Taking Time Out to Smell the Roses

It used to be that I was a workaholic. I'd have my days scheduled top to bottom with things to do. Sitting still used to make me anxious! I kept thinking about all the stuff I HAD to do. Yeah, I didn't think about what I wanted to do or what I enjoyed doing, but about what I HAD to do.

As you've probably guessed, I'm no longer a workaholic. I understand that I'm a human being and not a human doing. But it took me a while to rejoin the human beings.

When we're going through a lot of stress, like getting divorced, most of us tend to become human doings. We get caught up in everything we HAVE to do and forget to allow ourselves the much needed time to adjust to the HUGE changes we're going through. Sometimes, all the things we have to do become so large that we become almost paralyzed by them. We just don't do much of anything for a while. (This is when our bodies have taken over and essentially forced us to relax.) Think of it as a version of freeze in the fight, flight, or freeze response.

One of the things you can do to help yourself remain a human being and avoid becoming a human doing and the fight, flight or freeze response is to regularly take time out to smell the roses. Now you can literally go and smell roses or any other flowers you like as a way to take a break and reconnect with the rest of the human beings. But I suspect there just might be something else you'd like to do that is equally inexpensive that can help you reconnect with you.

Some things you might consider are:

• Going for a walk
• Taking a swim at the community pool
• Going for a picnic
• Taking a drive to the country side
• Hiking in the woods

You get the picture, there are plenty of things you can do that cost little to nothing and yet can be really rejuvenating. Just a simple change in scenery can often work wonders.

Your Functional Divorce Assignment:

What are some simple ways you can "smell the roses"? I find that the best time to think of these things is when you don't need them. If you find that you do need them right now, then just try one of the ones I listed above.

This article is sponsored by medical case study.