cool down distances
I’m a believer in “cool down distances”. Nancy posted, “When hubby and I
get into it, I go for a walk. I need to get away from the emotion and
breathe deeply.” I know I’ve done that. A few times. Or more. I’ve got a
couple of ex’s who will testify to that. Although they may have considered
it avoiding the situation, that’s another issue and I’m sure it really
comes down to perspective. My memories of most of those past situations
included a cigarette. Get stressed…. go light up…. suck a couple of
drags down to my toes… feel calmed. And with that, I’d dealt with another
instance of emotion. Regardless, removing our selves from the immediate
center of stress is probably an intelligent move and a healthy survival
technique.
I find myself more frequently creating cool down distances between me and
‘out there’. I call it ‘taking a break’. I’m currently living in Toronto
Ontario. Toronto, as most large cities, can be a very noisy hectic place. I
find that if I don’t make time to find a quiet place, at least a place
where the pace is slower, I become very uncomfortable. My shoulders turn to
little knots, my neck gets sore, and this leads to headache. And while my
body is feeling like that, my mind seems to be racing around getting nowhere.
Many of us feel guilty about taking breaks. “If I’m not being productive,
if I’m not doing something….. I should be.” How often is this our
thinking and Why? Intellectually we know that we perform better and are
more productive when we take frequent short breaks. Consider that smoking
breaks for a smoker aren’t given a second thought. But if a nonsmoker takes
the same breaks, aren’t they seen as lazy? I don’t remember where I first
heard that, but I remember the dawning of awareness that smokers taking
breaks was acceptable because it was understood that without a smoke break,
a smoker became less than effective. How can you perform if you’re busy
having a nicotine ‘fit’ (detox)? I believe a ’smoke break’ is more than
just topping up a nicotine level. I think it’s about a change in mental
focus, a change in location, a change in physical ‘pace’. Aside from the
short term stimulation of a dose of nicotine, a smoke break included some
changes that really were beneficial for us. So when we quit, why should we
just carry on nonstop like some sort of machine? Take breaks. Think of them
as the way to get the most out of your time and energy. And if it gets you
away from a spouse whose head may spin around at any moment, all the better.
Steve