Life in the slow lane is relaxing

by Lionel Wijesiri

Meyer Friedman was an American cardiologist who developed the theory that the 'Type A' behaviour of chronically angry and impatient people raises their risk of heart attacks. The cardiologist with his research team worked until his death at 90 as director of a medical institute that bears his name.

I was reading the other day one of his articles written to Yale Alumni Magazine. I quote, "I suspect that the most careful diet and best exercise program won't do much to check heart disease unless we do something, too, to check the Frenzy of our lives. I came to that conclusion years ago-that it wasn't just the diet, or even lack of exercise that could account for the huge increase in heart disease. We knew that our ancestors ate about as much meat, milk and eggs, and that not all of them kept in Olympic trim. But they were spared one trauma we are exposed to: the ever-accelerating pace at which we live. What I am saying, and though it's controversial we have much data to support it-is that whenever a man struggles too incessantly to accomplish too many things in too little time, whenever he struggles too competitively with other individuals, this struggle markedly accentuates the course of coronary heart disease. If this struggle is not abated, I suspect that it does little good to alter one's diet, bad habits or exercise deficiencies, because the biochemical forces generated by this internal unrest are quite capable in themselves of bringing on cardiac arrest. They do this by elevating blood cholesterol, flooding the body with adrenalin-like substances and depleting normal reserves of life-sustaining hormones."

Type A

Dr. Friedman has a valid point. For example, would you dare to race the engine of your car, hour after hour, day after day, and expect this engine to endure as long as a machine more gently treated? Yet almost half of our work force race their engines at a frightfully increasing pace-and leave survivors who are shocked at their abrupt breakdown. If, then, a reduction in the heart- attack rate is to he won, each person must cease to suffer from 'Type A Behaviour Pattern'.

Easily said, you might say. How can I identify the presence of this pattern in myself?

Dr. Friedman has the answers. First, if you worry about being dreadfully behind in all the things you believe you should do. Or if you fret at delays in traffic and restaurants. Or if you frantically strive to obtain the things you believe worth having, (for example, a lovely home, a better position, university education abroad for his children), at the expense of the things really worth being, such as a lover of the finer arts, a devotee of the wonders of nature. Or if you find yourself obsessed with the acquisition of numbers-number of clients served, number of cases of merchandise sold. Or if you are irritatingly dissatisfied with his socio-economic status, no matter how high it might he.

You may shake your head in disagreement. You may protest that, if you are to survive financially, it is absolutely necessary to accelerate ever more zealously the pace of your living. But research after research have proven after interviewing thousands of senior executives, shop owners, physicians, professors, clerks, drivers and salesmen, that the only solid approach to socio- economic success and security consists of judgment, creativity and love. 'Who really ever went bankrupt because of an airplane's delay? Whoever lost a fortune because he used a manual calendar rather than a web-based auto-reminder in making important decisions?

Life is meant to be enjoyed. Take some time to live and breathe. Don't fall into the habit of chasing one achievement after another. Slow down and take some time out every now and then, otherwise you won't even be able to enjoy your achievements. Whatever you want to achieve, be aware that it's the path towards your achievement that counts most and not the end result and that's really all that counts, nothing is more important. If there is no joy and fun in your life, you aren't really living, you are merely existing.

Enjoy life

In order to hear that quiet voice within you that guides you towards happiness and fulfilment, you have to stop rushing and racing. Be still and listen, watch and take your time. Enjoy the happiness that flows from within when you let go and become silent.

Letting go of the compulsion to do all those things can be an awesomely liberating high. Simply choose what's most important, and do that. Even simpler, choose to do the things you are passionate about, and drop the rest.

Count your blessings

You should have heard people say to count your blessings, and when you think about the things you're grateful for. But what you may not have known is that counting your blessings is one of the most powerful practices you can ever do, and it will magically turn your whole life around!

When you're grateful for the things you have, no matter how small they may be, you will see those things instantly increase. If you're grateful for the money you have, however little, you will see your money magically grow. If you're grateful for a relationship, even if it's not perfect, you will see it miraculously get even better. If you're grateful for the job that you have, even if it's not your dream job, things will begin to change so that you enjoy your job more, and all kinds of opportunities for your work will suddenly appear.

The flipside is that when we're not counting our blessings, we can fall into the trap of unintentionally counting negative things. We count negative things when we talk about the things we don't have. We count negative things when we criticize or find fault with other people, when we complain about traffic, waiting in lines, delays, the government, not enough money, or the weather.

When we count negative things they increase too, but on top of that, with every negative thing we count, we cancel out blessings that were on their way.