“If you want to eat, pick your Georgia pecans.” Who would have predicted this New Yorker would be toiling the Georgia soil for pecans? Surprisingly, my desired nuts are not found prepackaged on the ground. My local grocery store never mentioned the labor required in my food consumption. Buying nuts are a pricey treat for my eating enjoyment. The following is the description of my simple stress management technique.
Acceptance of Ongoing Demands
Over the years, I have grown to love the experience of picking my Georgia pecans. Imagine anxiously awaiting, the verbal reports of the harvest conditions of my favorite pecan tree. The telephone inquiry about the status of the pecan field is an alluring paradox from the hustle and bustle of my daily life demands. Time always seems to slow down, when you focus on just one activity. The status update about the pecan tree is my gentle reminder of the benefit obtained from enjoying one moment in time. Busy lifestyles just assume acceptance of their commute on the highway destined to ongoing demands.
Slowing Down the Pace
An effective stress management activity provides an opportunity to slow down life’s pace. The repetitive mechanics of picking pecans provides an opportunity for my thoughts to be slowed with anchors. Now slowed, my thoughts are aligned in the action step of picking the pecan. The goal of filling my bucket allows for linear thoughts to progress following one pecan to another pecan followed by another to the collection bucket. My goal is the simple task of finding and collecting nuts. My usual distractions of cell phones, Internet and humans are temporarily shut down. Here in this quiet space, my stress meter is reset. Picking my pecans, enjoying the warmth of the sun and the breeze from the wind provides the much needed stress relief.
Stress Management
Georgia pecan bucket
Researchers have repeatedly demonstrated the benefits of reduced stress. My ongoing quest is the identification of easy antidotes for stress relief. Picking Georgia pecans has become one of my favorite outdoor stress relief activities. The picturesque scene of trees, blue sky and green fields resets my rising stress thermostat. When I suddenly find my pecan bucket is overflowing, I also find my stress levels are greatly reduced.
This simple activity of collecting pecans activity allowed for the distraction and focus to reset the overheated stress signals from my mind and body. I no longer detected the uncomfortable inner tension that usually drains my essence.
Overall the fields became my quiet sanctuary, with the simple activity of picking pecans as the vehicle for stress relief. Stress management activities must not be complicated or expensive to be effective.The major problem is usually finding the time to identify and implement the desired stress management activity.