Life is like a roller coaster ride.  It is filled with moments of challenge requiring you to put forth constant effort as you make your way up the hill.  When you get to the top, you are sometimes allowed to just sit there and enjoy the breathtaking view that lies before you.  Other times, your visit to the top is fleeting and you immediately plummet into a free fall.  In a flash this downward plunge can end in a series of twists and turns.  Sometimes you may get a breather at the end of the fall as things remain status quo while you coast along the track.  Life's roller coaster ride continuously takes you forward only to pull you back again.  At moments, it even turns you upside down leaving you to helplessly hang there looking at what could be.  All of this can threaten your sense of stability.

     Uncertainties regarding job security, affording a home, and putting food on the table can be stressful.  Unfortunately, you can't always have control over these issues.  However, there is one thing that you do have control over, and that is your health.  In the midst of the unknown it is especially beneficial for you to place good health and well-being at the forefront.

     Emotional eating, excess alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking are often used as coping tactics.  However, these are only temporary escapes that often lead to negative lifelong consequences.  Spring, with its promise of rebirth after the deadness of winter, is a good time to evaluate the direction of your health.

     A lesson can be learned from this example of the natural world.  A fresh start is possible.  New convicitons can be made.  Now is the time to replace old coping mechanisms with healthy new ones.  Commit to a regular program of exercise.  Start enjoying a healthier diet full of fruits and vegetables.  Enroll in a program that will help you gain control of your addiction whether it be to food, alcohol, or cigarettes.  Give yourself the gift of a healthier you and you will give yourself an inner peace that even the most chaotic roller coaster ride can't shake.