Have a Peaceful Day!

BUÔNG CHO NHẸ Câu chuyện ngắn này diễn ra trong một giảng đường, đúng hơn là một hội trường lớn ở một trường đại học nổi tiếng. Chắc rằng nhiều Bạn đã đọc rồi, nhưng có hề chi nếu ta đọc lại trong đôi ba phút và sau đó rút ra một điều khiến ta nhẹ nhõm trong lòng? Một vị nữ giáo sư chuyên ngành Tâm lý học đang bước những bước chậm rãi trên một bục giảng trong một giảng đường sinh viên ngồi kín. Bấy giờ là giờ giảng về những nguyên tắc quản lý cảm xúc và kiểm soát căng thắng. Trên tay vị giáo sư có một ly nước. Chợt Bà dừng lại đối diện với các sinh viên, tay nâng cao ly nước ngang trước mặt. Gần hết sinh viên trong khán phòng đều mong chờ một câu hỏi quen thuộc kiểu như : “Vơi hết một nửa rồi” hay “Còn đầy tới một nửa". Nụ cười trên môi, Bà hỏi : “Các bạn có thể cho tôi biết ly nước tôi đang cầm nặng bao nhiêu không ?” Nhiều tiếng hô to các câu trả lời của nhiều sinh viên : Các con số từ 300 gram cho đến 600, 700 hay 800 gram. Giáo sư bấy giờ mới trả lời : “Theo tôi, trọng lượng t...

 Many people, immediately when they get home from work, change their clothes, walk the dog, putter in the garden, play with their children, meditate, exercise, talk quietly to their spouse: All of these are rituals. My father practiced a consistent ritual for shifting form work time to family time when he came home each night.  No matter the hour, after saying hello to my mother and the kids, he would take a shower.  I remember sitting at the table along with my mother and siblings, dinner prepared, waiting for him to come downstairs.  My mother would often be exasperated or furious at his lateness -- with us kids generally siding with her, eager to star eating -- yet nothing could make him abandon his personal ritual.  He was not truly home, he used to say, until he'd "washed off the day"; for that, he needed the shower. Looking back, I realize that if my mother and father had been aware of the role of ritual, and had communicated about it, she would have bee...

  Day 43 Give yourself the cushion of time.  We are over-schedule.  We work too hard.  This is not good!  Feeling perpetually pushed for time often leads to chronic stress (or, more accurately, distress).  Stress can have a terrible impact on heart health.  In addition to driving people to skip exercise, eat too much fast food or smoke, it can also cause elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, blood clotting and arterial inflammation.  Help yourself cope by expecting the unexpected; build that cushion into your day.   Instead of cramming your schedule, fill it to 80%, leaving 20% for traffic jams, family illness and other surprises.  And if there are no surprises, you can reward yourself with some time off!   Day 44   A high school teacher stood in front of his class of 35 seniors.  Before passing out the final exam, he said, "I know that since most of you are off to college next fall, grades are very important....

  It would be difficult to estimate just how much stress I have avoided, minimized, and prevented by my willingness to walk away from conflict.  I can assure you, however, that it's been an enormous factor that has contributed greatly to my own happiness and peace of mind. Many people think it's weak to walk away.  I disagree.  Anyone can fight, argue, bicker or battle.  That's easy, and most people do it.  It takes a strong and, I believe, wise person, however, to be willing to walk away.   I'm not only talking about walking away from physical confrontations, although that's part of it.  I'm talking about being able to walk away from arguments and conflicts that are likely to lead to stress, headache, agony, anxiety, or hassle .  I'm lucky that a vast majority of the people I work with, spend time with, or partner with in some capacity are ethical, wonderful people.  From time to time, however, I run across people who...

What Is Stress ?  Stress is the process of adjusting to or dealing with circumstances that disrupt , or threaten to disrupt a person’s physical or psychological functioning.   Here are two examples.   Marlene has spent ten hours of a sweltering August day on a crowded bus from Cleveland, Ohio, to Muncie, Indiana.   The air conditioner is not working, and she discovers that the person next to her has apparently not had a bath since the beginning of the decade.   By the time she reaches Muncie, Marlene is hot, dizzy, depressed, tired, and irritable.  Jack is waiting in a room full of other college seniors to interview for a job with a large accounting firm.   His grades are not outstanding, but he hopes to get by on his personality.   He feels that his parents and his fiancée expect him to land a high-prestige, high-paying position.   He is very nervous.   His mouth is dry, his stomach feels tight, his heart is pounding, and perspir...