Managing the Reality of Stress

Someday I hope to see more of this beautiful country.  Several years ago, my family and I visited the southwestern United States.  We saw the Grand Canyon, the red rocks of Sedona, the Hoover Dam, the Las Vegas strip, and the Santa Monica Pier.  It was an “epic” vacation by all accounts and my kids still talk about how it was the best vacation ever.   

One place I haven’t yet visited is Yellowstone National Park.  It’s amazing to me that Old Faithful still erupts every 92 minutes or so (on average).  It’s certainly a miracle of nature, or maybe it’s just science, or maybe a little bit of both.  What is known to us as Old Faithful is simply a geyser, or a hydrothermal vent, heated by large underground magma reservoirs.  These vents create significant amounts of heat, which boils the water, creating steam, until, at last, an explosion to release the pressure from all of that heat and steam.  It’s really a pretty cool phenomenon (or maybe it's extremely hot)!

I was reflecting on this recently in light of our human need to “vent”.  With all of the frustrations in life, it’s easy to let everything boil up under the surface until we explode.  If you’re on social media, you may know some of these “old faithful” friends who seem to constantly vent their frustrations about anything, everything, and anyone, at any time.   

Did you know how much stress can negatively affect your health?  Research shows that it can impact your blood pressure, blood sugar levels, sleep, digestive issues, headaches, and your immune system, to name just a few.  We all know that stress isn’t good for us, and blowing off steam doesn’t always help. 

Perhaps we’re upset at work or with a neighbor, maybe we’re frustrated with those terrible drivers on the road, we can’t understand why those awful referees won’t call a travel, or maybe the person in front of us at the checkout line has 30 items in the 12 or less express check-out!?   Stress is a reality of life, but maybe we need to find ways to vent in more productive ways.  Regular exercise is always good for stress reduction, and it doesn’t have to involve big heavy weights or running marathons.  Simply finding ways to move your body every day is the way to go.  Take a walk, ride a stationary bicycle, sign up for a yoga or tai chi class, or find something else you enjoy.  It doesn’t have to be complicated.  Make it a part of your routine.  Get that heart rate up a little bit, look for ways to lessen your stress, and leave the 90 minute eruptions to Old Faithful!  Oh, and get off social media, that’s not helping!  Anyway, I need to plan a trip out west, maybe that would help lower my stress.    

“Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.”