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NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
Poor machine maintenance blamed for fire at Akron business
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Indians add 7 players to 40-man roster
Man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
Body with gunshot wounds found in Canton Township creek
Blogs:
Pets:
Sick Pets Get High-tech Health Care
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
The proposed new LeBron mural doesn't do it for me
Akron Zips:
Two blowouts, one night
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Hey, somebody's gotta stick up for the Browns
Kent State Sports:
Singletary update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Indiana Pacers – Here’s to LBJ and Free Throws
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Bowling season starts today
All Da King's Men:
Attention Haters, Palin And Hannity Together
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Muslim McCarthyism & Death Prayers
Akron Law Café:
Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Norma asks if Barkitecture is still at Stan Hywet.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Laugh with someone a few minutes a day
Published on Thursday, Mar 27, 2008
Wake up in the morning and here it comes: The daily onslaught of e-mail messages, Facebook updates, video-game adventures, IM chats, Netflix deliveries, text-message alerts, Flash ads, crying kids, barking dogs, nagging bosses, StairMaster workouts, YouTube clips and car horns.
Stop. Breathe. But work it in fast - the second wave is on its way.
Some ideas for finding peace in between the moments of madness:
Morning disc golf: This niche sport — a sort of flying disc-golf combination, where players throw discs into baskets slung around trees — is an invigorating way to start the day, says Bradley Ellis, 35, a magazine editor in Moline, Ill.
Courses are often in parks and wooded areas, so it's a nice way to move your body and be in nature. In the morning, chances are you'll be one of the only ones there.
''It's as Thoreauian as I get,'' Ellis says.
Commute: It sounds counterintuitive, but some people find respite in the one time during the day when they aren't in front of a computer, preparing dinner or dining clients.
Once thought of as a burden, this daily ritual can be used as a time for reflection between toiling at the office and chores at home. Listen to music or the radio, read a book (if you're on a bus or train), or just sit back and catch some shut-eye.
Breathe: A lot of meditation and yoga experts focus on purposeful breathing to help achieve a sense of mindfulness and stay in the present rather than worrying about the past or anticipating the future.
''I suggest using a breathing technique where you focus on the breath and allow thoughts and feelings to flow through without holding on to them,'' says Zach Zander, 29, a real-estate agent in Bel Air, Md. ''Just taking the time to quiet your mind can be very rejuvenating.''
Cuddle: Cozying up to a loved one, a stuffed animal, a pillow, a pet or a warm cup of tea can be just what the stress-doctor ordered. Even in the middle of the day, why not snuggle up with someone or something that makes you feel secure for a five-minute respite to recharge and let go of worry and fear. (Note: Choose carefully.)
Group silence: ''Having a shared moment of complete silence with a group of people is a really interesting way of being quiet,'' says Daniel Bryan, a computer programmer in Boston. ''It's kind of awkward, but it's awesome, too. I usually feel full of gratefulness.''
Bryan, 27, is part of a community art group that gets together for projects and concludes its weekly meetings with bread and tea and a minute of collective silence.
Art: Go to a museum or gallery, find a piece of art that moves, transports or inspires you, and sit in front of it for a while. Or do the same with a piece of public art in your office or on your commute.
Noise: Sometimes noise itself helps quiet the brain. The hum of a humidifier, the rushing sound of water from a noise machine and even constant traffic on a busy road can help us reach a sense of peace and remove ourselves from the everyday worries that cause consternation.
Nap: Everybody knows Americans don't get enough sleep these days. Rest up with a 20-minute power nap. And if your own home isn't comfortable enough, specially designed nap pods might be coming to a city near you.
In Manhattan, a company called Yelo offers nap cabins, where you can adjust lighting, music and aromatherapy as you catch up on some sleep. The service costs $15 for 20 minutes and $28 for 40 minutes. You can also tack on reflexology massage for an extra charge.
Acknowledge happy moments: The UK-based magazine The Idler, a publication specializing in all things soul-nourishing and mind-calming, gives perspective to the everyday hustle-and-bustlers who think their lives need to be a constant race to get things done.
At http://tinyurl.com/create.php, readers contributed the moments when they felt happy or grateful for something. Editor Tom Hodgkinson explains that a 17th-century Chinese playwright once made a list of his sunny memories, and it can be a fulfilling process of self-reflection.
Give: Sometimes it's excessive self-focus that takes us away from our own happiness.
''Helping others reduces distress in givers, improves both mental and physical health. It gives people a sense of belonging and of mattering,'' says Psychology Today, in a recent story about a study that examined the benefits of giving.
Laugh: Find somebody to laugh with for a couple of minutes, suggests stress-management expert Loretta LaRoche.
''It creates a catharsis, which is a letting go,'' she says. ''It's kind of the 'aha' for the brain.''
Music: It doesn't have to be slow and easy. An upbeat, danceable track that gets you in the groove, maybe even up onto your feet, can do wonders.
''You want to release the energy that's pent up so that you can get into a relaxed state,'' says LaRoche, author of books such as The Joy Journal, and Life is Not a Stress Rehearsal.
Her song suggestion? Simply Irresistible, by Robert Palmer. Here's a YouTube link: http://tinyurl.com/j93a6.
Drink: No, that doesn't mean abuse alcohol or turn to inebriation as an escape. But a drink — alcoholic or not — shared among friends or potential friends can make for a nice moment of pleasure and camaraderie. There's a reason it's called ''water-cooler conversation.''
Take timeout: The moment to take a breather is at the exact moment you feel like you couldn't possibly do that.
At the height of frustration over a situation, take a ''grownup's timeout,'' says Sarah Susanka, author of The Not So Big Life: Making Room for What Really Matters.
At times, you need to see yourself as no different from a toddler who can't see logic, because he is too upset. You would give a 4-year-old a timeout during a temper tantrum, and sometimes it's a good idea to prescribe yourself the same exercise.
''Take yourself out of the situation, sit somewhere quietly for a few minutes, and let it all go,'' Susanka says.
Loosen up: Being tied to a computer all day can be a physical detriment. If you work in an office, just getting up and walking around for five minutes can make you feel better.
Pilates instructor Brooke Siler, author of The Pilates Body, says when you feel tension in your neck, you should roll your shoulders forward and backward in complete circles to loosen the muscles.
Get your hands dirty: Sometimes following the rhythm of the natural world can help add order to our own.
Get back to basics, go back to the country. The Country Wisdom Almanac gives 373 tips on everything from felling a tree to rescuing a fallen baby bird to making your own dill pickles and corn-husk dolls. Easier for a lunch break: Take a minute to go outside and listen to the birds or study the clouds.
Run away: OK, so this one will take more than a couple of minutes, but if nothing above seems to work, maybe you need one big escape.
In her book, The Grown-Up's Guide to Running Away from Home, Rosanne Knorr talks about how to pack your bags and go live abroad.
She and her husband took off for France, where they lived in a village and enjoyed food and wine and learning a new language.
''After spending years raising our kids, we became the kids we wanted to be,'' she says. ''Escaping must be an adventure, or it's simply more of the same.''
Unplug your computer: Put down the newspaper. They'll still be there when you are ready to come back.
Wake up in the morning and here it comes: The daily onslaught of e-mail messages, Facebook updates, video-game adventures, IM chats, Netflix deliveries, text-message alerts, Flash ads, crying kids, barking dogs, nagging bosses, StairMaster workouts, YouTube clips and car horns.
Get the full article here.
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