The Kitchen Table

Don't Stress Meowt!

By: Emily J. Degen

 

Don’t Stress Meowt!

Few of us on God’s green earth have witnessed or experienced trying times that began in the dreaded 2020. Two years later, I think most of us are at the point where we are tired and try to avoid any negative conversations, newscasts, social media comments and everything else that carries too much weight. Yet, it’s all around us, all the time.

What can you do to give yourself a break? How can we wind down and find a moment of mental clarity? Meditation is often overlooked by many. Most people might think it’s mumbo-jumbo guru stuff that forces you to try to empty your mind. Really, it’s more about deep-breathing, relaxing, and focusing on something specific or peaceful. In my opinion, I think it’s quite impossible for anyone to clear their mind, yet I find meditation very relaxing. If you have a quiet place available and are willing to give meditation a shot, you may find it surprisingly helpful and healing.

Who doesn’t like a massage? According to floridaacademy.edu the holistic remedy of massage therapy has been around for approximately 5,000 years! During a massage, toxins in your muscles are broken up, dissolved, and your body helps eliminate them from your system, says focusphysiotherapy.com. Massages also reduce cortisol, a stress hormone, while chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins (the ones that make you feel good!) are released into your system, per sageblossommassage.com. Is it just me, or do your shoulders suddenly feel tighter? Booking a massage is a wonderful treat you can give yourself and I encourage you to splurge!

More recently, I heard about “Sensory Deprivation” tanks, also called “Float Therapy” and “Isolation Tank”. These things sound awesome! I checked out floatdeep.com to get the scoop on what this euphoric experience is all about. According to their site, their float pools are about 2/3 water, and 1/3 Epsom salt. This creates some serious density and turns the body super buoyant, so you float without even trying! Their site also explains how the float pool water is kept at skin temperature and is isolated enough from sound and light that you get an incredible experience of mental relaxation and floating in mid-air. Customers on www.floatdeep.com express their amazing experiences from releasing not only stress and anxiety but healing chronic pain and improving their overall health. This sounds like something everyone should try and I’m sure an online search can locate one nearest you.

Whether it be a meditation attempt in your basement, a massage at your local spa, or a free float in what feels like space. . . I think it’s time we each give our own body, mind & soul a vacation day. . . cool our jet’s. . . and forget about this crazy world, even if it is just for an hour.

*Employees of LPI Loans and our affiliates are not attorneys and LPI Loans DOES NOT provide any legal advice and users of this web site should consult with their own attorney for legal advice.