This routine created an unhealthy balance in my life. I worked and worked and worked. And then just stopped. Sleep and repeat. Day after day. I didn’t make time for any play. Nothing fun. No hobbies. No unscheduled shenanigans. I may have felt like I was getting enough rest because I was getting a good amount of sleep, but I was still very much off balance. 

Over the long haul, LOLing has even more benefits! It has the power to boost your immune system, help you feel more connected, and improve your mood (Mayo Clinic, 2021). There’s a yiddish proverb that says, “What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.” Nothing wipes the slate clean or gives us that feeling of a fresh start like a good, strong laugh.

With her desk in mind, I pondered organization. I tended to clean sporadically, but the mess returned within hours. Could a person really truly keep their space tidy, day in and day out? The more I toyed with that idea and tried it now and then, the more I became convinced: A clean area inspires creativity, instills confidence, and improves quality of work.

Go play! We all need to hear and heed those words on a regular basis, no matter what our age. As we get older, play doesn’t come as naturally as it did when we were kids, but if you’re trying to add more play into your life, I love the idea of looking back to childhood to rediscover and reintroduce favorite forms of play from years gone by.

Basically, it can be used to treat all levels of stress: serious recent trauma, well-established stress patterns, unclear psychological issues, and proactive efforts to establish better health.

You don’t have to wait until you feel like you’re going to blow up. Just tap for a few minutes.

Nowadays, I love a good podcast. Some of the first podcasts I listened to had to do with the field I am in - genetics. Because genetics is rapidly changing, podcasts have been a way for me to stay up-to-date on what is new in the field without having to read tons of articles all the time. I also have really enjoyed true crime podcasts. I love shows like Bones, and so finding podcasts that dive into a murder case or serial killer story always interests me. Plus, I learn what situations I should not get myself into where I could get hurt.

Stopping and resting is not something she is accustomed to. Perhaps this is you. The minute you wake up, you start to feel the demands of the day, the to-do list looming, and the need to accomplish taking over your mind. Resting not only seems entirely impossible but unnatural. But I want to remind you of the same thing I remind my wife. Slowing down, relaxing, even just taking small moments throughout the day is critical. 

About 4 months later, we ran a half marathon. She had easily convinced me to join her in training. We’d found a training plan that didn’t look that bad, I had already been exercising so how hard could it be to add in running, and it gave us an excuse to spend more time together. I didn’t expect to fall in love with it, though. Who would want to run so much and so far? 

There are times when my heart begins beating fast, my mind starts racing, and I break out in a nervous sweat. It may seem that the cause of these symptoms would be from doing something challenging, such as taking a test or perhaps giving an important presentation. However, more often than not, these effects take place in my body shortly after scrolling through news articles online. 

One thing Sparky would do, that I hear is actually pretty uncommon for cats, is notice when I was upset. Whenever I was crying, he would leave his catnap spot and run over to me, rubbing against me, trying to get me to pet him. At the time, I was annoyed. “Really Sparky? I’m the one that’s upset, and you’re trying to get me to make you feel better?” Little did I know that petting your furry friend is actually a great way to cope with whatever is going on. Sparky was more intuitive and smart than I was at that moment.