GUS (Gave Up Smoking) is a community support diary for Kossacks in the midst of quitting smoking. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. If you are quitting or even just thinking of quitting, please join us! We kindly ask that politics be left out.
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I had no idea that this was such a special day until Pee-Wee Herman informed me on Facebook that it is National Relaxation Day. Did anyone else get that memo? Somehow this particular holiday was off my radar. I guess I'm too focused on those holidays I actually get to take off from work, and not all the really interesting ones. Truth be told, I'm usually too busy to celebrate these lesser holidays, even if the point of them is to remind us to relax, or to slow down, stop for a moment, and smell the roses.
And maybe that's the problem.
So much of our lives are dictated by pressures external and internal, and that impacts how we feel more than we realize. We're constantly challenged to keep on top of our own schedules, or to accommodate someone else's; almost invariably, those conflicting priorities eventually collide. We sweat the small stuff as much as we do the big, because sometimes its easier to just worry about everything rather than try to triage problems that seem to come flying out of nowhere and pile up faster than those candies on Lucy and Ethel's conveyor belt.
When we add the heightened state of stress that comes with making a significant life change or facing life-altering challenges (relationships, illness, career or financial woes), well, things kick into overdrive. It's hard to even see clearly what's really going on when we're in the thick of facing that challenge. Relaxation seems like the furthest thing from our minds.
But I'll bet if we took a few minutes to step back, take a breath, consider what we're up against, realize that churning along in a state of heightened anxiety isn't going to make things any better, and consciously take it down a notch or two, we might all feel a little better. Y'know, it's all right to step off the treadmill for a moment and and take a little time to relax and regroup. If we listen hard enough, we might even be able to hear that small internal voice that reminds us that it's okay to check out for a few or dial down the intensity, even if things seem perpetually stressful. It reminds us that we've got this, even if it doesn't feel like it in the moment.
Besides, Pee-Wee wouldn't steer us wrong, now would he?
Who's Your Little Buddy?
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