How does one chillax? Is that even a word? In case you didn’t know, It is slang for relax or calm down. Someone put the words chill and relax together and a new term was invented. The first time I said, “chillax” around my mom she looked at me admonishingly like I was using profanity.
I remember my sixth grade teacher assigned my group to read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She said Lewis Carroll invented words in the book, because an author has artistic license to do that. At the time, I thought how cool it would be to make up words. I wanted to be an author before she had told us that, but when I realized writers could create new vocabulary, that put my goal on a different level. Mr. Carroll coined a lot of fun words such as slithy, the combination of slimy and lithe. The phrase I remember most was curiouser and curiouser, which sometimes I use even though it isn’t a proper form of curious. I read that Carroll also came up with chortle, a combo of chuckle and snort. That word did end up in Oxford’s English Dictionary. Before I get too far down the rabbit hole, I need to get back to the purpose of this blog. How do you chillax? Do I need to explain how bad stress is for your mental and physical health? There are a plethora of online health articles that explain how tension causes many ailments. Sometimes the diseases caused by stress create more diseases. If I fret that I’m too fat for my jeans that can make me fatter. So I gain weight because I’m worrying about gaining weight. Anxiety will do havoc on your ability to sleep, which may make you more fluffy around the waist also, and being overweight leads to other health issues. It is a vicious domino effect, and most of us struggle to find a formula to fix it. Even positive things can cause strain, so having stress is all part of the human experience. I don’t have a quick solution to slay the beast, and everyone has to find what works for them. During my travels I did find Hawaii one of the best places to chillax of all the beach destinations I’ve visited. I’ve been to the coasts of Florida, Oregon, California, Mexico, Maine and several in the Caribbean. None of those compare to the shorelines in Hawaii. I could write a multitude of paragraphs on the wonders of the Hawaiian Islands and you still wouldn’t totally grasp it until you experience the paradise for yourself. Even the photos I attached to this article can’t do it justice. Being on Hawaiian time means you don’t have to hurry and tire yourself out to take advantage of the islands’ activities. You can experience the nirvana on a slower pace, and you still feel like you are getting what you wanted from the adventure. There is something magical about those islands that takes your cares and washes them into the abyss of the deep blue ocean. Even the palm trees have a way of lulling your mind to peacefulness. Maybe you can’t afford to go to Hawaii or any beach for that matter, so that is where books come in handy. Reading can help you escape. Books are your travel agent. Sure you need more imagination, but give yourself a time out with literature. Perhaps books aren’t the right diversion for you. Find whatever it is that takes the pressure away. Exercise, pray, sing, dance, talk to a friend, or try adult coloring books. Seek a way to soothe the turmoil, and incorporate it into your routine for respite. For me to chillax, I reflect back to my favorite places I’ve visited in books and in real life. This forces me to focus my energy away from whatever is giving me anxiety. That is when the sounds of the ocean washing against the beach soon invade my mind, and once again I am at peace.
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Ramblings on life, travels, & books
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December 2023
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