Feng Shui 101

July 24, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Feng Shui is defined as ‘an ancient Chinese practice believed to utilize the laws of both heaven (astronomy) and earth (geography) to help one improve life by receiving positive Qi.’ Qi (ch’i) refers to energy or initiative. Feng Shui is also considered an art form by many in the balance of placement of objects and their surroundings. This can include everything from the location where a building is developed and the direction of its main entrance, to the position of family members in a photo.

Feng Shui began in the Southwestern region of China during the Han Dynasty, some time between 200 B.C. and 200 A.D. Earliest records indicate that the original masters studied relationships between natural elements in the environment and how their Qi affected us. Feng Shui literally means “wind water”. The art has been practiced ever since its origination. Along with the western rage in adopting eastern lifestyles, Feng Shui has become more popular in recent years throughout the western culture.

It is believed that good Feng Shui may lower stress levels. The use of color in an environment, the positioning of furniture, and the placement of natural plants, can all have an affect mood, and therefore stress. Feng Shui is meant to clear negative energy and make room for positive energy.

Like most arts, it exists in the eyes of the beholder. Whether it works for you is your accord. Some people live by it, to an extent that may be considered fanatical or superstitious. For others, it’s the equivalent to reading a daily horoscope. But to whatever extent you take it, Feng Shui can make the daunting task of decorating and organizing far more interesting. There are so many aspects of Feng Shui, and you can easily find ways to integrate them into your home or office. It is a very simple art which begins with small changes, so don’t get stressed out. Relax and find your Qi.

Grand Canyon Escape

Each day, we wake up to the wrath of our alarm clocks, stumble around the house half asleep, attempt to use the coffee maker for something more than counter décor, then haul ass out the door to the car. On the way, we honk at other cars, narrowly avoiding a traffic incident, while gasping on highway fumes. When we arrive at the office, we make a beeline to our cubes at 9:06, hoping everyone will think we’ve been sitting there since 8:50, intensely emerged in our work. We reluctantly show up to meetings, deal with office politics, get yelled at by our boss, and then repeat the drive home. We eat a half-assed dinner and plunk down onto the couch where we stare at the television all night until we go cross-eyed. And for some folks, that’s a good day

If you’re stuck-like-Chuck in the monotony of daily city life, you may need to head out of town for a weekend retreat. This doesn’t have to be an expensive stay at an elaborate spa. It’s simple to utilize nature to unwind. The time has come when you need to escape society and live primitively for a couple of days. Find a fairly quiet location no more than a four-hour drive away. The less time you spend in the car, the better. Although, you also want to feel like you’ve left town, so a minimum of a half hour distance from home is probably best.

Your ideal location should be centered in a natural environment, and may offer activities such as a hiking trail, canoing, or bike riding. If they offer tent or cabin camping, even better. If not, stay close-by in a quiet inn. The objective is to get away from noise pollution, air pollution, and to surround yourself with everything that is the opposite of city life. This means forgetting about all modern electronic devices (unless in the case of an emergency, duh). Research some state parks and campgrounds to learn what is within driving distance.

Plan your trip carefully to assure you are prepared with basic necessities such as bug spray, sunscreen, band-aids, lighter/matches, comfortable clothes, nutritious food, and lots of water. This is self-pampering, and it’s fair to assume that no one will be there to supply these things as they would in a four-star hotel. Whatever level of ruggedness you want to take this to is entirely up to you. But you also don’t want to wind up like Christopher McCandless from the movie Into the Wild.

Once you’ve reached your destination, turn up your senses. See, smell, hear, touch, and taste. Don’t pet the wild bears or eat the poison berries, but engage and connect your body, mind, and soul with your surroundings.

Body Focus

Practice activities such as yoga, stretching, jogging, hiking, canoing, or swimming. While you do these things, pay attention to each of your senses. FEEL your surroundings. Bring awareness to what you are seeing, touching, hearing, smelling, and tasting.

Mind Focus

Read, write, draw, or paint about nature. Use your senses to describe your experiences, such as an incredible view, an observation of wildlife, the stars at night that you never get to see from the city, or the sound of the rain. Observe the trees and foliage that surround you. Find innovative ways to utilize nature in your experiences. An obvious example would be to find wood to build a fire and cook your dinner.

