Letting Go of Stress and Worry - June 27, 2016
As summer begins, I am learning to let go and do without a lot of the noise in my life. To be sure, every life contains a certain amount of chaos. Most chaos visits in uninvited spurts: car wrecks, illnesses, sleepless nights with unhappy children, vague assignments, hard deadlines. Other chaos is invited in willingly, even joyfully. What begins as a hobby or a volunteer project or even a simple social engagement can quickly escalate until it creates more stress than it relieves.
I have been experiencing a lot of both type of chaos in my life lately. I am feeling a real need to simplify my commitments and rest my body and mind.
Now, I realize that -- as much as I would like to -- I cannot wave a magic wand over my life and remove everything that is causing me stress. I am learning to be more patient. I am learning that I cannot control every facet of my day-to-day experience. I can, however, create a restful and meditative state of mind by reducing some of the more physically exhausting things I do. To this end, I have started cutting out late nights, driving in traffic, and running in summer heat.
This is my choice.
I spent the past week doing exactly the physical exercise I wanted to do -- no more and no less.
Monday - Summer solstice, with a glorious full moon that stayed up past early morning twilight. I wanted to run on trails with my dog. We enjoyed the predawn light, and she chased a rabbit (while attached to my waist with the hands-free leash, natch!). I saw six of my friends. I quit when it got hot. 3 @ 9:27.
Tuesday - 75 minutes of vinyasa hatha yoga.
Wednesday - 70 minutes of weight lifting with my friend Katherine, and a huge cup of amazing coffee to follow.
Thursday - Nothing at all.
Friday - 70 minutes of weight lifting with my friend Katherine, then 40 minutes in the pool with Katherine and some other triathlete folks.
Saturday - Saturday Morning Long Run with the Birmingham Track Club. The weather was abysmal...92 degrees and 85% humidity. I felt real pain on this run, but stuck it out. My running buddy Andrea got some heat exhaustion midway through this run, and another friend and I dragged her into a Starbucks and stuffed her bra full of ice. After some electrolytes and cold water, we jogged the last three miles at a pace I can only describe as "heroic." I'm glad I went. Amazingly enough, the Chevron station near the track club HQ was doing a promotional event and handing out free ICEE drinks. I helped myself. 10.25 @ 9:47.
Have a fantastic week, everyone.
I have been experiencing a lot of both type of chaos in my life lately. I am feeling a real need to simplify my commitments and rest my body and mind.
Now, I realize that -- as much as I would like to -- I cannot wave a magic wand over my life and remove everything that is causing me stress. I am learning to be more patient. I am learning that I cannot control every facet of my day-to-day experience. I can, however, create a restful and meditative state of mind by reducing some of the more physically exhausting things I do. To this end, I have started cutting out late nights, driving in traffic, and running in summer heat.
This is my choice.
I spent the past week doing exactly the physical exercise I wanted to do -- no more and no less.
Monday - Summer solstice, with a glorious full moon that stayed up past early morning twilight. I wanted to run on trails with my dog. We enjoyed the predawn light, and she chased a rabbit (while attached to my waist with the hands-free leash, natch!). I saw six of my friends. I quit when it got hot. 3 @ 9:27.
 |
| My wild little coyote. |
Tuesday - 75 minutes of vinyasa hatha yoga.
Wednesday - 70 minutes of weight lifting with my friend Katherine, and a huge cup of amazing coffee to follow.
Thursday - Nothing at all.
Friday - 70 minutes of weight lifting with my friend Katherine, then 40 minutes in the pool with Katherine and some other triathlete folks.
Saturday - Saturday Morning Long Run with the Birmingham Track Club. The weather was abysmal...92 degrees and 85% humidity. I felt real pain on this run, but stuck it out. My running buddy Andrea got some heat exhaustion midway through this run, and another friend and I dragged her into a Starbucks and stuffed her bra full of ice. After some electrolytes and cold water, we jogged the last three miles at a pace I can only describe as "heroic." I'm glad I went. Amazingly enough, the Chevron station near the track club HQ was doing a promotional event and handing out free ICEE drinks. I helped myself. 10.25 @ 9:47.
 |
| The "Before" picture. I'm front and center in a pink bra top. It happens. |
Comments
I love the Summer for the outdoor activities and extra daylight hours. But, I could do with a little less of the brutal heat.