Simple Strategies for Relaxation

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It's a paradox: one of the biggest reasons people find themselves unable to relax is the simple feeling that they have too much to do in order to justify relaxing.  Why?  Because of the feeling that relaxation is an indulgence, a time-waster: if I can just get this project done, they might think, then I'll have the time to relax.  But life doesn't work that way: no matter how much you accomplish, it won't be long before another task comes along asking for your attention. 

Relaxation, if you're one of these types of people, feels purposeless, and so it can fall by the wayside in your daily affairs.  You may just not be comfortable with the idea of relaxing by taking some time out for nothing but relaxation.  You may, in order to feel comfortable, need a purpose--or at least the feeling of a purpose.

So the solution here is active relaxation: activities that get you away from your regular life and feed the part of your brain that feels uncomfortable without the constant feeling of purpose that stress promotes.  To that end, here are three quick and simple strategies you can do in fifteen to thirty minutes that'll feed your Type A-for-active tendencies while getting you some needed relaxation and relief.

The Candle:

You probably have at least one CD or record in the house that you haven't listened to in a while.  Find it and find a quiet room where you won't be disturbed.  Put the CD or record in a player, find or buy a candle (the longer-burning, the better), and light it.  Turn on your music and put out all of the other lights.  Find a comfortable seat, then stare into the candle flame and take a deep breath.  As the song plays, follow along with it in your mind: try to hear and register every note, every word, every beat.  Continue breathing while you listen and watch the candle flame.  This isn't purposeless: you have a serious purpose, to sit back, breathe, and really listen to this album.  Let all of your other concerns go: imagine, if you need to, that one by one they're dropping into the candle flame, curling up, and disappearing.  Just think of the music, the flame, and your breathing.  Keep it up until you feel the stress slowly disappear.

The Paragraph:

Maybe there's a book on your shelf that you haven't read.  Take it out and find a comfortable place to sit.  Open the book and find a paragraph at random.  Read it to yourself, and then, keeping it in mind, close the book, close your eyes, sit back, and breathe.  Try to imagine the scene from the book: the characters, their environment, the sounds and smells.  How is this purposeless?  You're doing serious work, trying to understand this book.  Let all of your other concerns drop away: imagine them disappearing into the setting, like birds vanishing into the distance.  Just sit, alone with yourself and the scene before you, breathing and being there.  Keep it up until you start to feel relaxed.

The Store:

Grocery shopping is a purposeful errand, right?  Get up from whatever you're doing, leave your wallet and money behind, and walk to the store.  The larger the store, the better.  Just take a long walk through the aisles; you're not buying anything today.  Watch the food on the shelves, watch the people rushing around you: you'll be surprised by how relaxing it is when you're not really a part of it all.  Imagine that all of your worries are being boxed up, packaged, and put on the shelf with a price attached: someone else will pick them up and take them away for now.  Keep breathing steadily and take it slow, just thinking about the food and people, letting everything else go.  It shouldn't take long before you feel relaxed.

Want to know the secret behind all of these?  It's simple: relaxation is a purpose in and of itself.  Without relaxation, all of your other purposes won't be fulfilled: stress, however helpful you think it may be, can do some serious damage to your body and to your mind.  Consider that, and consider taking some time for true passive relaxation, using some of the articles and services provided by Charles Moore, UK relaxation specialist, for ideas. 

The paradox about people not relaxing due to stress can be beaten with another paradox: relaxing by fooling yourself into thinking that you're not relaxing at all.  So take some time with your music, your book, your trip to the store: run some errands, get some things done.  Whatever you're doing, turn it into an opportunity to forget your concerns, to relax.  What you're really accomplishing is far more valuable than any of your other concerns, in the end: a relaxed body and mind, enabling you both to be effective in your life concerns, and to stay healthy, calm, and ready for the next challenge coming your way.

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