Look closely and you will see Eloise, up as high as she could get on the coyote fence this morning. If we were all like Eloise, we could nimbly climb to a high spot at will and just enjoy the view. But most of us aren’t quite so agile, or we have to do so much planning for a hike to the nearest hilltop that by the time we get there, we forgot what we came for.
I watched an interview yesterday of a 100-year-old heart surgeon who looks 70, still drives, and still assists in the operating arena. I can’t remember his name, but this man is obviously in excellent health, both mentally and physically. He of course addressed diet and exercise, but when he was asked about the role stress plays in aging, he could not say enough. But his bottom line was very simple:
“Don’t think about things you have no control over.”
I know for me, and I think for many others, this past year has not been an easy one, and I’ve had a really hard time lassoing my mind and keeping it where it feels comfortable. The stress has felt almost unbearable at times, and I know it’s not been good for my health.
I’m not sure why, but something about this wise man’s short and to-the-point edict really struck home.
Now, I wonder how long I can hold that idea and stay in balance. There are at least three ways I can think of right off the bat to help me keep a higher perspective and find my way back to center when stress threatens to overtake me:
- This is a new one, suggested by a friend in one of her recent posts:
Picture a STOP sign when you feel your thoughts veering off into those dark, stressful nether worlds. Have another topic that you really enjoy thinking about at the ready, and let the STOP sign remind you of it each time you see it.
- Picture your mind as a little puppy, and when you find it wandering off into dangerous territory, call it back: “Here, puppy, puppy, puppy!” Then start thinking real hard about that favorite topic.
- Now let that puppy meditate! Empty your mind completely and let that feeling of being a blank slate refresh and re-inspire you.
For me, I have several things I always love to think about: what is my plan for playing with my horses today; what color do I really want to paint the guest bathroom (I love home decorating); what new chapter can I think of for my next book (I love to write)… and so on. Identify your “happy thoughts list” and have it handy when you need to re-direct stressful thoughts.
As you can see, it’s not that I lack inspiration or happy things to focus on. It’s simply that it’s hard to always DO so, especially when I’m attached to or so enmeshed in obsessing about something stressful that I can’t see my way out.
So along with the tools above (if I can call them to mind when I need them), my new mantra on how to keep a higher perspective–one that I am going to plaster in sticky notes all around the house and car–is:
“Don’t think about things you have no control over.”
It’s really very simple. Right?
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