Stress and The Upside of Routines

By November 5, 2012Uncategorized


Your body craves routines. It really likes it when you go to bed at the same time every night and wake up the same time every day (even on weekends when you could sleep in.) It likes it when you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time too. It even likes it when you exercise the same time every day. Your body runs on a 24+ hour clock; that’s right, we are creatures of the sun, like most everything else on the planet. In scientific terms this is called “circadian rhythms.” People who live with set routines each day (specifically with regard to physical well-being) are known to live longer (and healthier) than those people who live their life like in a ricochet fashion.  Twice a year, our body clock gets thrown out of whack (day light saving time) and more if you fly in different time zones (I am writing this blog today from Poland), but your body bounces back when you stick to a routine. Routines can seem rather boring a times, but the truth of the matter is they are extremely healthy. Living like a stress ball, ricocheting off of walls, is quite stressful to the body… and anything but healthy.
Stress Tip for The Day:
Do you have a set routine or is your life all over the map with regard to sleep, eating and exercise habits? Day light savings time is a good time to hunker down with some consistent routines. Honor your body’s clockwork by setting some good healthy boundaries regarding the time you eat your meals, the time you go to sleep (and get 7-8 hours) and the time you incorporate daily exercise, even if it’s just walking 20 minutes. Your body will thank you for this attention, and people will remark how you look much younger. Really!
Links and Books of Note:
Here are some links about the topic of circadian rhythms:
Quotes of the Day:
Note: I couldn’t find any great quotes on today’s subject, but these came up when I googled quotes on circadian rhythms. Enjoy:
“We are here on Earth to do good to others. What the others are here for, I don’t know.” —W. A. Auden
“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which one’s to keep.”— Scott Adams
“Death is caused by swallowing small amounts of saliva over a long period of time.” —George Carlin
Photo of the Day
We continue to have some great sunsets over the Rocky Mountains. This photo was taken last week….. Enjoy
Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D. is an internationally renowned expert in the fields of stress management, mind-body-spirit healing and stress and human spirituality. He is the author of over 12 books including the bestsellers, Stand Like Mountain, Flow Like Water, Stressed Is Desserts Spelled Backward, The Art of Calm, Quiet Mind, Fearless Heart and Managing Stress (7e) and the newly released, A Beautiful World: The Earth Song Journals. He can be reached through his website: www.brianlukeseaward.net
© Brian Luke Seaward, Ph.D.
Brian Luke Seaward

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