STRESS PREVENTION- Write it off...

Discovered an old article that appeared in Psychology Today, then showed up in Yahoo Stress Health Center, entitled: Writing Off Illness.

Discovered that there has been some research on the topic. researchers studied 112 subject that were suffering with arthritis or asthma, and discovered that all it took was writing 20 minutes a day for three days in a row each week, and in 40 minutes, 50% of the group had showed improvement with their disease.

Therapy, this might be one of the reasons that The Leisure Guy tries to write every day. Writing has been shown to relieve tension and boost immune function. They found that writing about stressful and difficult topics was more health giving than writing about neutral topic.

So here are some ideas that will keep you writing,a nd might alleviate some stress in your life:

Start blogging-an Internet web log for the uninitiated. Even if you never get many visitors, a blog is satisfying in itself. Putting thoughts into words.

Write poetry- something that works for me is writing a haiku poem. Seventeen total syllables that are bound to change your attitude. I think of them as an open ended crossword puzzle; saying the right things in few words, and a few syllables.

Keep a journal- not that you have lots of profound things to say, but just taking an opportunity to write your thoughts and hopes and dreams on paper (or into digital format) is a fulfilling act.

Write a newspaper or magazine story- Even if it never gets publish, taking the time to focus on a writing project is good for the mind.

I might be totally impractical, but writing is one of the things that keeps me focused. Fleshing out a solid outline makes for a strong mental challenge. Working on a book or article keeps me fresh and mentally fit.

What can you write today that will make you feel better? Don't put it off.

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HUMP DAY HUMOR AND NEWS

This really isn't that funny, but it is related to the whole concept of leisure and wellness, and how sometimes we take a good thing to the extreme. I personally love saunas and hot baths, and I live in the country for them. There is a hot spring or onsen everywhere I turn here in Japan (see the Onsen Guide for a better description).

I had a a good friend from Finland who swore by the Finnish Sauna and felt that it was his patriotic duty to visit a Finnish Sauna everywhere he went. He would have been pleased to note that my local spa (Kobe Spa and Sauna) set a Guinness World Record for having the most number of nationalities in a sauna at the same time (I think the record set was 36).

So this week in the news there is this article about the first annual German sauna competition in Berlin. Seems a guy stayed in 110 Celsius/230 Fahrenheit heat for 4 minutes 52 seconds to win the completion. A Finn holds the world record for almost 12 minutes under the same conditions.

I have read some about these competitions, and they treat it as a serious sport. There are postures that you cannot use in the sauna, there are rules about not wiping the sweat from your skin, there are judges that keep official time and oversee the rules. People go into training for these competitions. My old buddy would say, leave it to the Finns to turn a drunk man's past time into a sport.

So here are a couple of deep questions: I like a good sauna as well as the next guy, but I thought water boiled at 100 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit. At what temperature does blood boil? And I know that there are all kinds of benefits to the Finnish Sauna, but what are the benefits of being exposed to temperatures that can cook a three minute egg?

Consider this a real random article.

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BURNOUT- Warning signs?

There's plenty of information available about what constitutes burnout, the warning signs, the symptoms. There are not as many prescriptions for dealing with it. Over the next several weeks I plan to outline some of the warning signs of burnout, and try to counter each sign with something that could alleviate it.

Chronic fatigue - exhaustion, tiredness, a sense of being physically run down

Chronic means that it didn't happen overnight, so the cure will never be overnight. Physical exhaustion usually follows emotional exhaustion. You may recall from June 21, that Emotional Exhaustion is one of the three main components of burnout, and the first of the syndrome that leads to depersonalization followed by a decrease in personal accomplishment.

So how do you keep from getting exhausted physically and mentally? Here are several examples:

1) Get into regular sleep patterns. Healthy people generally get seven to eight hours of sleep each night. It is necessary for our health. Getting three one night and eleven the next is not the same as two seven hour nights. If you want to recover from stressful days at the office, be sure to schedule sleep into your schedule.

2) Do something physical to keep the mind from racing. The mind is usually the last thing to slow down at night. A tired body can usually assist in making the mind slow down. Make sure that you get exercise that will tire the body each day, so that your mind will have to focus on recovery rather than on the next day.

