cutting out the autobahn
Until March 2008 I had to drive almost daily about 35 km to my office in Düsseldorf and then 35 km back in the evening. Out 35 km 22 km was autobahn driving with 100 kmph and 120 kmph speed limit and with some kilometers without speed limit. But the speed limit made no difference, since the autobahn was almost constantly crowded and jammed. It was stressful to crawl in the traffic jam with a meeting ahead and it was stressful to drive at 180 or 200kmph and then brake sharply down to 30 kmph or less. Since we moved to another town I only have to drive 8 km to my office on roads that are jammed only between 5 and 6 p.m. It gives me a definitely pleasurable feeling of relief and stressFREEDOM to hear about the traffic jams on the autobahn in the radio and not being stuck in it. No, I am not schadefroh, since I feel something like pity for the people struggling on the autobahn. Nobody stops them, of course, from moving closer to their offices and cutting out the daily autobahn-stress…
church going
My mother, 78, felt pretty well today, with her glucose level sinking below 300 mg/dl so she decided to go to church again with her aged friend. Meeting other people of her age, her cultural and social background, speaking the same language, going through the same rituals makes her feel happier. She thinks the price she had to pay – a little hypocrisy – was worth while paying. She met old friends, changed information, walked. Existing communities are easier to adhere to than building new ones, which always takes some extra effort.
Welcome stressFREEDOM seekers!
A piece of really good news for all those, who are seeking stressFREEDOM: I am starting to blog about everyday issues, reflecting on them in a way that will help me eliminate more and more stress from my life. This blog will be a bit like – functionally, and not stylistically - Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations: exercises in self-improvement others are able to tap on for inspiration and courage. It is supposed to work like this: you read my blog entry; then you reflect on whether you are sometimes in a similar situation; then you figure out how you can eliminate more and more stress from your life in similar situations in the future.
Commenting on similar situations and telling us about your own techniques to reduce or eliminate stress could serve as a further source of inspiration for an ever increasing circle of stressFREEDOMguidance-seekers.
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