Star Trek

I have to admit....I'm a trekkie from a long way back. I just enjoy the world of Star Trek...especially the new Star Trek movie. As my daughter can attest, I was very skeptical of the idea of a prequel, but once I saw the new movie, I was very impressed. Any of you who enjoy Star Trek, I hope you have seen it. However, that isn't why I'm writing, per se.

Star Trek is one of the ways that I get away from the stresses of life. It seems that the level of stress - nationally, locally and on the home front has increased exponentially over the last year or so; I see it affect people in my world in all sorts of different ways. Star Trek is just one of the ways that I use to deal with that kind of stress. You can't get away from it because it is all around you, you feel it in the workplace, at home, in groups that you belong to and it takes it's toll on you emotionally and physically.

I would encourage you to find good ways to deal with the stress in your lives, even if you can't get away from it. De-stress your life as much as you can...if your schedule is over committed, take a look at it and see where you can bring more balance to your life. Over commitment is a very good way to sap physical and mental energy. Another excellent way to de-stress is to bring your daily life into a good balance of time - try to get up and go to bed at the same time each day. If you don't vary your schedule more than an hour in either direction, you avoid the effects of "jet lag", which is very difficult for the body to adjust to on a daily basis. Eating at close to the same time, three times a day builds a balanced flow that is peaceful to your physical and mental well being.

Other ways to escape from the daily stresses that can afflict us are the use of deep breathing techniques, meditation, prayer and those "mini-vacations" that disengage us from life and allow our minds to wander and rest....like diving into the world of Star Trek for a Saturday! Breathing techniques such as square breathing bring the heart rate and blood pressure into a more peaceful and balanced place. It doesn't have to be for a long time, perhaps 5 or 10 minutes a day, but just the practice of doing these things gives you a feeling of balance that is good for the soul. Irregular heart rates, shallow breathing and high blood pressure can mimmick panic and feelings of anxiety that build stress into our lives that can easily be avoided.

Exercise is also a convenient and inexpensive remedy to stress. As we are heading into Spring, the days are getting a little longer, the weather is warming up little by little and the sunshine is coming out more. Getting out, walking and being in the sunshine gets those Vitamin D levels moving in the right direction which also makes us feel better. Fresh air, sunshine and a change of pace from being in the car, sitting at a desk or behind a computer can be just what is needed to refresh our minds and bring the peace we need.

In closing, I want to bring to your attention the fact that walking is more than just exercise for our physical bodies....it is bi-lateral stimulation for our mental and emotional selves as well. Bi-lateral stimulation is the means by which our creator built into us a natural processing mechanism. Walking can help work out those emotional issues you have been dealing with, help figure out a problem that needs to be solved or just help process through the stress of the day because it is the way our bodies naturally deal with stress. What we don't get worked out during the day, we work out at night through REM sleep in our dreams. Our bodies are magnificent creations and we have quite a few avenues that naturally help us deal with stress if we are willing to use them.

I really encourage you in the next few weeks to take advantage of some new ways to be peaceful each day and see how you feel at the end of two weeks. You may be amazed at what happens! :)