about what you’re going to have to do later on that day, night or the next. Truly, let yourself relax.
Now, obviously, this isn’t something I advocate doing all day, but with a short little break every now and again, I think you’ll start to notice your stress levels coming down. More importantly, I think this time of solemn contemplation will help to put things in perspective for you, that it will help you prioritize the thoughts, actions and events culminating in your life.
Many people like to call this meditation; some practice a specific form or another. However, regardless of what you want to call it or how you want to practice it, it’s still important that you take the time for it.
To put it in a different perspective, let’s look at the kitchen. When grilling a steak, it’s prudent to let it sit for a minute or two after removing it from the grill. You let it sit, doing nothing. If you don’t let it set up, and you cut into it right away, all of the delicious juices and flavors will run out of it. If you rush the steak, it won’ be nearly as good.
The same is true about life. If you rush through it, trying to cut in too soon, a lot of the joy will spill out of it.
Life is about balance, trying to find a balance that works for your own individual needs. If you have to work hard in your daily life, then try to work just as hard at taking the time to relax some.
When you finally get that moment where you feel like you can breathe again, it will make the coming challenges in your life more easy to bear.
Opinion & Letters to the Editor
Related Photos
-
Ian Faulkner
Discussion
Destressing life and holidays
- Opinion & Letters to the Editor
-
-
We are Uniquely Made
Earlier this week the seniors at our school had one final hurdle to jump before graduation. They had to present their senior projects before panels of community members. Each room had four adults: the moderator and the three judges. You can be sure the students were quite nervous, but they usually do a great job. If they have practiced and prepared then they should experience success.
-
Ronald McDonald House of benefit to us all
On Tuesday, Stanly County Managers Association members heard a presentation concerning the Ronald McDonald House in Charlotte.
-
Celebrating small businesses and continuing new ways of communicating
Some stories are worth mentioning again.
-
Editorial: Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
This amounts to spying on an American news organization -- common practice in dictatorships but scary conduct in a democratic system that prizes the public value of an independent watchdog press.
-
Google shuts down SMS search, angers people who had forgotten it existed
Instead of texting back search results, Google responds with a short message noting that the service "has been shutdown" (sic) and that you can continue to search the Web by visiting google.com (duh).
-
Walking by Faith
Last week I wrote about waiting on the Lord. I really needed to hear from the Lord, but all I was receiving was “wait.” I really don’t like to wait, but it is important to give God the opportunity to work things out before we proceed. After we wait on God, the next thing we are going to be asked to do is to walk by faith. That means that God is only going to reveal one step at a time, which is almost as much fun as “wait.”
-
Jettie Parker
Jettie Frick Parker, 89, of Albemarle died at 2 a.m. Friday, May 3, 2013, in Trinity Place, Albemarle.
-
Always Learning
I am teaching a class this semester that I haven’t taught in over a dozen years. Although I have taught it before, it still has a feeling of being new. The curriculum has been updated, and I must spend a good bit of time reviewing and preparing for the lesson each day. It doesn’t surprise me that often that I will come across something I didn’t know. The other day I made a big fuss about learning something new. The kids had a good time with that; their teacher learned something new.
-
West of Memphis: My Favorite Documentary Gets a New Partner
I saw “Paradise Lost: The Child Murders of Robin Hood Hills” when it played in theaters in 1996. At some point during the viewing, it became my favorite documentary. A position it has held for nearly 20 years. I own a copy of it, along with the two sequels “(Paradise Lost 2: Revelations” and “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory).” Many know part of the story told in the films; it is a story that everyone should witness.
-
Childhood bullying linked to adult psychological disorders
A significant study from Duke provides the best evidence we’ve had thus far that bullying in childhood is linked to a higher risk of psychological disorders in adulthood. The results came as a surprise to the research team.
- More Opinion & Letters to the Editor Headlines
-
