The newspaper article highlighted the fact "that people who spend more time in parks and other natural settings tend to report higher levels of health and happiness, but new research shows there's actually a magic number for it." According to this latest research, "Spending 120 minutes a week strolling a tree-lined street or sitting by a lake can greatly enhance a person's overall sense of well-being... ."
Both conversations I had with fishing buddies in recent weeks centered on the fact they each see fishing as a means to reduce stress in their lives. It started back when they were working full-time to make a living and has continued into their retirement years. I happen to share that thought. Granted, there aren't as many or perhaps as serious concerns in retirement, but a person still does need to unwind at times, and fishing always seems to get the job done...as long as you keep it in proper perspective, that is.
As an example, let me share details from a piece I found during some online research of this subject matter. It was part of a reader contribution from Bruce McElmurray to Mother Earth News magazine. McElmurray related how, when he first started fishing as a boy, "It wasn't so much about catching a fish but a chance to be alone with my thoughts. Since I was just a boy, no one actually expected me to catch fish anyway. I could spend hours on a dock or by a river and come home fishless but refreshed.
"As I grew older, things changed, and I then sought to catch fish. I put pressure on myself to catch fish. I then progressed to fishing clubs, which held tournaments and awarded money or prizes to the winner who caught the most pounds of fish. I was still fishing, but the pressure was more intense to place high in the competition and at least recoup my entry fee. Then one day, I realized that fishing was no longer relaxing for me and, in fact, was producing a great deal of stress.
"When I realized what was happening, I sold my bass boat, along with big motor, and bought a small 12-foot aluminum boat with a 6-hp motor. I was now back into stress-free fishing. The fun and relaxation came back into fishing for me. I could once again relax and be temporarily separated from my responsibilities and associated stress.
"Fishing fulfills my five Rs of mental health: relax, reflect, rejuvenate, recover, and restore. Stress and tension just evaporate when I'm fishing, and these five Rs just seem to automatically take over and do their magic.
"For me, it is not about catching fish but more about an activity to relax and leave my troubles behind by concentrating on something else. It is a time to enjoy myself and my surroundings. Pleasure fishing has no pressure, no adverse consequences, and no effort is required. My computer has an application that defragments my hard drive, sorts my files, and puts them in order to make it run more efficiently. I find it sad that we humans don't have a program to defrag our inner selves. But wait, we do have such a system; it's called 'fishing.' All the inner garbage and clutter in our lives dissolves the moment we toss our line into the water, hoping that some fish will accommodate us. Fishing for me provides therapy for the soul and a true stress reliever.
"...So when you are feeling stressed, grab a fishing pole and, like Mark Twain, head for the water to relax. Or I guess you could pay a therapist $200 an hour for the same thing, but my personal choice is a fishing pole." I'll second that.
No comments:
Post a Comment