My head hurts from thinking
I’m so stressed over this hand
I don’t know what to do
I need a miracle
I can’t wait until this is over
Let me out of my misery
This is awful

Hard to believe, but the above phrases have been muttered at Mah Jongg games I have attended. There are probably similar ones I didn’t hear. Mah Jongg is an activity that we voluntarily attend. We clear our schedules, look forward to going, and sign up in advance. We arrive at the allotted time ready to play, and generally with smiles on our faces. So how do we get from that to being stressed? Why are we stressed? It certainly doesn’t help our well-being, and probably not our game. When we are stressed, the heart begins to race, breathing quickens, muscles tighten, and blood pressure rises.

Regardless of whether there is money involved or not, playing Mah Jongg should be enjoyable. While we each want to do well and win some games, it shouldn’t be a stressful experience. Sometimes we have other stressors in our lives, and we are playing Mah Jongg to escape them, even for a brief time. That’s good.

It shouldn’t be surprising that sometimes a player wins a Mah Jongg game after uttering one of the phrases noted above. The agony and stress were for nothing! So remember that the reason we play Mah Jongg is to have fun, and RELAX!