Soul Focus

Meditate, be still, and practice deep, slow breathing. Be aware of the clean air you breathe, as it fills your body and reaches your soul. Appreciate the simple acts that you must do for survival. Acknowledge the part that each of your senses plays, and its effects on your soul.

Be Sure to Avoid

Avoid the use of modern-day communication devices and electronic gadgets, such as: cell phones, computers, video games, digital cameras, tv’s, and the car. Even though you’ll probably need your car to reach your destination, spend as little time as possible driving around. Also avoid shopping, alcohol/drugs, or taking your kids along with you. Find a babysitter for the weekend! If you travel with another person, communicate to them the purpose of this retreat and what you want out of it. Let them know that this is vital for your health, and invite them to join you in your mission for a weekend retreat.

Conclusion

If you make the most out of your retreat, you could possibly return better rested than you would after a two week vacation. Just remember that this retreat is about escaping the monotony and bustle of city life, and let nature take hold of your body, mind, and soul.

For some possible locations, please visit http://www.reserveamerica.com/?topTabIndex=Home. Go to http://www.ecofloridamag.com/askeditor.htm for Florida-specific advice. For more inspiration, check out the movie Into the Wild.

Modern Serenity values your personal experiences. Please add your stories, thoughts, and additional suggestions to offer others considering a nature retreat.

Valerian Root capsules
Though it smells worse than dirty gym socks, Valerian Root is the number one natural drug aid for trouble with sleep problems. Just one 250mg capsule can help you doze off into slumber land, and usually will offer a better night’s rest.

The Facts

The importance of a good night of sleep is very undervalued in today’s hustle-bustle age of cramming too many activities into a short 24 hour schedule. Quality of work, driving ability, and personal relationships are often affected. According to the National Sleep Foundation:

-60% of adults report having sleep problems a few nights a week or more.
-29% of American respondents fell asleep or became very sleepy at work in the past month.
-20% have lost interest in sex because they are too sleepy.
-36% have fallen asleep or nodded off while driving in the past year. Fatigue contributes to more than 100,000 police-reported highway crashes, causing 71,000 injuries and 1,500 deaths each year in the United States alone.
(That is really freakin’ scary!)

Causes & Solutions

Many times, sleeping troubles are the result of a racing mind. So many events occurred throughout the day, and so many more will occur tomorrow, it becomes pretty difficult to silence the chatter in your head and bring it to a dead halt for 8 hours. That’s where Valerian Root steps in. Pop one or two of these stinky babies (down with some water), and you won’t need to count sheep. Within a half hour or less, you will suddenly notice yourself drifting very quickly into a sedated slumber. In minutes, you’ll be out like a light. No more useless thought-churning, brain storming, or dementia about killing your boss.
Thankfully, Valerian Root is very accessible and reasonably priced in U.S. pharmacies, found next to the vitamins. It should be mentioned to please consult your physician before use if taking anti-anxiety medications, anesthesia, or sedatives. Also, pregnant and breast-feeding women should avoid Valerian Root.

Know Thyself

I don’t know about you, but I cannot function properly when I don’t sleep for long enough. My whole body is sluggish, my mind isn’t clear, and my memory is shot. I also appear much less friendly, which can hinder a good impression. Those who know me, know I wake up after lunch, but I can’t always get away with that excuse. I take rest very seriously, and try to listen to my body when it’s had enough. Be sure to know how much your body needs to wake up feeling refreshed, with enough energy to get you through the day.

Roadrageous!

July 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment

RoadragousRoad rage plagues our city highway systems day and night. It causes accidents, provokes stress, and is downright upsetting to all parties involved. No one arrives to work unfrazzled after an uninsured illegal driver tails them for half a mile, then dodges around into the intersection to make a right turn, simply because the innocent driver had the “crazy notion” to stop at a red light (okay, I live in Miami, dubbed THE worst U.S. city for aggressive driving, 2 years in a row–somehow I have a feeling we will win in 2008 as well–go Miami)! Although nobody was hurt, that doesn’t make it acceptable. Someone could have been hurt, and the chances certainly became more probable, due to the increased levels of stress, confusion, and unpredictability of this a-hole’s driving. Point being, this is NOT safe driving! And yes, I blew my horn at him, because I admit, I have a little road rage in me too.