3) Take a short nap in the middle of the day. A little rest is often rejuvenating. Try a fifteen minute nap next time you are tired, see if it helps

4) Eat well. There is nothing that tires the body more than having poor nutrition. Notice how weak you get when you skip lunch. Notice how much better your day goes when you take the time to eat breakfast.

5) Keep the extra-curricular activities in check. What people find is that their jobs are sometimes easier to control than their social life. Saying no to the boss or a colleagues comes easier than saying no to your wife and children. I have a friend who keeps work hours low every week, but complaints about his family life and the demands of society.

He keeps looking, just hope he finds something.

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ROAD WARRIOR FEATURE

There are a few issues that continue to baffle international travelers and their families: the time, the currency, the food.

I know that it baffles my family in the USA who just refuse to call me in Japan because they never know what time it is here. It is a simple mathematical procedure, but it continues to slip past them. After the second or third phone call waking me at 5 AM and them apologizing that they thought it was 5 PM, they have just let me do the calling fro the past few years.

Here's the deal--there are currently 13 hours difference between Japan and the East Coast of the USA. If it is 8 PM in Japan, that means it is 7 PM on the same day in Atlanta. If it is 7 AM in Japan on Sunday, it is 6 PM on Saturday in New York. I think they might could teach this in 6th grade, but 6th graders would never know how to appreciate it. My internet savvy friends and family usually get sent a copy of The World Clock , it seems to help them.

Now the other thing that baffles travelers is currency. Common questions: How much is a dollar worth? Is that a good price? Even knowing the exchange rate does not help. The good price is relative. I remember being in Thailand, I had some shirts tailored for about $15 dollars each. That's a steal for tailored shirts. In Japan, that same shirt might cost me $70 dollars. In the USA, $40 dollars. But was it a good deal? Probably not. Went to the rack at a Thai department store, found a shirt of similar quality in my size for $9 dollars. Not sure who got the best deal, but I got six shirts for the price of four and a free Cola at the tailor. Calculate that. When I travel, I always consult currency calculators before I go: The Universal Currency Calculator and X-Rates are my favorites. Then i haggle with the vendors for the best possible price (and fight for that last 50 cents).

Then there is food. When I travel with my son, I leave it up to him to hunt down all of the American restaurants. he can spot a a golden arch from a kilometer away, at the smell of Burger King from two or three blocks, and he knows a Dunkin Donuts sign in 5 languages. He would be a helpful guide if your food tastes are not so adventuresome. I discovered that there is restaurant locator online for the USA that might be helpful to you: Restaurant Locator. I am still locating an international equivalent. Some chain restaurants have an international locator on their website, most do not. My son rents cheap and might be available for your next vacation.

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SUNDAY FEATURE

"Leisure" is only found one time in the entire Bible, but "rest" is found 645 times in 611 different verses. The largest percentage of those verses show up in the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament. (531 occurrences in 501 verses)

The Hebrew word frequently translated to rest is- dumiyah. It means to be in silence, to be still, to be in repose. It comes from the root word- damah which means- "to cease." Another Hebrew word that is consistently translated as rest is- chadal- which also means "to cease."

Examples:

Sunday is the end of the week for many of us, or the beginning of the week depending on your perspective. Whatever your perspective, I hope that you will take a moment to contemplate rest. Contemplate that rest is a sacred thing and something we should do to honor the holy within us, and outside us.

So...How will you choose to be still this Sunday? How will you cease for a moment and consider the sacred? How might you find rest for your soul?

These may be some of the most important questions you ask yourself this week.

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LEISURE AND RECREATION SATURDAY

I was inspired to write this morning by my favorite radio station.

Folk Alley.com

The announcer , Jim Bloom, broke through all that I was doing and I heard him ask if we had everything planned out for the weekend. Did we have everything in a nice, tight schedule so that we would be comfortable. Then he played a song by a Canadian band called The Bills. The song is entitled: Nowhere to Be (And All Day to Get There) MP3 SAMPLE. (available from iTunes Music Store on the "Let Em Run" Album)

Ever need one of those days? Feel like those kinds of days have completely slipped by you?

Sometime all it takes is a song, a poem or a picture to jog your memory of one of those lazy days that you need.

