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Patty Craig: A Slice of Time

We all experience stress. It’s a normal reaction to life’s events. But, stress can affect health. That’s why relaxation is important – it helps us control stress and anxiety.

A WebMD article, “The Effects of Stress on Your Body,” described stress as being positive or negative. Stress can be positive, allowing one to be alert and ready to avoid danger. It is negative when one faces continuous challenges without relaxation between challenges; this may lead to distress – a negative stress reaction. Distress may cause physical symptoms such as headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and sleep problems. Interestingly, 43% of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress, and 75-90% of all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints (http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/effects-of-stress-on-your...).

As our world has become more complex, relaxation has become more necessary. Getting our minds off of stress helps increase our degree of calmness and peace. Websites and magazine articles suggest a variety of relaxation activities. Some of those include meditation, avoiding caffeinated beverages, choosing certain foods and beverages, moderate exercise, hot baths, alone time, and hobbies. These are all good activities.

Since different activities likely work for different people, I also asked friends and family what they do to relax and de-stress. Their responses are below:
•    I ride my dirt bike.
•    Cuss….
•    A good book or movie. Crocheting. A drive on a back road with the windows down and the music up.
•    Watch TV, read, and eat.
•    I read, I like bubble baths, and sometimes when I’m stressed, I like to clean.
•    Phone – off, hot shower, nice hot cup of coffee and my favorite show – alone!
•    Naps, read a book, and do outdoor work.
•    To de-stress, my favorite things to do are to take a nap or go for a walk.
•    Crochet, gardening, and decluttering.
•    Riding motorcycles, tinkering, writing, reading, and beautiful scenery.
•    I try not to get stressed too much. Only thing that you can really do is let it go. Watch some TV or do something that can get your mind off of what is stressing you. It will work out usually. One thing is you need to try not to get in those situations that are going to stress you out. Not much help, but that is the way I do it.
•    Read, quilt, cross stitch, spend time with family and friends.
•    Shoot things, smoke, hunt and fish.
•    Work in yard and clean house (I think the organizing and getting things accomplished relaxes me.), read, browse Pinterest, and enjoy the pontoon.
•    Take a long, hot bath.
•    To de-stress and relax, I slip away to my porch, rock in my mom’s old rocker, and focus on the big picture of my life. It sounds cliché to say “count my blessings.” But, that is what I do, and suddenly, my problems don’t seem so big after all.
•    Something mindless, like watching TV or going to the movies, or getting a massage or a pedicure.

Practicing relaxation will contribute to a longer, happier life. Someone once said, “God didn't do it all in one day.  What makes me think I can?” Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris said, “The time to relax is when you don't have time for it” (http://www.quotegarden.com/stress.html).  So, today let’s take a few deep breaths and relax between them.

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