But before I get any more ticked about the countless road rage encounters I have fallen victim to (and attributed to, in my efforts to retaliate), I might offer some suggestions to keeping your cool on the roads! Since teleport commuting is still in beta mode, for now we will have to learn how to handle these driving devils in a safe way that will get us all to work on time - calm, cool, and collected.

Let’s first point out that a study by Dr. Leon James states that when asked about drivers’ habits, respondents suggested that about 85 percent of other drivers drove aggressively, while only 35 percent admitted that they themselves, drove aggressively. So it’s time to please own up to your own personal contributions toward aggression on the road.

To begin, let’s make the simple affirmation to avoid being the cause of these offending acts. Swear to yourself that you will avoid actions such as: tailgating, cutting off other cars, sudden accelerating and breaking, honking unnecessarily, honking more than two seconds to make a point, driving slow in the left lane, not using your signal to turn, yapping on your cell phone, cursing out other drivers, and further annoying nuances that will only piss people off. I know it’s easier said than done, but we have to start somewhere or we will get nowhere. Many of us are guilty of these things, even if we believe we deserve the Driver’s gold medal of the year award. Remember, we are ALL trying to get somewhere on time, so please be patient and considerate, and we can all at least get there alive.

Next, remember what they teach in traffic school about defensive driving. This means being prepared to react to potential situations before they happen. Always keep enough space around you to allow time to react. This is an important rule to live by so to avoid offending actions that might tick off a madman.

Now, I realize that road rage qualifies as irrational behavior, and in some cases, you might be going along with your daily business, yet someone still wants to shoot off a mouthful of obscenities at you. Or perhaps you are crucified for an honest unavoidable mistake. Well, the best thing you can do to protect yourself is DON’T fight back. That’s right. No matter how furious you might feel at your attacker, BACK DOWN! Take a deep breath, attempt to feel an ounce of compassion for the nut job who probably leads a very sad life, and keep your cool. Kill the rager with kindness. Secretly laugh to yourself inside your head that this person is so mental, they’ve completely lost all sense of common decency and human respect.

If you fight back, you run the risk of being physically hurt, or your car damaged. If this happens, or you anticipate this may happen, do not hesitate to put your cell to good use and call for police backup. When you both go your separate ways, neither of you will be in the mindset to drive rationally, and you could further place other’s lives in jeopardy, including your own life (again). The road is NOT THE PLACE to teach people lessons. Your life and other’s are in your hands every time you get behind the wheel. I’m not sure we’ve all taken the time to think about what it would be like to live with the responsibility of having caused another person’s death. We are fragile beings, and we are not invincible. Sometimes we all need to be reminded of this.

On a less serious note, a quality suggestion I came across for the next time someone rages at you on the road, just blow them a kiss! I will have to test this one out and get back to you on the outcome. ‘Til then, stay calm, friendly drivers! xoxo

Job Stress

July 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment

This is where a LOT of stress comes from! Work! Working for the man, a case of the Mondays, paying the bills, working stiff, another day, another dollar… as boring as it all sounds, it boils down to stress. Useless meetings, micro-management, the commute from hell, bitchy coworkers, jerk-off bosses, lousy wages, office politics, and on and on… working sucks. But we have to pay the bills. And until we can all figure out a way to work from the comfort of our PJs and never talk to a soul, we are going to have to learn how to cope with these evil stressors.

Your home is a refuge from the big, bad world out there. The things you surround yourself with must provide peace and relaxation on a daily basis. Since there are a million-and-five modern methods of stress-relief, we must examine these methods and determine which ones will work best for each of us. Then we can customize our own unique stress-relief experiences, based on our personal needs.

Ask yourself what you really love, and surround yourself with these things in the home. Truly make your home where your heart is. This is your refugee camp, and it’s time to get creative…