Alcohol, drugs, porn, gambling, over-eating, under-eating...these "addictions" are all superficial ways to cope with the stresses of life.What I've noticed about kayakers is that, unlike some boaters, they aren't drinking.
I mean, it's real difficult to hold a beer can in one hand and paddle at the same time (not that I've tried). In fact, kayaking is mostly a silent sport; it doesn't allow you to focus on much of anything else while you're doing it. The sounds you hear are all natural: the gentle lap-lap of the water against the boat, the sound of waves breaking on the distant shore, the birds squeaking and squawking overhead, and the gurgling of water as it swirls and bubbles around you. The sound of water is the sound of serenity. Water seems to say: Relaaax. It's distinctly soothing voice lulls me into a state of hypnotic rhythm, wherein my arms are steadily paddling while my mind is allowed to sore far above me, miles away from the piles of laundry waiting for me on my bedroom floor. Clients who come to see me about addictions are tangled in a web of unrelenting demands of their own minds: the alcoholic cannot focus on much except the next drink, and the drug-addicted are being titillated by the thought of the next high. They'd like to get on with enjoying life, except the nagging pull of addiction won't let them. In the case of eating disordered clients, their obsession with food begins to dictate and restrict their activities.
Stress is a killer. Early heart attacks, cancer, addictions and mental health disorders are the result of a stressed-out mind. Our circumstances don't create stress: we do. Specifically, the way we react to our circumstances creates the stress. More to the point, our negative thoughts can be deadly. When I'm kayaking, there's no room for negative thinking. I'm "out of my element" where there are no cell phones, emails, clients or bills. Like a clean slate, for as long as I stay on the water, my life is uncomplicated serenity. As long as I am paddling, I am stress-less: my biggest worry is when to eat lunch, and how close my buddy Cool, the Blue Heron, will allow me to get today. Somehow, like a magic wand, nature waves it's truth over me while I'm part of it, and I realize anew what a fool I've been for obsessing about my worries all week. It's not that my problems go away...but I'm reminded that I can manage whatever comes up. Whatever happens, I'm woman-enough to work through it.
To break the chain of negative thinking, we all need to have a healthy outlet, a way to release our stress and regain a balanced perspective. Perhaps you have heard the saying, "Life is good?" I would like add something to that: "Life is as good as we make it." It was Abraham Lincoln who said, "Most people are about as happy as they make their minds up to be." I agree with Honest Abe; our happiness is a direct result of our own thoughts, and how happy we are will depend upon how we choose to cope with the stresses of life. I come back to my body and realize I've been unconsciously cruising through the water this entire time. The water has yet again bewitched me. In gratitude, I sit up a little taller and tilt my face towards the sun.
Today's Life Lesson From A Kayak: How we choose to cope with stress is important.
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