Saturday suggestions:

The Leisure Guy says: "Don't work too hard! (It's Saturday for goodness sake)."

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TRAVEL TIPS

My summer leave is coming up soon and I continue to learn the tricks of the trade. I have been flying to the USA from Japan on the average of twice per year for the past 4 years. I usually spend two to three weeks traveling across the South, and then hopping on a plane back to Japan. Here are a couple of things that I have learned:

Rental Car deals are not equal- I used to rent frequently from my favorite companies, especially if they gave frequent flyer mileage. But I have reconsidered after making reservations this year. I had reserved a vehicle for two weeks from my regular company, thought it was a pretty good deal, and then ran across Rental Cars.com and compared all of the prices at the same location, and found that another reliable competitor helped me save 45% on the cost. That was significant, and I will be sure to check it out in the future.

Free upgrade to minivan- the last few times I rented I was offered a free upgrade to a minivan from the full size car. Wasn't really pleased, but I was not traveling that far so gas money was not an issue. My kid loves the extras like the DVD player and all kinds of room to sleep. What difference does it make? Based on my calculations, the minivan could cost $30-40 more per 1000 miles than a full size vehicle based on $2 dollars per gallon gas. I always ask the car folks to give me the last day free to make up for the gas price difference. Most of the time they are willing to deal.

Flying in the USA- I use my travel agent to check out the best deals possible. Anymore, we get a round trip ticket from Japan to USA at a super saver fare, and then do all travel in the USA on separate tickets. There are one-way, one-time fares being offered that are incredible if you hit the timing right. I have seen advertised fares Atlanta-Tampa for $49 one way...Atlanta-New York round-trip for $99 and Atlanta-Los Angeles round trip for $199. Those same fares tacked on to my overseas ticket are usually double or triple the cost.

Phone calls- based on my current cell phone package from Japan, people from Japan will be able to call my number, and they will get me in USA. It will cost them about $1 per minute, but me nothing. Might be handy in an emergency. I can call USA numbers for $1 per minute and Japan numbers for about $2 per minute with the same cell phone. The best deal is my international calling card from a payphone which is usually 20 cents per minute. Get 100 minutes on a calling card from a discount store for $10 bucks for calls in the USA. Even better, using my computer on a broad band connection I can call for 2 cents per minute using Skype.

Food- one of the things that we are always amazed about when we return to the USA is the relatively cheap cost of food, and the quantity served. A typical serving at TGIF's is about 3 times what we would get in Japan. Of course, we would try and eat it all because that is our tendency. I try to eat half the serving, or i try to buy portions I can control from the grocery store. The last thing I need from home leave is an extra ten pounds to carry around.

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STRESS/STRESS PREVENTION FEATURE

Consider the benefits of taking a walk in the park...

I spent several hours today walking in the city arboretum. It truly was a breath of fresh air. I live in a city of 1.5 million people, in a region of over 12 million people, packed into a small area full of tall buildings and concrete.The city is wedged between mountains and the ocean, so when the summer arrives, the heat and humidity are almost unbearable. Unless you get out of the city.

Fortunately, it is less than a 30 minute drive from my house to the top of the mountains, and the city arboretum is just a 45 minute drive in traffic. In less than a hour, I can go from the oppressive heat of my neighborhood, to a a cooler mountain oasis. Except for the constant flow of photographers on the main paths, you would not imagine that just a mile away as the crow flies is one of Japan's most bustling cities.

So what are the benefits of a walk in the park?

Read OXYGEN!- The Breath of Life (but disregard the veiled attempt at selling you a trip to an "oxygen bar")

Summary:

We can't live but a few minutes without oxygen-period. Oxygen reduces toxins in the body. Fresh oxygen must replaced that which has been fighting toxins to maintain health. Pollutants in the air are a problem in cities and compound the problem of getting fresh oxygen to the body.

You can take a trip to an oxygen bar as many on the WWW would suggest, or you can try the age old alternative: take a walk in the park.

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HUMP DAY

It is the middle of the week and you are on that last raw nerve. Found a site with some humor about stress on it: The Canonical List of Business Humor

It's the kind of stuff that gets passed around from office to office, but then again, it never made it to my office until I found the whole site...

