Fishn my stress away

As the weather begins to get nice it is hard to imagine not having my fishing license.  This is because I find fishing to be one of my favorite things to do, in order, to release some stress.  Being that we live in Nevada there is a lot of places to fish that are very close to the city.  I often like to go out towards the Carson River and also enjoy going out towards Fernley.  Both of these spots have some very good holes and an often bring in some nice sized fish.

However, the fish out towards the Carson River should be released because of the high Mercury content in the water.  The areas out by the Carson River are known to be old mining spots and used to dump contaminants into the river many decades ago, before there were laws stopping this behavior by mine sites.  The good news about this area is that there are a variety fish in the Carson River and can often find such fish as Rainbow Trout, Small Mouth Bass and also Catfish. In fact, the last time my friend and I were out there; we caught all three of these fish in one spot!  I actually never knew there were Bass in the Carson and found this to be a nice surprise.

If you have any cool fishing spot around Nevada that you would like to share please do.  Or feel free to leave a response and follow me on my Twitter!

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Some Tips on Stress

Stress can be described in a multitude of different ways and have a number of different effects on a person.  Those effects can range from the obvious physical to the unobvious of emotional damage.  The way people handle these stresses also varies greatly and be handled in different ways that are dependent on each person individually.

The harsh realization is that people are going to have to endure stress whether they like or not.  The monthly rent, the monthly power bill and the constant nagging of the neighbor is never going to stop and we as each citizens are going to have to learn to deal with it regardless.

I have found another good article that discusses some of the simple things a person can try and relieve some of their daily stressors.  This can range from something as simple as learning to think more positively, too, trying to breathe and smile a little more.

It is said that something as small as smiling can help a person change their mindset and help change their overall outlook at that particular moment in time.  Also, another interesting point they bring up is that exercise is good to help relieve stress, but don’t push it too far.  Try to extend the muscles and slowly bring the tension levels down from within the internal body.

If you have a stress relief and want to share please leave a response.  Thanks for reading and enjoy a stress free day!

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Stress from my weekend…..

As graduation get closer I seem to keep getting more and more stressed out. Have you ever felt like no matter what you do it doesn’t seem to be enough to help? Have you ever been to the point where it felt like no matter how much work you put into something, there still isn’t enough time to do so? This is how I have felt this entire weekend and led into Monday all day.

Going into the weekend I had to get ready for my groups presentation for Dish, a paper about Chile and let’s not forget countless hours of homework from my IS classes. So, last week I decided to basically not sleep and get down to business. This meant that I had to make some hard choices such as not being able to go to work last week. So in order to offset that decision I had to sell my truck. This was a big decision for me to do, but in order to make my education a priority this is what had to be done.

Sometimes life throws things at you that just aren’t fair nor seem to ever shake away that “black cloud” that follows us. However, over this semester I have learned if I just stay positive and relax things will begin to work out for the better. If you have been super stressed out lately from school or whatever leave me a comment and let me know what it is you do to help over your stress. Thanks for reading my blog and I hope to hear your feedback.

Stress from a test….my GMAT

As I have gone through my college career, I never thought that I would actually accomplish enough that I would one day be applying for graduate school.  Well that day is almost here and I still have to take my GMAT.  I had begun to study for my GMAT almost a year and a half ago but you know things happen.  So in the most recent turn of events over the last several months I am once again going to be scheduled to take the test again.

Although, this will be just as stressful because I must take this test right after graduation.  However, I am graduating and that makes it all worthwhile.  The test costs roughly $250 and I highly suggest studying for at least six months, before trying to take this test.  It also helps to buy the Kaplan course, which is designed to help the students prepare for this intense test.  Also, if you want to better your chances of success make sure to get a good night’s rest and attempt to eat a very healthy breakfast a few hours before you go.  I wouldn’t recommend cramming for this test as it is very hard and once again very stressful.

I feel that graduate school is going to be an important aspect of my life and will do whatever it takes to accomplish this next educational goal of mine.  I will continue to try and be stress free and do whatever it takes to relax.  If you are going to be taking a big test soon or have any comments please feel free to leave a response. Thanks

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Boston Bombings

So today was a very sad day and reminded me of the infamous day of 9/11/01.  Though not everyone was old enough to remember; there were many who were.  When I awoke this morning and saw the news that there had been a bombing in Boston, I felt, the same as I did that day in 2001.

I remember every second of 9/11/01 and ended up staying home from classes, yes I was going back then as well.  I am on a 20 year plan to graduate college.  Going back to being serious, I behaved the same ways today; as I did back in 2001.  I found myself glued to the TV today attempting to get updates on the amount of people that were involved and how many had been hurt in the terrorist attacks.  I can’t seem to wrap my head around why someone would want to hurt so many innocent lives.  What can a person/group possibly think that they are gaining by behaving in such horrible acts on innocent people?

I found myself listening to the news and the many accounts of what had happened today, while at the finish line.  This was a planned and deliberate attack on people and, I feel, that when the government discovers who did this should retaliate with a public execution.  If anyone has heard updated information from the attacks on Boston today or want to leave a comment, please feel free to do so.  Let us all pray for Boston and the people involved in today’s horrible acts of violence.

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Stress and stopping smoking

Has anyone ever had to endure the stress of having a loved one that is dealing with an illness? Every illness is different, but the toll it takes on our loved ones seems to stay consistent.  My mother and I have been dealing with the illness of my step-dad who has COPD.   This is an illness that affects the breathing of their lungs and can often make it feel like there are a thousand elephants lying on their chest.  There is also no cure for the illness, other than medicine that helps ease the ability to breath and that’s about it.

