Relaxing After Illness
March 27, 2009 by Peggy Rowland
Filed under Women's Health
Christina Applegate appeared on Letterman Wednesday looking refreshed and beautiful. He asked her about her breast cancer treatment and she joked about how when she woke up from surgery she immediately scolded her family for finishing the crossword puzzle she’d started that morning.
Later on she mentioned that she bought a beach house to reward herself and she’d taken up sea glass hunting. Having never lived near an ocean, I had to look up sea glass hunting. Turns out, it’s a fun way to relax and look for beautiful ocean treasures at the same time. In this case, you’re looking for glass trash that’s lived in the ocean for many years. Dave asked Applegate what she does with sea glass after she finds it, and she replied that she puts it in a bottle and looks at it.
What struck me from Applegate’s interview was how happy she seems, but also this idea of relaxing and rewarding yourself after a serious illness. Sure, not everyone (OK, not many) people can afford a beach house. However, there are plenty of other ways to reward yourself, whether it’s a massage, getting a new pet, taking time off to finally write that book or making a vow to connect with old friends.
If you’ve gone through an illness recently, what are some of the ways you’ve relaxed and rewarded yourself?
Image: Bauer Griffin
You know, when I heard that Christina mentioned sea glass hunting on the show I wondered if it was one of those relaxing things she might have turned to after her illness. It makes sense to me as we see a lot of metaphors between real life and the journey of sea glass. Thanks for linking to my blog (above) in the article.
Mary Beth – West Coast Sea Glass
What struck me about the article was the connection between being relaxed and being happy. It goes without saying that being stressed out does not make you feel good. On the other hand, sometimes we don’t think we are stressed out, but with the running around trying to get everything done that needs to be done, we sometimes forget that it is very important to relax…then we wonder why we are feeling “down.”
A walk with your partner or friend in a natural setting is very relaxing, as Christina brought out…especially if its on the beach. My wife and I try to get to the beach for a long (2 or 3 mile) walk a couple of times a week, and we also love looking for sea glass.
To add to the above comment (my husband) on why Christina looks so relaxed and charming…perhaps she is looking for sea glass with a “special” companion!
Hello Linda and David. Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you liked the post.
We ALL need to relax more, don’t we?