(This is probably true and sad)
From Harper's Index:
Average number of days each year that an American is in a bad mood: 110.
Percentage of Americans who are in a good mood every day: 2.

* * *

Score 0 if the statement is never true, 1 if it is rarely true, 2 if it is
sometimes true, and 3 if it is always true.

1. _ Conversations often begin with "Put the gun down, and then we can talk".
2. _ The school principal has your number on speed-dial.
3. _ The cat is on Valium.
4. _ People have trouble understanding your kids because they learned to speak
through clenched teeth.
5. _ You are trying to get your four-year-old to switch to decaf.
6. _ The number of jobs held down by family members exceeds the number of people
in the family.
7. _ No one has _time_ to wait for microwave TV dinners.
8. _ "Family meetings" are often mediated by law enforcement officials.
9. _ You have to check your kid's Day-Timer to see if he can take out the trash.
10. _ Maxwell House gives you industrial rates.

Scoring:

30 - a perfect score. Welcome to the neighborhood!

20-29 - You are doing reasonably well, but still have too little going on in
your life. Crank it up.

10-19 - You have mastered some of the aspects of the stress-filled life, but
still have a long way to go. Have you considered a parallel career path?

0-9 - Enjoying all that extra time? What do you do anyway?

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BURNOUT- What is it?

Burnout is defined in the research literature (see Christina Maslach as the definitive source of research on burnout) as a syndrome having three distinct syptoms or components: Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonaliszation and the decrease in a sense of Personal Accomplishment.

Emotional Exhaustion is possibly the easiest to recognize symptom. It can manifest itself in being physically tired, emotionally spent and other signs of anxiety. Depersonalization occurs when a person begins seeing those he is serving or working with as objects or parties that he/she is not personally involved with. When a person is experiencing burnout they unrealistically see themselves as being valueless and their Personal Accomplishment as being low.

Here is a quick page about burnout from Winona University: Burnout

Also, Veninga and Spradley's Stages of Burnout

Stage 1
Honeymoon -- marked by high job satisfaction, commitment, energy, and creativity, the key issue is what patterns of coping strategies you begin to develop when facing the inevitable stresses of the job. In theory, if the patterns of coping are positive, adaptive, then you will remain in the honeymoon stage indefinitely. But few persons do.

Stage 2
Balancing Act -- as opposed to the unbridled optimism and positiveness of Stage 1, you now are clearly aware that some days are better than others regarding how well you are handling the stress on the job. An awareness of a noticeable increase in the following is indicative of Stage 2:
2.1 job dissatisfaction
2.2 work inefficiency, including avoiding making necessary decisions, "losing" stuff at work (even on your desk!), etc.
2.3 fatigue (a general fatigue, often accompanied by deep muscle fatigue)
2.4 sleep disturbances (often that you are so "busy" in your head that you can't get to sleep)
2.5 escapist activities of choice (including eating, drinking, smoking, zoning out in front of the TV, etc.)

Stage 3
Chronic Symptoms -- marked by an intensification of some of the same indicators cited in Stage 2, including
3.1 chronic exhaustion
3.2 physical illness (remember that stress is a risk factor in many diseases)
3.3 anger, depression

Stage 4
Crisis -- the symptoms become critical
4.1 physical symptoms intensify and/or increase in number
4.2 obsessing about work frustrations
4.3 pessimism and self-doubt dominate thinking
4.4 you develop an "escapist mentality" --

Stage 5
Enmeshment -- The symtoms of burnout are so embedded in your life that you are more likely to be labeled as having some significant physical or emotional problem than you are to becalled a burnout case.

Here are a couple of questions to ask of anyone in the job world:

Has the honeymoon ended in your work? Has your satisfaction level and your sense of purpose still fulfilled in your workplace? Do you feel rested or tired at the beginning of your work week? Have you moved on to something negative in your life? Something destructive?

If you se yourself in any of these stages (especially 4 or 5), what are you doing about it?

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ROAD WARRIOR FEATURE

Got to Biz Trip (The Art and Science of Leisure Travel). There are some interesting articles, advice and tips there. Probably the most helpful page is a list of online resources for the business traveler. Links to airlines, rental cars, hotels, credit card companies, all in one place.

