Reader reaction to a recent column about heart health helped me realize that I left out important information that could improve your life.
I wrote about how February is American Heart Month and how modest lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise can make a big difference. I shared what I’ve learned in the nine years since my heart stopped for six minutes and I nearly died of a heart attack.
Some readers responded and mentioned how stress affects their health. They brought up a very important point that I overlooked. Managing stress is an essential part of good physical and mental health.
If you’re like me, you might look forward to some magical point in your life when stress will no longer be a concern. Maybe you think stress will disappear when your kids become adults or when you don’t have to worry so much about work.
One of the reasons I struggled to stop smoking a pack of cigarettes every day for nearly 40 years was that it was never a good time to quit smoking. There was also a source of stress, and smoking was my coping mechanism.
Hollywood made fun of this phenomenon in the 1980 comedy, “Airplane!” A stressed out character played by Lloyd Bridges feels overwhelmed by a crisis that threatens the lives of passengers aboard a jetliner.
“Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking,” he says. Later the character says it’s a bad time to quit drinking, sniffing glue and taking amphetamines. The point is, stress is a constant challenge for many people.
Driving during morning commutes used to create a lot of stress for me. No matter how much extra time I gave myself to get to work there always seemed to be frustrating levels of traffic and unforeseen delays. Eventually I changed jobs and no longer had to arrive at an office by a certain time every morning.
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Some people deal with stress by drinking too much alcohol or gorging on junk food. These are unhealthy coping mechanisms. They may help people get through stressful moments but can develop into bad habits over the long run.
It took me decades to learn that everyone always faces some adversity. The key, I’ve found, is viewing adversity as an opportunity to show how well you can overcome challenges.
For a long time I did not take good care of myself. I used stress as an excuse for my unhealthy habits. The heart attack helped me realize I had to change my ways.
In my experience, developing healthy coping mechanisms for handling stress led to a happier, more meaningful and rewarding life. Gradually I identified parts of my life that caused stress and worked to change them.
Age and experience helped me learn how to manage stress. It gets easier to handle stressful situations when you’ve previously dealt with similar circumstances. I learned how to stay calm and relaxed no matter how tense or afraid I might have felt.
In stressful situations, deep breaths can help you relax. I’ve found daily meditation can improve focus and help you feel refreshed. I’ve learned to avoid distractions by concentrating on problems and solving them one at a time.
I told readers my best advice for managing stress is to make time to play every day. Play, as in when you were a kid, whatever that means to you. If you’re athletic, that could mean shooting hoops with friends, golfing or playing another sport. If you’re artistic, maybe that means drawing or painting.
If you’re intellectual, play could mean solving puzzles or practicing a musical instrument. Personally, I’m not a fan of playing video games or doing other activities just to pass time. I like play that involves projects that allow you to show progress and improvement over time.
When I was a kid I used to love playing in a big pile of sand in our backyard. I’m often reminded of those days when I’m doing yard work as an adult. I’m happy digging, building structures and getting so lost in activities that I lose track of time and forget all the troubles in the world.
Sometimes when I’m doing yard work I’ll think of solutions to problems that have been nagging me. I think similar realizations might occur to other people when they go fishing or when they make crafts or pursue other hobbies.
Answers to problems are there, inside us, if we make time to tune out noise and distractions. That’s the value of play, I’ve found, and it’s a lesson some adults could benefit from learning again.
I hadn’t done any yard work since November until recent nice weather offered a chance to get out and tinker with a project or two. It’s still too soon to say the yard work season is underway, but it’s nice that the days are getting longer and the sun feels a little warmer.
During the winter I had fun playing guitar and listening to vinyl albums while exercising. I’m a journalist, so I’m poor and don’t have a big budget for entertainment. During a recent visit with a group of senior citizens in Homewood I joked that my hobbies include drinking ice water.
I used to make a lot more money doing other jobs but the stress nearly killed me. I realized you can’t take it with you. I discovered my limitations. Now I live a more healthy life by making time to relax and have fun every day in order to manage stress.
Ted Slowik is a columnist for the Daily Southtown.