Saturday, April 19, 2008

Benefits of Exercise - including housework!

This is an appropriate read for me today. Been feeling a lot of anxiety since I got home from my cousin's funeral. It shows up as tight, shallow breathing and a quick temper. (How does anxiety show up for you?)

What can I say - I am an HSP (Highly Sensitive Person) and I can pick up an emotion a football field away ... So imagine how it has been being immersed with hundreds of people in the emotion - sorrow - celebration and fear of "what's next?" that comes with the long goodbye.

So today I woke up and just started cleaning. First I gave the dogs a Spring bath, then washed out Peetie's birdcage, next comes the wood floors.

Starting to feel better ... Will end my day with an Epsom salt bath plus lavender essence oil to wash away lingering energy and emotions. Try it yourself whenever the world feels too much on top of you.

Now, here's that article before I forget! Join me in beating back the blues!

Whisk Those Blues Away
Study finds 20 minutes of activity a week, including housework, is good for mental health

April 9 (HealthDay News) -- Scrubbing the tub and other forms of housework may clean your house and boost your mood.

In fact, as little as 20 minutes of any kind of physical activity a week helped mental health, although the more vigorous the activity, the greater the benefit, said the authors of a study published online Thursday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

"There's such a pervasive feeling in this country that, if there's a problem, there's always a pill to fix it," said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of Women and Heart Disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "This study is just reminding us that it doesn't take much to actually have an effect even on your mood." Click here for the rest of this story.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That works great (Epsom bath) Don't forget to submerge your head in the water too so that your crown chakra and third eye gets cleansed.