subject: Real Relaxation Techniques [print this page] In this high-tech age, life is stressfulIn this high-tech age, life is stressful. You have to deal with health problems, money problems, work problems, family problems, and relationship problems, among others. Not only you may not know how to confront these problems, but also you may not have the time to deal with them. As a result, you feel stressed and distressed. Time stress has become a phenomenon of contemporary living. But to cope with stress, first and foremost, you need to find time to relax yourself. More importantly, you need to develop a strategy for real relaxation techniques.
First of all, relaxation is holistic, which means it involves relaxation of the body, the mind, and the spirit. You must find time to practice real relaxation techniques, such as taking a meaningful break from your daily routine. Meditation, jogging, going fishing, and taking a vacation are examples of relaxation techniques. But in order to relax, you must find time to relax, so time is of essence. Time stress is a major stress factor in everyday life that is detrimental to both physical and mental health. In order to relax, you must overcome time stress. Truly, we all have deadlines to meet in almost every aspect of our lives. Given that everybody has only twenty-four hours a day, it is unthinkable that you need more time to get your work done than everyone else. Do you "really" have more work that needs to be done than others? Just think about that! Time is all in your mind -- a result of your own thinking. So, do not let the constrains of your life mold your time; instead, change your perception of time.
One of the ways to overcome time stress is doing nothing. Deliberate non-doing gives you a sense of inner calmness that may let you re-consider the importance of doing only what are the most important things in your life, and to see in perspective why they are most important to you. Only when you start doing only the most important things to you, then you will begin to have enough time for everything else. This may sound stranger than fiction, but this is the truth to overcome time stress and to let you have time for real relaxation techniques, such as meditation and yoga.
After you have found time for yourself to relax, you must have the right attitude or mindset for relaxation, such as looking at things around you in perspective; Plato, the famous Greek philosopher, once said: "Nothing in the affairs of men is worthy of great anxiety." Meditate to become more aware of your body is mental relaxation to avoid anxiety. In meditation, you focus your mind on something insignificant or irrelevant, such as your breathing, so as to keep your mind remain at the present moment, even though just for only a short spell, without thinking of the past or the future. In that way, the mind becomes fully relaxed.
Design a morning relaxation routine to cope with stress. For optimum heart health, make a smooth transition from sleep to wakefulness. Research studies have indicated that heart attacks occur mostly in the morning because of the dramatic change from sleep to wakefulness (especially morning rush). To keep yourself healthier and more relaxed, follow the Tao way of waking up: Using your fingertips, massage your ears, eyes, lips, and nose, and lips. Gently tap your scalp with your hands. With a continual stroking action, massage your shoulders, elbows, hands, chest, abdomen, knees and feet. With your palms, massage your lower back. Vigorously inhale through your nose, and exhale through your mouth several times to rid your body of toxins. Then get out of bed.
If you have time, perform some yoga postures or simple stretch exercises. Throughout the day, whenever you can tear yourself from work or daily chores, practice eye-palming exercise. This unique eye-relaxation exercise uses your healing hands to direct energy to your eyes, as well as to rest your optic nerve and relax your entire nervous system, thereby instrumental in relaxing the body and the spirit as well to cope with stress.
To practice eye-palming exercise, sit comfortably with your elbows resting on a desk or a table in front of you. Rub your palms together to generate some warmth. Then place your warm palms over your eyes, without touching them, while resting them on the boney ridge surrounding your eyes with the heels of your hands on your cheekbones. Your eyes should be gently closed. Now, relax your mind, and breathe deeply through your nose, not your mouth. The slower your breathing is, the more relaxed your mind becomes. You can feel your abdomen and back expand and contract as you inhale and exhale, respectively. It is important to visualize complete darkness to relax your mind. Feel your neck and shoulders expand and contract as your deep and slow breathing continues. Eye-palming exercise is one of the real relaxation techniques, and you can practice it whenever you have 10 minutes or so.
Real relaxation techniques are natural components of holistic health and wellness.