This might be one of those resources to bookmark and keep handy for your next round of business travel.

One of the tips found on the website has to do with international travel:

" Always carry a copy of your passport and two extra passport pictures in a separate place than your passport. These will be invaluable if your passport is lost or stolen. We also suggest you get two copies of your birth certificate and carry one of them on your trip, too. That way, if your passport is lost or stolen and you have to apply for a new one at the embassy, you can go ahead and get another ten year passport. If you don't have it with you, then you will only be issued a temporary passport which you will have to renew as soon as you get back to the US."

Of course most of my travel is international, and of course I never follow these directive (though I always keep a photocopy of my picture page of my passport in two different places).

Here is a fact:

Since 9/11, it is getting more and more difficult to receive services that American Citizens have been granted by embassies and consulates across the world than ever before. The time was when a temporary passport could be issued in a matter of hours in the case of an emergency in many places. Now it is takes days, even weeks.

A friend had a near miss recently when his bag with all of his travel materials was stolen, then it turned up just before he began the process of getting a temporary passport ordered. They were suggesting in the USA that he might have a week or more wait and to prepare for the eventuality. Because of strict rules placed on other countries by US Immigration, it is becoming very complicated in other countries as well.

Business traveler-be forewarned. Be prepared.

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SUNDAY FEATURE

At the heart of thinking about leisure in religious circles is the concept of SABBATH (Heb. shabbath, cessation, rest; Gr. Sabbaton; Lat. Sabbatum). SABBATH in the Jewish Law included elements of cessation and prescriptions for the use of the time leftover. Ceasing of labor and activities that would then give time for worship and prayer.

Saturday is the sabbath day on Jewish calendars, and the Christian faith adopted Sunday, the day of resurrection, as their sabbath. The traditional five-day work week and the Saturday/Sunday weekend is the result of cultural adaptation to the religious practices of its people.

Large portions of the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament deal with sabbath keeping. The Talmud and commentaries on Jewish Law are replete with interpretations of sabbath law. Throughout the Christian Scriptures/New Testament, there are stories of Jesus teaching on the sabbath, and his faith practices on the sabbath. Some of his most vocal critics were in disagreement with him on sabbath law.

For some in depth reading about sabbath, here are a few online resources:

More important than our knowledge of the sabbath, is our practicing sabbath in our lives. The basic principle for sabbath is found in Genesis 2:1-4--God created the heavens and the earth in six days, and on the seventh, rested.

If God, the creative power of the universe, can take a day to rest, so should God's people. It is a rather simple principle, we cannot keep creating things and engaging with the world without consistent rest. Even if you are not a religious person, the concept of sabbath makes sense.

Have you had your "sabbath" this week?

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SATURDAY SPORTS AND LEISURE

It is the weekend- you might have guessed that more sports and leisure pursuits happen on Saturday than any other day of the week. More golf is played on Saturday than any other day of the week across the world. There are more youth sports played on Saturday than any other day of the week. There are more sports watched on Saturday than any other day of the week (closely followed by Sunday). Saturday is a day full of leisure and recreation, and yet people are still finding less and less of it each week.

While studying leisure and recreation, one of the most often cited factors for improving satisfaction with leisure, attitude for leisure and increasing leisure behavior is (guess what?) participating in leisure and recreation pursuits.

Just thinking about leisure will not make you a person of leisure. Just having good feelings about leisure will not necessarily improve your leisure attitude. The actual participation in recreation will improve, satisfaction, attitude and future behavior.

Now, I know what you are thinking. That is just so obvious. Why would you need a study or survey to study that? I guess if people were good at participating in leisure and recreation, then there would never be the need for a study.

I ran across some historical articles online this week. Kurt Hahn, famous outdoor education and founder of Outward Bound, was concerned 45 years ago about where the world was going. He decried then what he saw as a spectator culture and wanted to be a force for change that would promote active leisure pursuits (read: Kurt Hahn Writings).

I find his writing inspirational, and encouraging, as well as challenging. He was one fob the first voices to speak out against spectatoritis that afflicts many of us.

So on this Saturday, resist the urge to watch something on TV. Go ahead and just do something. Anything active, physical, challenging. It will be good for you.