Spring is here, the flowers are blooming, excitement is building and we have more daylight hours to do more things.
Often it’s difficult for people to slow down and even more so when we have more daylight hours and there seems to be so many things to do.
The other day, a friend had a heart attack. This is a man who is fit, relatively healthy, an ideal weight…but a workaholic. He had never really been in the hospital, wouldn’t slow down, and felt that “no one else could do the things he had to do”. He wasn’t able to delegate or designate…it was as if the entire world depending upon him.
He felt this burden and we often discussed it. He felt depressed about the responsibility and pressure he felt, but he was “too busy” to even listen to a 3 minute audio relaxation I gave to him! He would get angry and almost belligerent when anyone he knew would express their concern and suggest that he was “working too hard”.
This heart attack stopped him in his tracks. It forced him to slow down. Our bodies speak to us and communicate all the time…in symptoms.
Here are 4 ways for a busy person to “slow down” instead of “springing ahead”:
1. Exercise. Okay, you’re busy and don’t have time to go the gym. You can walk your dog, park further away in the parking lot so you can walk more steps to your office, and take the stairs instead of the elevator.
2. Take a break at sunset (or sunrise if you are up early enough) and just look at the sky. The colors only last a few minutes so you won’t have to worry about being “too busy” to see it. Connect with nature somehow, someway, every day. Walk outside first thing when you wake up and look at the sky, breathe deeply and be grateful for being alive. Notice the flowers blooming in your neighborhood.
3. When you get in bed, turn off the TV (actually avoiding TV or computer screen light for an hour before bed is even better) and avoid checking voicemail and email on your phone while in bed. Wear an sleep mask (yes, men wear them too) to block out all light, and listen to a few minutes of a guided relaxation audio. Here are two very, very short choices for you.
4. Eat more frequently and eat protein at each meal. A bagel and coffee is not a breakfast to fuel your brain. Eating frequently will not cause you to gain weight IF you eat protein (preferable lean animal protein) throughout the day. You don’t have to eat giant meals…a few bites is fine. Your brain cannot function without fuel, and protein will keep you even and calm.
Enjoy these gorgeous days, heed your body’s signals and feel blessed to be alive.
P.S. By the way, my friend dodged a bullet and although he had three stents put in, he is doing just fine. Now I hope he can finally make some changes in his lifestyle.
Yours in health, healing and happiness,
Dr. Elena 😉
Dr. Elena Michaels is a naturopathic doctor, holistic psychotherapist and clinical hypnotherapist who has been helping people access their inner innate healing power for over 30 years. Having personally overcome many health challenges including advanced stage cancer, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (autoimmune disease) and cardiac issues, her passion is helping others regain their health and vitality and take control of their life.