Gone Fishin'Notes From the Desk of
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It seems like decades since this was a good excuse for not working.
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What about you? When was the last time you let yourself let go? When was the last time you took an afternoon off and "went fishing"?
Clearly it doesn't need to be fishing. It might be to visit an old friend, take in a round of golf, get your hair done, or just take a walk on a beautiful day.
Oh, I know what you’re thinking! The Neighborhood Shrink just doesn't get it! You are saying, "Taking an afternoon off would be impossible. My company doesn't allow that"!
But, I do get it. I get to see the deleterious effects that stress has on the people who come to my office. I get to see how many people make themselves “crazy” by clinging to a job they really have no control over. Many an afternoon my couch is occupied by someone who fails to initiate counterbalancing their life. But you can prove this to yourself. Do research on the effects of stress on people and then check yourself.
The Department of Health and Human Services Center for Disease Control and Prevention1 printed its latest study in 2008 on health in the United States (your tax dollars at work). Part of this report summarizes the leading causes of death in this country. In summary, between the ages of 25 to 64, 8 of the top 10 causes of death can be stress related. Cancer, heart disease, homicide, suicide, liver disease, cerebral vascular disease (stroke), diabetes, and infectious illnesses, including pneumonia and influenza, are at the top of the list. While this report does not directly link stress with these causes of death, volumes of research indicate that stress causes a reduction in our ability to fight disease, a reduction in our attention to our own health, and an increase in our willingness to take our own lives or someone else’s.
You have probably heard all of this before. Here are some of the symptoms of being stressed out: low energy, insomnia, irritability, memory loss, frequent illness, low productivity, appetite change, poor time management, relationship disturbance, and an increase in substance abuse (drugs, alcohol, nicotine). Mental health issues include depression, anxiety, psychosomatic illness (stress headaches and more), and an overall increase in the intensity of preexisting mental health conditions. The list goes on. The point of this Note from the Desk of the Neighborhood Shrink is not about the causes of stress, but to have you realize your responsibility to yourself to manage it.
Go fishing! Take the afternoon off. As a matter-of-fact, take the rest of the week off. If it is not possible to do it today, plan it for a month from now. Think of what it will be like with the sun on your face, the bait on your hook, and the anticipation of catching the big one. See yourself breathing fresh air, feeling good after a manicure, or with a story to tell tomorrow about what a great afternoon it was. But, let go! The world won’t end, the company won’t fold, your family won’t leave, and your brain may get refreshed. Go fishing…
1National Center for Health Statistics Health, United States, 2008 http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus08.pdf#68
Eugene D. “Chip” Weiner
The Neighborhood Shrink
www.neighborhoodshrink.com
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Disclaimer from behappy101.com: The thoughts and opinions expressed by The Neighborhood Shrink (Eugene D. "Chip" Weiner) are not necessarily those of Jimmy DeMesa, M.D., or BeHappy101.com. Jimmy edits these "notes" only for wording and grammar and, therefore, BeHappy101.com is not responsible for the content in these thoughts.
