"Working Mothers Are Doubled Stress" was a common headline not more than 10 years ago. If you were a stay-at-home mom you weren't suppose to have the same stress load as another woman who was working. If you were retired you were described as having little or no stress. The assumption was your retirement funds and Social Security provided enough funding for the rest of your life. You had the luxury of playing golf and bridge for the rest of your days.
I'm convinced those stereotypic descriptives can be thrown out the window today.
What is important, especially if you're going to ruminate on matters about which you have little or no control, like the weather, is to be able to manage your stress.
Let's assume yours is chronic stress, the grinding kind that wears people away day after day. Chronic stress is very good at destroying our bodies, minds and our lives. It wreaks havoc just because it is always never-ending, when we see something as a miserable situation because it's never ending. The worst part of chronic stress is that we get use to it and take it as a fact of life because it is familiar.
I confess that I could easily fall into this category because I am definitely a type A personality and can gear myself up into some fearful stress. A few years ago I took note and realized that my recovery from stress wasn't as quick as it was 20 years ago.
Here is one of the things I do regularly to control my stress.
I use 15 to 20 minutes of my early morning time, when everyone else is sleeping, to sit quietly, breathe deeply, and thoughtfully put my worries in perspective.
This is when I tell myself I need to accept that which I can't change, like the weather, and I don't have to solve all of life's problems. Then I use the last five minutes to look for the good instead of the bad in situations. I know it sounds hokey but it works for me. Maybe it will work for you. Let me know.
To your successful aging.
Ruthan brodsky
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