Michael

Anger is a wind which blows out the lamp of the mind. – Robert G. Ingersoll

It was a really challenging week at work; lots of politics, multiple priorities, too many people working on the same thing and what I like to refer to as work silliness.

By Friday, I had actually lost my patience, my stress level was high and I was feeling anger and frustration. It takes me quite some time to get to this point as I usually am able to bleed off and transmute any kind of negative feelings. But this week, I was mostly unsuccessfully.

I remember an episode of Seinfeld where George’s father was learning to deal with his uncontrollable anger. His anger coach had told him to say out loud the phrase, Serenity Now. Except George’s father would scream the phrase instead of peaceful speaking it. I was feeling the same way.

As I had left early (mid-day) to fly to Philadelphia, I decided to take the extra time I had at the airport and reduce or eliminate my anger and frustration. I started walking from one end of the T.F. Green airport terminal to the other as fast as I could, pulling my computer bag behind me. 43 minutes later I was feeling much better. I felt more relaxed and the crazy week I had just endured seemed to melt away.

Sometimes I can’t work through an emotionally challenging time with my mind only. There are times that simple physical exertion is the only answer. In fact, it’s a real good reason to exercise regularly; for stress reduction, emotional well-being, mental clarity and not to mention all of the physical benefits.

Another lesson I always learn from these times is a refinement of what I truly desire. As anyone goes through difficult times the contrast (e.g. between what you don’t like and like) becomes very clear. I take a moment to always enforce what I do enjoy and not what I don’t enjoy. It’s a small shift in thinking but it has long term benefits.

Have a great day!

Michael

After a nice dinner of sushi, I went with my daughter and her boyfriend to a climbing gym. I had always wanted to climb a rock wall. I put on my harness and after a brief training session by both of them, we were ready.

My daughter is good and her boyfriend is really good. This sport requires strength, agility, intelligence, patience and trust. I have a least two of the five qualities. Well, maybe I have three.

I don’t have a fear of heights. But I definitely don’t like the idea of falling down from a high place as I don’t like the sound of bones breaking. It’s just not my cup of tea. But, enough of that.

One person is the climber and the other person is the belayer, i.e. the one who will stop you from falling if you miss a hold. This is where the trust part comes in. I watched both my daughter and boyfriend climb first. My turn came very quickly as Pat seemed to climb to the top in about a minute.

I took my time and followed the expert advice I was given and made it to the top on my first climb. Pat was guiding me by climbing right next to me. The wall was about 30 feet high and I have to say that the hardest part was letting go of the holds, sitting down in my harness and allowing the belayer (my daughter) lower me to the ground.

I did one more climb after that with only ground guidance this time. It was a little bit harder, but I made it to the top. I found this one to be a little scary because the wall jutted out a few inches. A few inches that high up seems amplified. A few deep breaths helped me work through it.

Another item checked off my list of things to do. It’s been a great trip so far. Each activity I do like this increases my self-image. It’s a great feeling.

Have a great day! Oh by the way, go climb a wall. It’s a lot of fun. I’ll be doing it again real soon.

Michael

I had my first yoga lesson today. This is part of my new effort to take more care of myself and manage my stress. I choose yoga because it is really good at connecting mind, body and spirit.

During today’s lesson I learned a lot about myself and had some interesting realizations. While doing two postures I had a strong feeling that I couldn’t really do them very well, because my muscles were so tight; hamstrings and upper back to be exact.

My instructor could tell what I was saying in my mind. She told me that we all have many lenses when evaluating what we can and cannot do. I’ve talked about this topic before but I liked her slightly different perspective.

She proceeded to tell me mine. I had preconceived ideas about how far I could stretch my hamstrings. She also told me that I was thinking if the exercise was hard to do on my right side than it will most certainly be hard on the left. These thoughts were preventing me from completely experiencing the yoga position and therefore getting the full benefit. She proceeded to show my how my ideas were incorrect. In fact I was able to do much more than I had anticipated by her bringing this to my attention.

We do the same thing in life. It really is important to be vigilant about keeping an open mind. Most of us have so many lenses to view the world and ourselves that they become habits. These habitual thought patterns become unconscious. So, it’s important to continue to look at how we view the world which will help remove our lenses and be more open.

Have a great day!

Michael

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk. – Raymond Inmon

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. – Paul Dudley White

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time. – Steven Wright

I had a very long day at work including traveling to Helsinki from Leipzig, Germany. By 8:30 p.m. I had enough and felt like getting outside for a walk and some fresh air.

