Twenty-one: Reasons to Live

          What’s the meaning of life?  Why are we here?  There can be a lot of different answers to that.  Here’s mine.  I’ve got four.

          The first is to love.  When you move forth with love, it brings out the best in you.  This is easier than it is hard, though it does include forgiveness, which takes strength.

          The second is to do some good.  This supersedes making money, though there’s nothing wrong with that.  The idea is to combine the two.

          The third is to achieve perfect irony.  This one is a bit harder to explain, but if you think of irony as a bit of contradiction, a bit of coincidence, with a twist, then you realize that it’s noticing and embracing when life goes a little wrong, and seeing the funny side of it.  Giving the little difficulties of life a wash of humor makes them that much easier to bear, and to overcome.

           And finally, number four is to gather as much information as you can.  About anything.  We’re talking brain candy.  Learn things, all sorts of unrelated, interesting things.  You never know when you’ll use it.  But you don’t have to.  When you hear some unusual tidbit, go find out more.  This is how to be truly rich. 

          When you think of some reasons, please let me know.   It goes with number four.

                                      As you think, so it shall be.

                                                  Happiness.

Twenty: Daily Relaxers

          No time for yoga?  Best friend unavailable for a chance to vent?  Too active to sit and meditate?  Quotidian practices, however small, serve to alleviate extra daily stress.

          The little things add up, such as a good night’s sleep.   Adequate rest keeps us going and able to face the challenges of the day.  The Egyptians and Romans ate lettuce to promote sleep.   Lactucarium in lettuce promotes relaxation.  But since lettuce is not a common bedtime snack, consider boosting melatonin levels during the day, a hormone created by the pineal gland that regulates circadian rhythms.   Make sure you get enough B vitamins, and soak up some sunlight.   

          Another of nature’s subtle tranquilizers is magnesium.   Mid-night waking is the perfect setting for dark thoughts.   Magnesium gets depleted when we are very stressed, eat too many sugary foods, and imbibe too much alcohol.  Broiled tuna and halibut, artichokes, bananas, and dried figs, brown rice, barley, oats, and buckwheat, prune juice, dairy foods, nuts, cooked spinach, pumpkin seeds, and tomato paste provide a good dose.  Roll over and go back to sleep.

          The stress from a tough day can be easier to bear with a drink – of hot or cold chamomile tea.  The calming effects from this old remedy should not be underestimated, especially for those who suffer chronic anxiety.  The amino acid glycine in chamomile acts as a low level muscle and nerve relaxant.  The synergistic outcome is a result of the mind-body connection.  If the body is calmed, the mind follows suit, and of course the reverse is also true. 

          The power of a hug is medicinal.  Cortisol levels are lowered, and blood pressure goes down.  When huggers hold on for at least twenty seconds, and full relaxation occurs, the benefit is obvious.  Touch communicates with the cerebellum to trigger positive emotion.  Virginia Satir, family therapist stated, “We need four hugs a day for survival.  We need eight hugs a day for maintenance.  We need twelve hugs a day for growth.”  True or not, her belief in a hug’s potency makes you think.  In the absence of a co-hugger, hug a pet, a pillow, yourself when wrapped in a shawl. 

          Humming boosts mood, and is easier to get away with than, “whistling a happy tune” in public.  When we hum, nitric oxide levels are raised in the blood.  Nitric oxide has stress-reducing properties.  Focusing on a tune distracts your worried thoughts, too.  Humming is similar to purring.  It soothes.  Perhaps it’s catching.  Keep it soft.  Give it a try.

          The more we take small measures to help ourselves, the better we can attend to each other. 

                                               As we think, so it shall be.

                                                       Happiness!