Many thanks to Richard Crossen, Pembrokeshire, West Wales, UK…photographer extraordinaire, for his kind permission to use his photos on this site. To see his wonderful collection of nature photographs, you can visit his gallery or his blog site
I’m a ‘glass half full’ kind of person. I rarely worry about what I don’t have because I’m too busy being thankful for the things I do have. Well, except when my gas tank has only one gallon in it the day before payday. If I had to define my thoughts on the subject, I’d say my outlook on life is “…easy like Sunday mornin’ ” (that’s a song from the ’60s for those who wouldn’t remember that era!).
A lot of times, when some great, blue funk or another tries to overtake me, my Granny comes to mind. I remember her always trying to teach us that God takes care of His own, regardless of how hard we try to screw things up. She was good at backing up her beliefs with scripture, like “…behold the fowl of the air” or “…consider the lilies of the field” as a way of showing the difference between what we need and what we want. Yes, I learned from an early age to see the best in every situation and to find the most positive things inside of the worst possible scenarios.
This is what true balance is all about. It’s taking life as it comes and striving to make each moment count for something positive. You know the old saying, “When life hands you lemons, learn to make lemonade!”
It’s easy enough to fool yourself into feeling miserable simply by wallowing in misery, but by the same token it’s equally simple to fool yourself into being content, regardless of how your life has transitioned. Finding something good either in a situation, about a situation or what good thing can eventually happen because of a situation is the key to distracting you from whatever hardship you might be facing.
Your health is as much emotionally as physically based. You must learn to b r e a t h e when you feel stress creeping up on you. Find something relaxing to do whether it’s meditating, reading a good book, writing a letter to someone you love…or even just stopping your day and thinking deep thoughts!
Biofeedback, which became a ‘craze’ back in the ’60s, has been used to teach people to regulate their body rhythm and has proven that they can learn to control many “automatic” physiological functions, including slowing the heart rate and lowering blood pressure and respiration (then again, so does yoga!). Considering that even these three functions alone can cause health problems, being able to control them can help you to avoid stress related health conditions.
There are also simpler routes to controlling the “mind over matter” part of your health. You can schedule an at-home regime of relaxation, including meditation, aromatherapy and exercise using techniques designed to produce and release natural endorphins, an opium-like hormone.
Also, if you don’t already belong to one, a lot of spas and health clubs offer incentives for new members and specials for current ones, that may include anything from deep tissue massage to yoga classes or whirlpool spas to herbal wraps. These great benefits can come by means of contests, filling out surveys, trial memberships or redeemable coupons.
Coupons for such things can be found in the newspaper or even online. The internet is a wonderful resource for finding the best deals in your area. You may even find purchasing clubs, such as Good Deals 24/7or Groupon that can help you save money on anything you need for health and beauty aids or even travel deals for a relaxing vacation.
Don’t wait until stress overtakes your life and creates illness and dis-ease (as in ‘un-easy health’) in your body. Even if life can be difficult it needn’t be hard to adapt to or accommodate its uncertainties. Learn to roll along this bumpy road with grace and acceptance. After a bit of practice, it almost becomes easy. Easy like Sunday morning.
balance the circle... 