Spend time with people who make you laugh. When choosing which movie to see, choose comedies over tragedies. Read comic strips in your magazines.
Research shows that people who have family and friends to help them through stressful times stay healthier and recover faster than those who do not have social support system.
Slow down. Focus on the quality of your life instead of doing more and getting ahead.
Find a creative outlet. Draw or paint. Make a birthday card with pictures and letters cut out from magazines. Grow a garden. Write a poem or a letter - to someone else, or perhaps to yourself.
Tell you Story
I lived in Costa Rica for five years.
During those years I must say, even though Costa Rica appeared like a dream land to me and my partner Jack, it ended up being stressful and unfriendly place for us.
We both came to Costa Rica to create our Dream Projects.
Jack, who was a producer for CBC radio for over 25 years, said that he wanted to create something that would last more then an hour. That would be a book.
I wanted to create, and run a Center for Body and Soul Rejuvenation called “Not Just Another Hotel”
Ha!!!! It cost us all of the money invested in this project scummed away from us in a first year. And then to agonize for other four years, during which we fought for getting a justice system of Costa Rica to help us out. It was not going to happen.
To keep my sanity, I did many things. I created appearance projects, created lovely gardens. One of my projects was to write my Story named “I Never Met My Mother.”
If you want to know the truth about who really helped me to be disciplined in getting this story written? It was Fritz, my little three year old beautiful silver grey Schnauzer.
“How was that possible? The dog helps you out to write a book?” One may ask.
“Yes! Absolutely!”
Here is how.
My office was facing our huge fruit garden full of Passion fruit trees, Mango and Orange trees, Lemon trees, and so on. At the end we had a white wooden logged fence.
I would get up at five in the morning, as soon as the sun come out, make myself cup of coffee, pick an ashtray, (yes, I smocked,) and walk in Jack’s office where I’d have an access to his computer while Jack would sleep till eleven. He was the night person, and I was the morning person.
Fritz would be outside, chasing birds,
or visiting with one of his friends, our cat named Squeeze. Squeeze had a sister-cat named Release. She was not a friendly cat. In the contrary, she was a big show off cat. She was very athletic. She demonstrated her talents by getting up the tallest tree, while Squeeze would fall down by attempting to get up there.
Anyway, Squeeze ended up being adapted by Fritz who was simply put, a sweetheart. Many times, we thought that Squeeze thought that he was a dog, not a cat. Release couldn’t stand him for that.
Fritz and Squeeze ganged up against her, which was hurtful to watch.
Also Fritz had couple of young, not even a year old pappies, tall “Blondes” from a next house, who came running every morning, as soon as Fritz showed up outside.
They both would dance, jump and gallop around Fritz who was only little miniature Schnauzer.
He would just sit and watch them. It was really a fun scene. To me, it looked like they were doing everything to win his attention.
From time to time Fritz would look at the office window. And, as he looked at me, I felt like he was saying: “What you’re doing, looking, not writing?”
“Yes!” I thought to myself,” he is right, “I better go back to writing.” and I’d go back to it for a little while.
At around six or six thirty Fritz would turn around and walk away from those two, and come to my office, lay near my feet, and go back to sleep.
I’d go back to my writing.
At about nine, he would wake up, and leave the room, so would I.
This continued every morning for long, long time.
I owe to my little Fritz a lot. In fact I will thank him for helping me to write my book.
One day this book will be published.
Check: www.inevermetmymother.com