Summer in Helsinki, Finland is quite nice. The days are very long in the summer and very short in the winter. It seems to me that people utilize every minute of sunlight during the summer and enjoy the outdoors. Many people ride bicycles, walk and run seemingly at all hours of the day and night.

I’m staying at the Hilton Strand, which is close to a number of sights, restaurants and parks. The Helsinki Cathedral is impressive and a short walk from the hotel. I recommend seeing this beautiful church.

I walked across a solid, arched, stone automobile bridge right by the hotel. The setting sun was lighting the water and the underside of the arch with golden light. It was a lovely sight. I could feel myself beginning to relax. I turned west and walked along the water watching the boats. I turned back east and followed the road around The Botanical Garden at Kaisaniemi where The Botanical Museum is located. It was closed, but I had previously walked around here. There are a myriad number of plants including a really nice palm house.

I turned back towards the hotel and witnessed a stunning sunset with some unusual C shaped clouds (turned on their sides). I was feeling better, my batteries were recharged and I was now ready for a good night’s sleep.

Michael

The hardest part about exercise is getting started. The Diet Blog offers 10 great ideas to help you get your exercise program in first gear. There are three that I use regularly as excuses to not begin.

Boredom is a primary reason for me not to exercise. I find it difficult to do certain exercises because of the tedious, repetitive nature of them; i.e. running, riding a stationary bike, etc. For others, these may be perfectly fine. So, I ride my bicycle outside generally. I also like to do exercises that make me think; for example martial arts, step aerobics, etc. In other words, anything that requires me to use my mind.

I also had the all or nothing attitude about exercise. This is a great idea from the Diet Blog; “Five minutes of walking is better than five minutes on the couch.” Any exercise is better than nothing. So, now I walk three times a week for 20 minutes at lunch. Even though it is only about a mile, I feel much better after.

The time of day is another big road block for starting exercise. I know that I usually cannot exercise in the morning. I’m just not ready for that. The late afternoon is better for me. Pick a time of day that works for you. If you force yourself to exercise at another time, it simply won’t last.

I’m slowly making exercise a part of my daily life. I’m working to create a positive habit by doing a little bit every day.

Have a great day!

Michael

I struggle with making regular exercise a part of my daily routine. I’m not sure exactly why. It’s probably a range of reasons from being too busy to it takes up too much time in my busy live. The Diet Blog lists some better good reasons why people don’t exercise.

But, the benefits of exercise are significant and well known. The Mayo Clinic lists seven benefits of exercise:

1. Strengthen your cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
2. Keep bones and muscles strong.
3. Manage your weight.
4. Prevent and manage diabetes.
5. Ease depression and manage pain and stress.
6. Reduce your risk of certain types of cancer.
7. Sleep better.

I’ve practiced regular exercise in the past and have always felt better. So, what I’m dealing with is making it a daily habit like brushing my teeth. Over the last few weeks, I’ve had my ups and downs making exercise a habit this year. My friend Nat has helped me just start slow. So, I began by doing simple push-ups and sit-ups every day. I started riding my bike again this week.

Last night I really fought doing any exercise at all. I didn’t get home until late. I was tired and hungry. You get the picture; lots of excuses. So, I forced myself to ride for 20 minutes. I’m glad I did as it felt like a breakthrough.

Tomorrow, I’ll talk about some ways to get back into exercise and make the practice a regular event in your life.

Michael

I felt the need to get out in nature today, so I went to Heritage Park off of Rt. 44 in Rhode Island. The area is richly wooded and has a couple of streams that run through. There are a couple of loop trails that are really nice.

The first thing I did was go to an area off the parking lot that doesn’t really have much more than a small footpath. I wanted some quiet time. As I sat on a log, my hearing became stronger as the only sound I could hear was the wind. There is something about the wind blowing through the trees that is very relaxing. It seems that the whole world was still except for the steady drone of the wind. I found this quite cathartic.

The more I sat there with my eyes closed the more I became aware of things around me. I noticed small sounds very clearly; a single leave blowing across the ground, a twig falling from a tree, the sound of water from a pond behind me.

This practice became a short meditation in the sense that I was not focusing on any one thing in particular but attempting to be aware of everything around me at the same time. It was strangely calming and quite grounding. After a short while, I got up and took a brisk walk around the outer loop trail. I felt much better after my forest therapy. A good walk in a park or nature area can be just what one needs to relax, recharge the batteries and re-connect with the important things in one’s life.

Have a great day.

Michael