Entries Tagged 'Optimizing Stress' ↓

Valley Railroad Steam Engine, Essex CT
Originally uploaded by Professor Bop

Whenever I start getting tense, I tend to blow my air out slowly and completely on the exhale, then gently and slowly let it back in on the inhale. The calming effect of exhaling slowly and completely has been known for thousands of years. The blowing out with puffed out cheeks and slightly pursed lips seems to be my personal variation of it.

I started doing it years ago, when my daughter was little. I imagined the stress energy inside me as steam. The blowing out was using a pressure valve to relieve enough pressure so I wouldn’t blow up. The idea was once the pressure was relieved a bit I could figure out a constructive way of using that energy.

I thought it was a great idea. It really works for me. It’s become an automatic habit now, and I noticed myself doing it the other night. I’m just glad my daughter wasn’t around to see it. It used to make her nervous…she no doubt thought her mother was about to explode. Nope, just trying to regulate my stress energy and use it wisely. It’s just another technique for optimizing my stress level.

I won’t be writing for a few more days, because I’m making major revisions to the site. I’m also trying to learn about writing WordPress themes so I can make the style of this blog compatible with the rest of the site. Wish me luck!

There’s a lot to learn and a lot to do. And the trick is to generate enough excitement about the project to motivate me without focusing so much on the final product that I become impatient and frustrated. So, Jean, Old Gal, enjoy learning and developing your skills. And enjoy the small successes along the way. The results will take care of themselves. In the fullness of time.

It seems to me that’s what optimizing stress is all about.

Yesterday Puzzled commented: “I’m confused. What does this have to do with ‘optimizing stress’? So far this seems very nebulous.”

Thanks for the feedback, Puzzled. I looked at the whole site again and realize I don’t have enough information about Optimizing Stress. I like the fact that the site is fairly concise, so I don’t want to add more pages. On the other hand, this blog isn’t a good way to convey a large body of information.

So I’ve decided to offer some free e-pamphlets on the subject. The first one will be Stepping Out of the Stress Trap, and I’m about to start writing it. I will send you a copy as soon as it’s done. I’ll probably need a couple more pamphlets as background information, then it will be easy to connect the blogs with what we’re trying to achieve here.

So, enough for now. I’m off to write that pamphlet!

This is the section where we’ll be exploring ways of optimizing the stress in our lives. For starters, please let me know your reaction to this whole idea. Even if it’s “That’s the dumbest idea I ever heard in my life!” In that case, of course, it would help if you were a bit more specific.

Thanks!