Closer to Fine

Images to de-stress by

I’m at, for the first time in memory, a pretty awesomely mellow place in life. That is, I've no major anxiety producers going on -- at the moment, relatively speaking and shit.

It’s fabulous. It’s also a big adjustment. Isn’t that pretty damned amusing? It is to me. Of course, I find almost everything funny if looked at in just the right light.

Last August at my yearly neurology visit with Doctor Plotkin, we talked about the definite need to reduce my prodigious stress levels. I was at, or close to, peak pressure levels then.

Over this past year I’ve done a great deal to reduce those preposterously high levels of strain.

I quit my molto frustrating, utterly unsatisfying job and am just taking a fine old break from the nine to five universe.

I’m now triking or walking every single day for, on average, an hour.

I’m able to spend all day, most days, with The Amazing Bob (poor man).

I'm painting again (YEA!).

I’ve begun adjusting my eating habits so that I can lose some of this damned weight. sigh.

And I’m breaking the ice, attempting to anyway, on the tension that’s infiltrated every cell in my bod.

What’s this last bit? One of my relaxation exercises for getting through the dreaded MRIs is to release the taut, braced up rigidity, the tightness of all my muscles. I work from my toes on up -- softly whispering to my abductor hallucis, calves, knees, hamstrings and glutes and, eventually, my hair follicles -- telling each bit to just let go, chill, relax already.

Normally this takes effort but relaxation’s been possible, achievable. I’ve noticed though, on and off over the last year plus, that I’ve got to do it a lot -- not just for the old MRIs anymore.  If I don’t, I won’t sleep. And some nights I don’t.

another image to attempt de-stressage by

Try yoga or tai chi you say? Without balance nerves or hearing, I’m hard pressed to stay upright or keep up on any level with a class full of balance nerve endowed hearies  AND I surely can’t afford a personal trainer/coach. So then -- what to do, what to do (I love the sign for this phrase)?

Try. I can attempt a class. Maybe I can keep up well enough to do me some good. I surely won’t be the gym bunny star of the day but that’s SO not the point (I’m attempting to talk myself into this, ya see). With this Healthy Workplace Challenge that Paula’s got us enrolled in, I can even take the class for free.

Free is a stress reducing word.


Closer to Fine -- The Indigo Girls