by Haven Logan PH.D

        
…In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double
Don’t worry, be happy
Don’t worry, be happy now…*
*Quotation taken from the song written and performed by Bobby McFerrin. The title was inspired by spiritual teacher Meyer Baba.

Do you think there is a connection between not worrying, being happy, and being healthy? Well, consider Maria Esther de Capovilla: she died recently, at the amazing age of 116, having been ranked by the Guinness World Records organization as the oldest person on the planet. When Maria’s daughter was asked what her mother’s secret for longevity was, she indicated that her mother always ate three meals a day, and never smoked or drank hard liquor, although she enjoyed a small glass of wine with lunch daily. Irma also described her mother as having a tranquil character: she was not easily upset but generally accepted the vicissitudes of life calmly, and had been that way her whole life.

Maria and other centenarians can teach us something about how to live a long and healthy life. Scientists who are seeking to understand the secrets of longevity are proving the wisdom of Meyer Baba’s sentiment—Don’t worry, be happy!  For example, Thomas Perls, M.D., of Boston University Medical Center and Director of the New England Centenarian Study, is part of a group of researchers who since 1994 have been studying people over the age of 100.  So far they have noted that genetics, limited calorie intake, not smoking, and being a “stress shedder” are contributing factors in longevity.

Stress shedders are those people who can easily deal with stress-inducing emotions—fear, anger, shame, guilt—which over time can contribute to health problems and shorten your life span if they are not released. Don’t worry if you were not born or raised to be a stress shredder. Dr. Pearls suggests that we can all learn to be stress shedders by engaging in stress-relieving activities and attitudes.

Perhaps you are wondering if being tranquil means not feeling anything. That it’s not healthy to worry about the people you love, feel angry about the injustices of the world, or grieve for the tragedies of life. It doesn’t mean that at all! It means, instead, that you feel your emotions but you don’t allow them to control you. As a therapist I have spent my life helping people understand, express, and manage their feelings, so that they deal with their emotions in a life-enhancing way, instead of a self-sabotaging way. Your emotions have to move through you, not get stuck inside. Your health and longevity depend on not only your having and expressing the whole range of human emotion, but also on developing strategies for not letting the unrelenting stresses of modern life wear you down.

How You Can Become a Stress Shedder

• Practice deep breathing—breathe in through your nose,feeling your stomach expand, then hold your breath three seconds and gently breathe out through your mouth.
• Get aerobic exercise daily.
• Take a walk; even a very short one can be healthfully rejuvenating.
• Practice yoga, tai chi, or progressive relaxation.
• Enjoy the soothing qualities of water—swim, relax in a bath, or unwind in a hot shower.
• Nurture relationships by making time to talk with friends and family members.
• Pet and play with an animal.
• Listen to or play uplifting music.
• Dance with someone or by yourself.
• Read an inspiring book, sing a song, or recite a poem.
• Spend time in nature.
• Avoid seeing the glass as half empty—there are few things in life that a positive attitude can’t help improve.
• Choose positive and uplifting thoughts—try writing out affirmations and pasting them on your mirror.
• Choose to tune out violent or depressing TV shows, movies, and video games.
• Pick your battles—you can’t solve every problem.
• Write down your goals and practical strategies for reaching them.
• Add spice to your life by taking mini-vacations from your normal routines.
• Laugh, tell a joke, or watch a funny movie.
• Spend quiet time to get back in touch with yourself.

 

Pick out one or two of these stress shedders to try out this week. See if they can help you let go of some of the stress in your life. Make sure you have a variety of healthy ways to release stress each and every day.