One of my roles at Health by Choice is being a Stress Management Counselor and Coach. I often work with clients as to how they can explore what is happening in their lives and together we come up with various ideas and ways of creating more balance. All of us have stress in our lives from time to time, but managing the stress, in a healthy way, will provide the balance which is very much needed in order to stay well. Now that we will soon officially be entering the summer season, I encourage clients to remember to have fun and be outdoors, just like they may have been when they were a child. Exploring parks, going on a weekend adventure, taking a vacation to the beach, or learning a new hobby (like photography, or bird watching), can all be very beneficial to your mind-body health. Perhaps you enjoyed camping as a child, but haven’t done that for a while. Or perhaps you often wanted to rent a canoe or kayak to see what that would feel like going across a small lake and watching the beauty of nature as you glide across the water.
The more stress that we feel and/or experience in our lives, the greater the need for some balance by making an effort to have fun and enjoy some relaxation as a part of our week to week routine. If you only work, work, work all the time, you may find yourself at some point in your life later on saying, “I wish I would have taken the time to have more fun”.
I regularly go camping, hiking, fishing, swimming, and just love to explore parks. I am also an avid photographer, and I am currently enrolled in a photography class. My next adventure (at the end of this month) will be a camping trip down to the Shenandoah River for several days of camping, swimming, fishing, and tubing. Perhaps you may remember how in days gone by, people would take old truck inner tubes and hop on them and float down the river. Well, that’s what I will be doing. The Shenandoah River is breathtakingly beautiful and there is nothing more fun than tubing down the river for a nice long lovely ride. The fishing is great there also. I think there will be at least ten or twelve people going in our group. We are planning to have lots of fun.
So, what about you? What fun and relaxation do you have planned for the summer? How about a little getaway? Or perhaps you might go somewhere that you have wanted to go to for a while now. Don’t let the years go by without carving out the time to be like a child in your own life. Enjoy it while you can. Life goes by too fast to not have some fun and relaxation on a regular basis.
Have a wonderful summer everyone!!!!
Posted by Paula Himes, Mind Body/Wellness Consultant on June 20, 2012 at 11:15 AM under
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