The one thing that this disease seems to have in common with the people it affects is that usually it develops from smoking.  When someone decides to start smoking they don’t realize the horrible choice they are making at the time.  Smoking can be very addictive and often people aren’t able to stop once the habit has formed.  I also used to smoke, but found the ability to stop almost four years ago.   However, I know how hard it can be to stop.  Especially considering I enjoyed smoking.  I had to remind myself that I constantly smelled horrible and was causing myself a very painful death down the road.

My step-dad is attempting to slow down his habit, but the damage has been done.  I try to remind him to take breaths slowly and do whatever it takes to keep his hands busy.  This seems to lessen the need to smoke and keeps the mind off stopping the habit.  I sure hope he continues to smoke less and offer hope to others that it is possible to stop.  If you have any stories similar to mine or have some advice to lessen the stress of stopping smoking please leave a comment.

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The dogs, cat and stress

As I look forward to the weekend and the many things I have planned, one thing seems to stay relevant; stress.  Regardless of the amount of classes a person is taking; stress can be normal for almost everybody.  E ach person handles their stress a little different and can range in severity depending on the person at hand.

Looking into this weekend I have many things I need to accomplish.  I have my daily tasks that I have to attend too, which included maintaining a household and taking care of my dogs.  Not to mention the cat that I also have, who has been in my life for over eight years.  Actually, if I take a hard look at it than it may appear that I maintain some kind of a zoo at my house.  However, this is my stress relief and really helps take the edge off the day by having three loving animals always waiting for me when I come home.

Regardless of the amount of stressful events that I have on my agenda this weekend, the one thing that stays positive is the activities that my animals and I are going to do this weekend.  I have plans to take my two dogs to the park and play fetch at the Sparks Marina. This is a very therapeutic tool for me and also I find it to be a lot of fun.  If you have any fun activities that help relieve the stress please leave a reply/comment.  Or follow me on Twitter at @LarryFrerkes.

My stress over possible war

Being the type of person I am, I like to try and take a minute to read the current events every day.  It seems that over the last several weeks people are beginning to get very cautious about the actions that are going on across the oceans.  Meaning the straining relationship between the United States and the North Korean’s stance on sanctions that are being upheld against the country.

I find it very nerve wrecking to sit in my house every single day and watch as the pressure mounts between the countries.  I have never been a proponent of war, but feel that the US is in a position of possibly being put into a stalemate that will require an inevitably strike against our foes.  The biggest tragedy of this whole event is that the possibility of war only means that if such huge actions are taken than thousands of possible innocent lives could be lost in the undertaking.  So far there has yet to be any sort of action taken by our military that has been considered a direct strike.  However, the  United States has moved war ships into the surrounding waters and is now in a better position to defend our nation if the need arises.  This does make me feel a little bit better about the situation but am still very worries about the whole event.

I have been trying to practice the stress relief techniques that I have been blogging about, but am beginning to feel only the removal of the foes will make me feel more at ease.  If you have any comment or would like to respond please leave a rebuttal.

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Sports and Stress Remedies

Being that I live in Nevada I find it a must, that I go out to the sports betting parlors and place wagers on cards that I feel I have a chance at getting some good odds.  However, the problem is that I don’t ever seem to do real well and end up blowing my money on things that I could have spent much more wisely.  The thing of it is….this is my personal fun that I partake in every once in a while and, also, I seem to find it very therapeutic and a type of stress relief.

If there was anyone out there that was not paying attention this week….there were some big basketball games on television and kept my weekend very entertained.  I had already foregone my chance at having a successful bracket and thought I would give it go at this week’s games as well.  I had truly felt that the Shocker’s had a chance at beating Louisville and then had also picked Michigan to beat Syracuse.  I ended up picking one of the two that I had wanted to end up in the championship game.  Although both of the games were very good games and had their moments of excitement and frustration.  The moral of the story this weekend was to enjoy the games and attempt to relax and have a stress-free weekend.

Sometimes not all forms of stress relief is the most common way and sometimes need to add some flare to unwinding.  I find sports betting to be a fun way to relax and unwind some of my stress.  If you enjoyed the games or have anything to say please feel free to leave a comment!

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Java and My Handle on Stress

So Friday started off as every other day, but I was soon to figure out… that it would be a day that I was glad that I’d been blogging about stress management skills.  I began the day by going to a school function that I knew would be stressful, but nothing that I couldn’t handle.  However, as I sat in my chair, during this meeting I had this nagging dilemma and it was my littlest dog back at home.  See before I had left for this meeting she had swallowed a big piece of raw-hide that my dogs get all the time.  But being the impatient dog that she is, she swallowed a piece that was the size of a half dollar.

I knew the gravity of the situation, so I had my Mom stay at my house to ensure she would be ok until I got home.  As soon as I had arrived back home I looked at my dog Java and could see in her eyes she was very ill.  The piece had bone had gone deeper and was now almost fully blocking her air way.  I had to put my finger down her throat several times to clear the air path for her to breath, while I rushed her to the Vet.  The local veterinarian on Baring Blvd in Sparks took her right in and stabilized her with medical treatment.  I almost lost one of my dogs over the weekend and am very grateful for the professional and great work that the vet showed my dog Java.

Java is now back home and resting well.  If I had not practiced some of the stress relief techniques I had learned over the last several weeks than this experience could have been far worse on my health and decision making at the moment.  If you have any stressful situations you experienced over the weekend or something to comment please feel free to leave a response.  Thanks for your time reading my story and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter!