Capture serenity

How do you capture stress in an image? I know how to capture serenity – the lovely softness of a flower petal, the potential of a path to who knows where, calm pools of ocean embracing tidal creatures. I got that. But where, in my portfolio, can I find a photograph to post here that would represent a stressful day in the life of, well, me?




And why, you might ask, would I want to capture stress in a photograph?

They keep telling me to reduce stress in my life. The doctors and therapists I’ve seen cast that off as the solution, and it probably is, but they don’t offer how to do it. Over the past few months, I’ve been trying to determine the cause of the headaches I had been suffering from on a daily basis for years now. I woke up with pain, jaw aching from clenching my teeth. I must be a lovely site to see first thing in the morning. The mornings at home are probably more rushed than they need to be and I know the solution for it, but can’t seem to make it happen. Even if I got up two hours early, I still would push it to the last minute, finding plenty of other things that need to be done as well as the usual morning stuff. My drive into work is not one of free ways and traffic jams. An occasional delay when my timing parallels that of the school bus isn’t enough to call my commute into question as the cause of my tension. And really, work isn’t that stressful. Sure there are times when things gotta get done and the afternoon is winding down, but I don’t usually take my work home with me, except to vent to my husband, who works for the same organization. I’ve certainly had worse jobs. I don’t dread going into work. My kid is good, well behaved for the most part. I don’t have to worry about her so much. She’s a good, loving, smart kid. Relationships with my husband and parents are solid and enjoyable. So what’s the deal? Why is it that I have to consciously relax my shoulders and neck and rub my temples? After months of exploring the causes of my headaches; I’ve had my eyes and teeth checked, health is good, nothing abnormal there, started chiropractic care to address spinal misalignment which can sometimes cause neck and facial tension, and even had an allergy scan, which incidentally, brought to light the fact that I’m allergic to dust and dust mites. Oh great, something else I have to worry about, cleaning the house.



But my mind races constantly and I need to find a way to quiet things in there. My thoughts flit from the next thing I have to do (finish this sentence) to what I’m having for lunch (leftover fish and asparagus), and oh yeah, I’ve got to call Nola’s school for directions to that thing in a couple of weeks and pay my credit card bills online and email Wanda about dinner Saturday and where the heck are those magnifying lenses I bought last summer? I need to see if I can shoot something for Pioneer Woman’s photo assignment for the week on macros and I’ve got to go to Walmart and pick up those prints, when can I go? It goes on and on. From one thing to another and not all worry and dread at all, as you can see, just activity and perpetually on the hamster wheel of thoughts of my life.

Maybe I just don’t need to find that photograph after all. Maybe what I need to do is to continue to seek out the calm and serene and keep the focus of my lens on those things. Take the advice I’ve been getting and seek out ways to relax. See, I’ve just added something else to the list. . . the endless list of things to do. Find a yoga class. Learn how to meditate. Am I the only one living with such a constant stream of tasks and questions and decisions on the run? I doubt it. I’d love to hear how anyone out there deals with the everyday and how you get to stop and take a look at the big picture before it’s too late. Teach me to remember what’s most important.