Smell those roses

Aren't the flowers to the right pretty? Some say 'yes, so what' and some say 'who has got the time to analyze that'. Oh well, I just thought I would bring it up to you.

Lately I have been encountered with cases of friends and co-workers having heart problems. Last year in March my good friend’s dad was diagnosed with blockage and had undergone bypass to correct the problem. He recovered and is doing well now. I am very glad that the problem was caught before hand and corrected. Last month, one of our colleagues had a heart attack while she was in the hospital for another reason. She never had any health issues, she runs her own company, and she is on her toes all the time. The stress of owning a company and running around got to her, that lead to an attack. Luckily, she was at the doctors and was treated immediately. She is doing much better now. Yesterday, my associates’ friends’ nieces’ husband (sorry for the long chain that I had to explain) passed away in Dubai because of heart attack. Case in point, risk of heart problems have increased tremendously due to stress these days.

Following what I mentioned in my earlier blogs about stress and ways to reduce them, studies have shown that on-the-job naps might help your heart. Those little naps reduce the stress and can benefit your heart. As a defense mechanism, body lets out chemicals that put one to sleep when stressed. It is a type of ‘fight or flight’ that body uses to relieve itself of stress. A lot of cultures have the practice of daytime siesta, especially where I come from, India. In India, business owners will close their shops during lunch time or leave the shop to be taken care of by the assistant for lunch. Their lunch ritual will include having lunch and taking a nap for an hour or so, before they return to business. Those who cannot take these naps are those who are extremely driven or under stress due to work.

Many consider this act as laziness, thanks to the western culture. The world today is fast developing and everything is about speed, and about how much can be achieved in a day. You race to work everyday, fighting the dreaded traffic, work long hours to get things done and then again sit in traffic going back home, only to run errands and chores. This has become the routine in almost everyone’s lives. When was the last time, you spent sometime to admire your garden? When was the last time you took out your photo album from years ago to see and remember your good old days. Stress has become an integrated part of our lives that we don’t seem to do what we really care or want to do. We don’t know when that stress will be out there to get you, so when you pass by something that you really wish to do, just do it. Try to relax and when you see those pretty roses, take the time to admire them and smell the fragrance.