Wednesday, February 13, 2008

BACK TO BASICS

It's impossible to escape... Whether it's gossip, cold-hard factual news, rumors, speculation or "expert analysis" (how one becomes an expert in the field of hilly-billy turned washed-up, drug-addicted model, turned heiress to over hundreds of millions completely eludes me) we all face the same distractions in today's bold, technologically advanced world: Outside Influence.
The sources are numerous and often contradictory - one "trusted expert" will tell you that you should cut down on carbs while another, with seemingly identical credentials- tells you should increase your carb intake. And as always, you are left confused and stuck in the middle. And that's just one subject, because before you've sorted things out in regards to the first issue, you have a couple more experts tossing their trusted-take-it-as-gospel-because-it's-being-delivered-to-you-by-a-trusted-multimillion dollar-corporate-source.
So who do you trust in this crazy world? How do you keep up?
Well, as confusing as things may seem today, the basics always remain the same. Love, honor and respect for yourself and those around you will continue to be the driving forces behind all things good whether it be via the internet or your personal network of technologically blunted friends. From neanderthal to new age, man has learned to adapt to innovation after innovation - surviving for the better each and every time.
Those basic principles are what keep us balanced. As crazy as we may think the world is at times, imagine how bad it would be without those elements in man that keep us civil. We protect one another from what could be a harsher reallity each and every day without a moment of conscious thought by allowing ourselves to influence others with and be influenced by, the simple things.
So in respect to that, the next time you're being pulled in a thousand different directions by experts, bloggers and the like, take a deep breath, a step back and allow yourself to get back to basics.
Peace,
HIGH 5!!!

Monday, February 11, 2008

Maintaining Balance....

Anyone that lives in a major city like New York or even in a surrounding metropolitan area travels on a train, bus or sits in traffic with a group of people that look exhausted. Maybe they are not completely unhappy, but they have that worn out-I-need-my Starbucks-now look on their faces (or perhaps they are already sipping their Starbucks.) You could be one of these people as well!

In a society where costs of living are rising every day, it is no surprise that people are working harder and more often to maintain a living. In New York City, there is also a group of super-achievers that work extra hours not simply because the job demands it but because they are working to get that career success they have always hoped for.

With all this extra work and stress we give to our bodies, where do we refuel this energy? Starbucks isn’t going to cut it! If anything the sugar and caffeine adds more stress to your body. The energy can only be restored in one way and that is through healthy sleep habits and developing other easy activities that simply make your mind and body feel better. In other words, it is achieved through BALANCE. One way to analyze the balance in your life is to write down how many hours a day you work, sleep, watch TV, read, etc. If the scale severely tips to more work than play and sleep, then in the long run you will be that zombie on the train every morning! Things can get worse for the zombies too like heart problems, adrenal depletion (Yes go Google adrenal glands and find out what they do! They help you actually deal with real stressful emergencies!) etc.

So how can one start this life of balance? This particular high five member’s first suggestion for the over-worked crowd is to pick a day and do….NOTHING. If you work all the time doing NOTHING is going to feel like work! However, it is the best way to master the art of “unwinding.” Wake up late on a Saturday and don’t shower. Actually, don’t even get out of your pajamas. Just do NOTHING. Read. Watch TV. Do nothing strenuous. If you have kids send them on a trip to grandma’s Friday night so you have no worries on saturday. Seriously do NOTHING.

After you have mastered “nothingness,” find ways to possibly leave work 30 minutes earlier. Find some time to pick up that hobby you used to love; perhaps, you can do it in the 30 minutes you saved from NOT working. If you can afford it, get someone to clean your house so you don’t have to clean on weekends or every now and then drop your laundry off to be cleaned. Find the extra minutes! It may take some time to achieve balance. Of course, there may be some weeks or months where things are off kilter. However, you will no longer be a Starbucks zombie, your health will improve, and so will your happiness. Make it a goal to achieve BALANCE!