BODY, MIND, and BALANCE
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Fall 2006 Issue We are pleased to launch the 2nd issue of the Body, Mind, and Balance Bulletin. We’ll bring you new issues of the newsletter at the Body, Mind, and Balance website four times each year, to coincide with the first day of each new season. As always, this newsletter will feature topics related to the integration of physical health and mental health toward the goal of living a balanced life. Though the newsletter will change quarterly, you will be able to access archived issues. Do not forget to check back to the newsletter more than once during each quarter as new features may be added from time to time. For those of you who have been following our journey, thanks for staying with us. And for those who are new to us, welcome, and we hope you’ll keep visiting. Contents -Cheers from Valerie Now that September is here, the leaves will soon be changing to an array of beautiful colors and the temperatures will become more pleasant. This time of the year is a wonderful opportunity to reflect to make sure that each of us are staying in balance. Sometimes we become so involved with helping and assisting others (through our family, career, friends, etc.), that we might forget about taking care of ourselves. I would like to write a little about honoring oneself. Hopefully, it will be an opportunity to remind us that it is important to take time out for ourselves. This not only allows us to stay in balance, but also to be more available with energy and passion to others that are important us. Think about it, when was the last time that you did something for yourself? Do you feel that you do something on a daily basis for yourself to keep you in balance? Do you do something on a grander scale a few times a year to benefit yourself on a physical, cognitive, and/or emotional level? While everyone is different, here are a few ideas, big and small, that might be useful to incorporate into your life. The short and long term benefits can have profound ramifications in our lives. Some ideas to honor your self can be physical such as hiking, walking, swimming, and biking. Some suggestions from an emotional standpoint might be journaling, meditating, writing, or playing soothing music. Some ways to honor your self intellectually might be reading, starting a new hobby, or taking an educational class. You might also honor yourself by taking a trip that you have always wanted to go on or by taking your dream vacation. By honoring yourself, whether physically, emotionally, and/or cognitively, you will be enhancing your balance while enjoying the process along the way. By staying in balance, we are not only increasing the quality of our physical and emotional health, but we each get the opportunity to show respect to ourselves on a consistent basis. Cheers from Valerie Some people think January is the time of new beginnings since that’s a new calendar year beginning. I have always thought of September as a time of new things starting - back to school, another change of seasons, and my birthday (which is in September). Working in an academic environment, I look forward to the new beginnings with each new academic term - preparing for the classes I’ll teach, remembering new names and faces, adjusting to a new schedule. For some, this time of year is when depression starts to hit. There are shorter days, and the colder weather is coming, along with the stressors of the end-of-year holiday season. The combination of those factors is enough to bring on negative thinking as people anticipate the months ahead, and once the negative thinking is in place, there is no room left to appreciate the positive aspects of this time of year. I’d like to offer a couple of thoughts to encourage some positive thinking instead. For those people who have been complaining about the heat and humidity and the high electric bills generated from those air conditioners running all the time, we’re looking towards cooler days and nights, that wonderful sleeping weather with the windows open and the need for a blanket at last. The colors of the landscape around us will change from the greens and whites and pinks and purples of summer to the reds, golds, oranges and browns of autumn. As a person who spends time outside regularly, I’m always in awe of the changing colors in nature. Speaking of being outside, see my article “Go Take A Hike,” also in this issue, about the benefits of exercise outdoors. For people who have school-age children, think of the freedom gained when your kids are back in school and not depending on you for entertainment, activity coordination, or transportation everywhere. Along with this is the quietness factor - the kids will be in school during the day - your home will be quiet again! And if you’re at work all day, you can think about how the house will be as you left it when you return from work - there’s a bonus for you! Here’s another suggestion for you - remember how things moved a little more slowly and you seemed to have more time for yourself during the summer? There’s no reason why you can’t continue to carve out “me” time even in the seemingly busier months of the rest of the year. Whatever it was you did during the summer to make that happen, leave that motivation in place and just find creative ways to keep that slower down time intact. Maybe it won’t happen in the same way as it did in summer, but it still serves a purpose and provides a benefit in sparking positive thinking. As you already know from my last newsletter article about change, it’s something I embrace and enjoy, so I hope you’ll take these thoughts with you as we head into this time of new beginnings. As long as we stay creative, we can continue to make these new beginnings work for us in positive ways. I prefer exercising outdoors whenever possible, and am frequently on local trails in almost all kinds of weather. In the past though, I stayed on paved or well-maintained gravel paths rather than striking out off trail into more rugged hiking terrain. A recent trip to the Southwest changed my mind. While there I did some hiking on varied types of terrain. What a difference it is to get away from the paved-path mentality and really get into the landscape, and how much I’m enjoying it, with more to look forward to as the seasons begin to change. The outdoor activities I enjoy can be done alone - swimming, cycling, skiing, golfing, walking, hiking. Of course all of these can be shared with others as well, and sometimes I enjoy that too. But if the schedules of others don’t allow for companionship, then the solo choice is just fine, and lately that solo route is my preference, especially with hiking. There is something both soothing and energizing about being on a hike by myself, in a place where there are few people providing distracting outside human noise. This type of situation allows me the head space to bring myself back into balance emotionally, mentally and physically. I live in a “noisy” world. I teach college, see clients, spend my whole life talking and interacting with others. There are distractions all around me constantly, and all of them create that “noise.” For me it’s important to seek out quieter environments that are human-noise free, hence my preference for hiking solo. When I go for a hike, I might bring my Ipod, but other than the noise of my own personal soundtrack and the sound of my own breathing, I don’t encounter any noises but those of nature - birds and insects and the sound of the wind through trees. What is it about hiking that makes it so different from regular walking? It’s being aware of everything - around me, above me, and underneath me. I’m not on a paved path, so I need to watch for the blazed trail markers in whatever form they take. It might be a patch of paint on a tree, it might be a pile of rocks in a metal cage, but it won’t necessarily be a marked and spelled-out English language sign, so I have to learn to read other types of signs. I need to pay attention to the conditions of the sky and be prepared for weather changes. I need to keep some of my focus on my footing. No matter where I hike, the terrain is constantly changing underfoot, so footing is extremely important. There is something satisfying on more than one level when I arrive at the end of whatever trail I’ve chosen for my hike. I have elevated my heart rate and worked my body’s muscles. I have spent time alone, giving my brain a chance to process thoughts and feelings, and taking the time for myself that is necessary for me to stay in balance. I have spent time outdoors immersed in a natural setting, with no human noises other than my own. I go on with my day, feeling energized and revitalized, and looking forward to the next hike to come. So go take a hike! Make this activity one of your new beginnings in this new season. You won’t be disappointed. |
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Created: 12/24/05 |
