Life can be an interesting ride. Even with all our positive and happy thoughts we can still manage to hit a few boulders as we navigate life’s river. When it gets right down to it, sometimes all we feel we can do is steer, hope and pray for the best.

And yet, that’s not really how I feel, even though my current life situation might dictate otherwise. Two weeks ago, my husband whom I adore, had a stroke, at our cabin which is an hour an a half from town. Fortunately I”m grace under pressure and know how to handle a crisis, due primarily to the multiple trips to the emergency with my children – all 15 major emergencies. (and yes I have two boys). With a stroke victim, you have three hours to get them to the hospital before things are irreversible; not knowing which part of the brain the stroke is occurring, the ability to introduce medications that can help mitigate the impact is extremely important. I also learned something new. If you realize a person is having a stroke there are two things you can do that can help. One is to use arnica at any level – 6c, 30c or 200c to help with inflammation, stress and  healing of the tissues. The other is strong coffee laced with alcohol, rather like an espresso Irish coffee. The combination of the two is supposed to help the blood vessels open and expand and have similar effects as the drugs you will receive in the hospital. Interesting info. To be honest I didn’t have any of that handy at the time. (Guess I need to travel with a packet of Starbucks instant coffee and a small bottle of bourbon; might be interesting if I were stopped by the police.) I realize most people won’t ever need to know this information, however with our populace ever growing older it’s good to know.

To me the bigger issue in this situation or any other major stressful consequence is how we deal with it and what we learn in the process. And the other vital piece is dealing with the stress itself, something we tend to ignore in the face of minute by minute decisions and the aftermath. Stress; to me is the biggest killer or attribute to major illness, period. It’s the mental and emotional stresses that take their toll on our physical bodies that contribute to early death and/or some form of dis-ease. I see it over and over again! Ironically, my husband would have told you he wasn’t stressed, even on the way to the hospital. Realizing what is, is the biggest challenge.

Our stresses are housed in various parts of our bodies, but the most likely on an immediate level, is in our adrenal glands, those happy guys that sit on top of our kidneys and take in all those nasty emotions, mental gyrations and physical gymnastics we deal with.  Recognizing the additional stresses depleting our energy is the first step for relief and change. The second is to do something about it.

Physically: allow yourself to sleep more, sleep in as much as your life will allow, if only on the weekends. Make sure you are eating enough proteins to keep your energy up and stable. Take extra vitamins for strength and rejuvenation: B’s, C, Siberian Ginseng, DHEA, Licorice to name a few. Take time to exercise, run up a mountain if you can.

Mentally: take time to breathe during the day. Relax, look outside a window, walk in the woods, read a funny book, watch a great movie. Meditate for clarity and freedom of thinking.  If  your career is the problem child find ways to circumnavigate the challenge and/or seek a new position.

Emotionally: allow yourself to cry, grieve,  laugh, or ponder as you recover from the impact of life’s circumstances.  Finding a good friend or family member to lean on is also extremely beneficial.

I realize this sounds simple, perhaps a bit trite, or you’ve heard it before; but guess what? It’s life. We all deal on a regular basis with stress in some form. Look at my honey, a stroke at 55 when he didn’t feel there was any stress. (I can see the future really well but I sure  didn’t see this one coming!!) Be honest with yourself and allow some freedom and fun in your daily, weekly routine. It will make a world of difference. And that ‘river’ will be easier to navigate, the huge obstacles more manageable and the still water a graceful interlude. Just remember to take in a rapid or two for the sheer joy of being alive.

Cosmic sunshine to you.