Ease up!

Relieving stress; Relationship

By Ma. Jesusa F. Constantino

                I lost my soul and I tried walking away if only to revive myself so that I can get back to the life I used to live.  I was up for a challenge, and I took it seriously, and that challenge is to have a break!

Bye-bye stress

                For less than an hour, I was spirited to Sipaway with my friends.  Sea travel uncoupled with smoke, dust and annoying co-passengers is my cup of coffee. It was a total bliss.

                I was on my way to Barangay Ermita, Sipaway, and I was with a bag full of hope that this travel would be fruitful, perhaps find myself and my soul which I lost somewhere.

                I arrived at my destination and the sparkling white sand invited me to relax and be one with the nature.  It's a way of enjoying the gift of God to mankind.  Sipaway Island is the exact definition of the beauty of the earth in its rawest form.  No trace of commercialization and life is at its basic.  I wonder how it is to live in this delight.

                Sipaway is a nice place where one could ease up on life's pressures, which is a necessity for a 'workaholic' like me.  I am workaholic in the sense that I spend most of my time performing duties that involve the school and student organizations.  For people like me, work becomes the top priority in life and we can't think anything beyond work even during spare time, this is because of too many responsibilities lying in our hands.

                I realized while in Barangay Ermita that I need to do away with life's pressure sometimes.  The fact that most people experience less leisure and more daily stress as they juggle work and career, family and friends is no more rocket science.

Photo source: www.santarcangelo.net

On relationships

                In a world of Blackberries, global networking and telecommunication, many professional singles find their busy schedules as the biggest barrier to falling in love.  We see many of them [professional singles] in the society.  I am inspired by these singles and I wish to become one.

                On my part, I want to become successful first, before I engage into a relationship.  But then again, I also want to avoid regrets…to regret about ‘that something’ on my deathbed.  Regrets like:  "I wish I hadn't worked so hard." "I wish I had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me." "I wish I had let myself be happier than I was."

                I know, there are many students who are dedicated in their studies and find a boy-girl relationship very time consuming, because they focus on one aspect only, the same thing for professional singles who prioritize their work and enjoy their salary.

                Since I don't want to end up regretting, I am working to have one but I know it would be hard because nurturing a boy-girl relationship calls for time investment and communication otherwise it would die.  So if one hopes to have a romantic relationship, time investment is vital.  Here are my suggestions:

1. Love yourself first.  Only then, can you learn to love others.  Develop admirable qualities like kindness and courtesy.

2. Befriend the opposite sex to help you choose who is best. Great relationships start with friendship.

3. Practice good grooming.  Boys and girls of course, get turned off with an unhygienic personality.

4. Be thoughtful.  More than the appearance and intelligence, most boys and girls prefer thoughtful persons.

5. Learn to take risks.  One should sacrifice one's time and some personal space to have a relationship.

6. Go on a date.  Dating helps people know each other well. Go to malls, eat together or simply share stories.

Single and so happy

                I know there are a lot of professional singles who ignore love when they were younger because of work.  Some wish to have their own family but at their adult age, some say, it has already become an elusive dream.

                But for me, it isn't an elusive dream to have a family at the right and practical age. So I don't rush to find one.   Everything under the heavens has its season and reason.  Just think of what might have been had one gotten married before finishing college or before finding a job. But the professional singles, they are financially stable and, I believe, emotionally stable as well.

                At the moment, it is best that one should count their blessings.  Remain happy and hopeful even as a single.  Having a husband is not the only source of happiness because being single can be blissful, too.   

                Anyway, one of the best pieces of relationship advice that single people can learn is this: compartmentalize more. One should aim to have separate 'slots' in the day reserved for specific activities.

                I barely know, that when it comes to our lives, we must realize that there is always something to do, always some crisis demanding our attention, always some work, nagging to be done.  Yet the relationship in our lives deserves just as much attention as we lavish on our careers, hobbies and home.

Thus

                We should take time to focus on what matters most in life.  Do one thing at a time and give that one thing your complete focus and don't let yourself be bugged down by doing too much.  Do so and your love life will take off before you know it.