How to
Relax
Remember the last time you took a one-week vacation…a
real vacation? When was the last time you left your work behind and spent time truly
relaxing and savoring each moment? How did you feel? What did you experience? It probably
took you three to four days to wind down before you began to enjoy your vacation. |
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However, when you returned to work it may
have taken only three to four hours to get "back in the swing" of the daily rat
race. How would you like to feel the way you did at the end of your vacation every day?
Learning relaxation skills can take you to that serene sense of self in only 10 minutes.
You’ll be able to capture that wonderful feeling of relaxation over and over again.
In a study conducted by the Canadian Institute of Stress, 17 percent of the average
person’s health benefits were directly related to relaxation. Relaxation improved the
subjects’ health more than exercise. The study showed that relaxation provides a
strong foundation for overall health improvement and maintenance when done in conjunction
with other more traditional forms of preventive health activities.
There are a number of ways you can learn to relax and the
most effective one is going to be determined based on what typically causes you the most
stress. Are you nervous, worry alot, or typically always tense? How you handle
stress will determine if muscular, emotional or mental relaxation will be the most
effective. One of the best ways to begin to relax is to learn how to breath.
Most people pay little, if any, attention to how they breathe, unless they have had vocal
or music lessons. Breathing is something we take for granted. If you have developed poor
breathing habits, like shallow, chest breathing, it is very difficult to get needed
oxygen. This type of breathing contributes to anxiety, panic attacks, muscle tension,
headaches, depression, fatigue and makes it difficult to cope with stressful situations.
The first step for improved breathing is to develop an
awareness and understanding of how you currently breathe. As your awareness increases and
you practice slowing and normalizing your breathing, you will discover that your body will
begin to relax and your mind will quiet. Simply improving basic breathing techniques will
enhance your psychological and physical well being.
To learn more about specific breathing techniques or how wo relax,
please review these Lifegevity Program resources. |
