We instinctively know them when we feel them.  Sensations of peace, wholeness, connectedness.  Those moments when we travel to that still, quiet place in our minds, a place where more and more healthcare professionals are now asking us to visit.  They ask this because there is some very solid science out there confirming that the mind can have a profound effect on wellness.

You see, in terms of human evolution, the body’s stress response is an excellent survival strategy for getting us through an acute crisis.  But as it turns out, it’s not such a great strategy when we leave it playing at low volume in the background for years.

Vascular disease, diabetes, stroke, immune suppression, and a myriad of other stress-related physical problems remind us that, even though we have put the nightmares of some of the most deadly diseases in history behind us, we now have another assortment of illnesses that can break us in new and different ways.

But it’s never too late to start to mend what’s broken.  Taking the first steps down the road to well-being is something each one of us can achieve.

THE BEAUTY OF PLAY

Okay, Stress, it’s time for you to meet your new playmate:  Creativity.

We are, all of us, capable of being creative.  Self-expression is a vital part of who we are…who YOU are.  Don’t you think it’s time that the real you — the one that’s still there, buried down deep underneath all that stress — came out to play?

For me, photography has a big role in such play.  It mobilizes me to seek out places I might not otherwise visit.  It slows me down and gives me permission to linger.   Sometimes it literally makes me stop and smell the roses.

If you, too, like to photograph, go ahead and express yourself.  What do you want to say?  Do you want to bring out the essence, the “itness” of what you see?  Challenge yourself and think about different ways to do that.  Want to zero in on just one defining aspect?  Emphasize whatever feature is most important to you and hold it up for our inspection.  Fascinated by those simple, small moments that speak volumes about what it means to be human?  Go capture some.  They’re happening all around us.

No need for expensive equipment, if that’s not your thing.  I just use my iPhone, because there’s no denying the simple truth:  The best camera is the one you have with you.

What ignites YOUR passion?  Only you know best those things that are nearest and dearest to you.  Allow yourself to take some time and explore them.  Seek out their beauty, if for no other reason than your own self-preservation.  Write, draw, sing, dance.  Allow your voice to be heard.

And take a good, long whiff of those roses.