Marie Rodriguez

Marie is a professional, over-the-road driver

Mind, body and spirit

When most people think of good health, the first things that come to mind are diet and exercise. Because of that, mental health is often overlooked.
     Along with good eating habits and regular physical activity, good health also requires knowing how to deal with stress and making time for rest and relaxation.
     Our minds and bodies are connected. When a person is stressed or upset, it can lead to ulcers and high blood pressure. Emotional stress can also weaken a person’s immune system, making one more susceptible to infections. And, of course, there are the more familiar reactions of eating too much (stress eating) or not eating enough, along with sleeping too much or not getting enough sleep.
     There are many ways in which stress can enter our daily lives. Ten hours of driving a day can take its toll on a professional driver. The weather, traffic, delivery deadlines and customers also can cause stress. And then there is the added stress of being away from home when important events may be occurring.
     For good health, it’s vital to learn how to cope with stress and make time for relaxation. 
     Some simple basic ways to deal with stress and relax are:

Take five.
Just take a few minutes away from the truck. Get out and stretch. Breathe. Go outside. Take a sort walk up and down a sidewalk. Stop and watch the moon rise. Stop and listen to the leaves in the wind. Breathe some more.

Learn to meditate.
Meditating is easy to learn and once it becomes routine is amazing for keeping stress away. Even better, learn yoga or Tai Chi.

Avoid negative people.
Ever go to a truck stop or company terminal and find a small crowd of unhappy drivers? Stay away. Negativity is stress and mental health poison.

Take your ten hours in the bunk.
Get enough sleep. Get good sleep. Getting 8-10 hours of sleep is not being lazy. The body needs to go through a proper uninterrupted sleep cycle. Learn what your sleep cycle is and keep it.

Treat yourself to a visit with a reflexologist or massage therapist.

Organize your life. 
Having structure, cleanliness, and order in your life will help ‘unclutter’ your mind and emotions.

Get rid of the baggage.
Let it go. Forgive and move on. Face it, deal with it, and get ‘closure’. Start healing. The past belongs in the past. Don’t hold on to people, memories or things that make you angry or cause pain.

Learn to think positive.
Expect good things to happen. Expect good from people. Say positive things. Smile. Just as negativity is poison, being positive relieves stress and is energizing. It is healthy.

Try aromatherapy.

Find your passion and do something about it.
Do things for you. Did you always want to learn to play guitar? Did you always want to learn to oil paint? Did you always want to visit Italy? Most of us have things we always wanted to do or places we wanted to go. We had dreams. It is never too late. Go on that trip, take that class. Life is for living. Get out there and live. Eat well. Exercise. And then take it easy. ilovemybody.ning.com, moderator
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