I believe everything occurs in waves: light, sound, energy, life.  There are ups and downs; good and bad; busy and slow; rested and exhausted; lucrative and struggling; inspired and depressed.  Some waves are bigger than others, and some periods are relatively flat and calm. 

I found myself coming into writing this article in a relatively uninspired time that has felt like choppy waves of stress and anxiety that leads to fatigue in my life. I much prefer the periods of calmness that allows for routine, peace and rest.  I find that during those times, my lung function is at it’s best and my attitude is most optimistic.

Recently I have felt mentally fatigued and like everything I have tried to do has not been successful or has been faced with ongoing resistance.  That includes having any ideas of what to write about this week.  So what would I write about? Nothing?

 

Yes, nothing.

 

Well, maybe not ‘zero’ nothing, but maybe just reflecting on how a life of less can actually provide more. 

 

At times in life when I have less happening in general, I can find great benefit in establishing routine, and therefore have less stress.  I don’t know why this is feeling so hard to articulate, but I am struggling to put words to it.  It seems so simple.

 

During a graduate course where my studies included a visit to Bali, I learned of their spiritual practice through deep meditation to eliminate negative qualities of the human existence – greed, jealousy, anger, resentment, etc.  In doing so, they also reduced manic experiences such as hyperactivity, overstimulation, and elation.  They focused on minimizing the extreme highs and lows, which enabled them to maximize being present in the moment. While still experiencing happiness and sadness, there was less distraction from life by drama. 

 

CF can be, and usually is a stressful thing to live with, both as the person living with it, as well as for loved ones around us.  It can be the source of anxiety, stress, pain, fear and loss.  It can also be the source of trust, courage, love, appreciation, and tremendous gain in life.

 

When I have less busy-ness occurring in my life, I am able to stretch and meditate each morning allowing for inner peace and quiet, and MAKE room for regular exercise.  When I am busy with ‘stuff’, the ability to prioritize this quiet time is sacrificed, and tension and anxiety gradually creep back into my life. 

The impact of such neglect, from being too ‘busy’ is that the mental anxiety and tension leads to physical tension, which for me becomes significant back pain, interrupts sleep, creates poor posture, and leads to greater tightness in my chest muscles.  The disruption of sleep contributes to the fatigue of carrying all this stress, and my susceptibility to catching a cold or developing an infection is much greater. 

 

When I am able to maintain inner quiet, and keep the busy-ness in reasonable balance, it is a more natural ability for regular exercise to fit into my life too.  Exercise is what relieves me of stress, physically and mentally.  It keeps my legs, back and shoulder muscles oxygenated and loosened from the tension of everyday life, including the stresses of CF. Exercise also provides my airways with the opportunity for repeated expansion and opening up from hard breathing.  I find this critical in keeping mucus plugs from lodging in the small airways, and important to counter balance the chronic constricting of airways from coughing.

 

When I am exercising regularly in addition to my therapies, my baseline level of congestion is lower, my coughing is less, and my stress from work and life is dealt with, and my stress and anxiety worrying about my CF is also minimized. 

 

For me, the idea of leveling the ups and downs in my life through quieting practices such as exercise, meditation, prayerful reflection, and recognition of gratitude is what enables less choppiness, and allows for greater calmness, stability and health in my life.  When practicing what I preach here is when I have found myself to thrive the most with my CF, and truly live life to its fullest.

 

Brian Callanan is currently 38 years old, and was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth.  He is the Founder and Executive Director of the CFLF, and practices an active lifestyle primarily through swimming and cycling on and off road. You may email him directly at brian@cflf.org.