I want you to take a deep breath in…and out. There. I just helped you live a little bit longer. Human beings have a way of getting held up in the monotonous routine of life and then as what always seems to happen to Wile E. Coyote in the Road Runner cartoon; explode. Everybody has felt this way before, this manner of go-go-go, do-do-do, fast-fast-fast, that we never just stop and take time to smell the roses. Look on the bright side. We never take the seconds to think about the world around us, and relax.
Studies have shown that the effects of being over stressed are real, but the effects of being calm, relaxed, and optimistic exist too. While a person lost in the world of stressful jobs, difficult workloads, and on top of it all trying to have a social life, is constantly vulnerable to physical and mental problems that can be damaging to everyday life, a person who is relaxed and knows how to handle stress may solve their life problems just by simply being optimistic.
I am going to take a wild guess at what many of you may be thinking, “Well it’s not my fault I’m so stressed out! I have so much to do all the time! I have professors to kiss up to, company to entertain, people to please, papers to write, parents to deal with-” this list would never end. I get it. College is probably the hardest time of life for everybody going through it. But I’m not joking when I tell you that you literally may fall victim to popping an eye vessel if you continue to stress yourself out. Yes, this happened to my friend in high school. She stressed herself out to the point of popping an eye vessel and having yet another problem to worry about.
In a study published in 2007 by Jerry Lopper it was shown that by just being happy, people have a 50% chance at living longer. It also proved that these people had a better chance at enduring pain.
I am going to let you in on the down low of the social problems encountered when being sad and over-scheduling your lives; to bluntly say it, optimists have much better relationships with family and friends. In a study of 222 college students at the University of Illinois, there were 10% who were measured “happiest.” This 10% was different from the rest of the students because they had a full and rich social life. Their friends also rated them highest on “good relationships” as well.
This world argues that the only way to succeed in life is to not only be the most hard-working person on the planet, but to do everything you’re doing perfectly. I don’t personally believe that being sad, paranoid, alone, and thinking up imaginary friends is the most successful way to live but hey— I guess we’re all different, right? I’m not saying that being ambitious is bad, because the truth of the matter is that if people weren’t hard working, then most of us probably wouldn’t be here today. And if we were, we wouldn’t have cars, planes, toilets, the list could go on and on. But the world is mistaken with the fact that when we get too worked up and frustrated with not doing everything perfectly, people won’t be content with their lives. People need to understand that you must be industrious, but that it’s also just as important to relax every now and then.
Maya Angelou wrote an eloquent poem illustrating the idea that taking the time to relax could potentially solve life’s pressures. In the poem, A Day Away, Angelou encourages people to take a day away from this big fiasco we’re all living in to become peaceful and at ease. We all should strive to take a day away for ourselves every now and then to think about anything besides the stress-creating monsters around us.
The next time you’re full of negative emotions, go on a walk and really breathe in everything you see. You truly can find joy and peace in any wild situation. Humans have the hardest time getting lost in this messy world of mishap and craziness that they don’t take the time to appreciate what they have. Thanksgiving day this year was a subtly remarkable day in my life. Before I fell asleep after pigging out, I took the time to write down and expand upon all that I have gratitude for. I cannot express the amount of joy I have felt since writing that list. I continue to refer to it when my mood begins to dampen; there is power in taking the time to ponder on the good in your life.
The facts are thoroughly supported. A study of 272 workers over 18 months showed that the happier people got better job evaluations and higher pay. In the 1990’s, there was a study of 141 senior class photographs from about 30 years before. The study examined the smile, picking out the genuine ones compared to the forced ones. They found that the students with genuine smiles were more likely to be married, stay married, and to experience more personal well being. You can all see where this is going. If everybody did this once in a while— and by “this” I mean look for the good in life— it would have a major impact on the world. The domino effect of happiness would create a colorful life. When people are happier, they are bound to want to strive and better themselves because they want to share their happiness.
I believe that while we are here to experience all kinds of emotions and as Meredeth Grey said, “Not everybody has to be happy all the time. That’s not mental health. That’s crap,” taking time aside to stop and smell the roses (sometimes literally because side-note: flowers cause an immediate effect of endorphins just by looking at or smelling them) can solve many of life’s problems.
When you begin to get worked up, what is the cliché advice most people give you? To take a few deep breaths. Your heart rate has been going up and a clearer head and calm state is just a few deep breaths away.
I am about to ask you to do something really cheesy. The next time you go outside look up at the clouds. Think about what could be beyond the sky as your eyes progress to the trees dancing in the cool wind, their bright leaves spinning about. Feel that warm breeze leave your skin with goose bumps as it lazes by. Stare up into the sunlight—not too long because that can really damage your eyes, but really enjoy the beautiful heat of the sun’s rays. Notice the small ladybug crawling at your feet. Ponder about life as you pick up a delicate flower, tracing your fingers along its soft petals and playing “he loves me, he loves me not.” Maybe think about how the snow makes the world look like a pure snow globe instead of leaving you grumpy.
The fact of the matter is, the more you get caught up in an over booked life, the harder it is for you to untangle yourself from the stress of life itself. You need to just stop, and breathe. Stop, and eat a candy bar. Stop, and smell the roses.