Lizzie Hedrick, editor of Rivertowns Patch, recently wrote: “I was wondering if you could address a question I think everyone grapples with: Mindfulness is great when you're already calm, but how do you make it carry over when...there's a fire you have to run and cover or your boss is asking for 15 things at once. Basically, how do you incorporate mindfulness into Westchester life?”

A great question, Lizzie. And of course you’re right: Where you live, and what you do for a living have a lot to do with how much stress, all other things being equal, you experience in your daily life. Sperling’s Best Places to Live ranks the New York metropolitan area the fifth most stressful place to live of the hundred largest metro areas in the country (Tacoma, Washington is the most stressful; Albany-Schenectady-Troy is the least stressful).

And needless to say what you do for a living affects your expected level of stress. The most stressful job in America? According to Career Cast, it’s an enlisted soldier (stress score 84.61). But—shout out to my fellow clergy—the role of religious leader is only about half as stressful as that of an enlisted person (with a stress score of 41.770). And the least stressful job? That would be medical records technician at 7.52. By the way: photojournalist (which comes in at 47.9) is the eighth most stressful job out there. (So Lizzie: see if you can leave your camera at the office when you’re rushing out to cover the next fire.)    

Quite seriously, is there anything one can do—short of moving to Albany and becoming a medical records technician—to decrease the amount of stress we feel in our lives? We’ll be looking at that question over the coming weeks. I’d love to meet you in person at our week-long SYNAGOGUE OPEN HOUSE. Free classes, workshops, yoga, films (for kids and adults), and dinner, March 18 – 24. A full schedule of "PCS Palooza" activities posted soon at www.shalomPCS.com.

Rabbi Mark Sameth is the spiritual leader of Joyful Judaism: Pleasantville Community Synagogue an inclusive, progressive synagogue – with members from twenty towns, villages and cities all across Westchester. Read The New York Times article. Weekly meditation at the synagogue every Saturday morning at 9 am is open to the public. Everyone – without exception - is welcome and warmly invited.