The Saturday Seven: Best Ways to Relax

Since I started my daily travel blog on the Panama Cruise, I’ve had a number of new visitors who may not be familiar with the weekly feature I post called The Saturday Seven. Each week I pick a general topic and post a list of seven things with comments or photos. Out of tradition, I throw in one “bonus item”, but it’s still the Saturday Seven (since I would never want to count the “bonus item” as the eighth one).

Earlier today I made the mistake of checking a few work e-mails from the ship. As I read, I was getting tense and stressed out it all. Fortunately I caught myself and immediately slammed the laptop closed and walked away-after all, I am on vacation. As I reflected on the tension of that moment, I remembered all the millions of others still working somewhere out there and stressed out. This brings me to another edition of The Saturday Seven: Best Ways to Relax

1. Drink a glass of wine- I consume a glass of red wine strictly for medicinal purposes, of course
2. Treat yourself to a bowl of ice cream- it brings you back to the innocence of childhood.
3. Get a Massage- You’d be surprised how tense you are. The therapist will tell you too!
4. Pet a Dog- If you don’t have one, go adopt one. Dogs are better than people and love you unconditionally.
5. Take an Afternoon Nap- You’d be surprised how much a power nap does to recharge the brain and body
6. Go for a long walk- Preferably alone. Just listen to your own body and concentrate on the walking.
7. Get a fish tank- Even a single Betta Fish will do the trick. Believe it or not, there have been medical studies that watching a fish tank helps reduce stress. Doctors actually recommend them for patients who’ve had heart surgery.

Bonus item: Drink a frozen tropical drink while listening to steel drum music- Need I say more?
-Rick Rockhill