How to relax?
It’s week two at the wellness center. I’m already thinking about what tips and hints to take home and implement into my daily life. A major tenant of this detox regimen has been REST and relaxation. Le sigh. Relaxation is one thing that has alluded me for some time. I don’t know why its so hard for me, or when it became so hard.
There is so much I want to do and as a “time conscious” person, I feel like if I don’t keep going and setting up my years, months, days, hours with all of the things so that I can learn more, become more, accomplish more and none of the time or talents are squandered (and I still manage to squander plenty) there will be great things left on the table. So I gotta go, go and keep on going. Until I crash.
When I’m “in distress”, its usually because I don’t feel like I’m doing enough, fast enough, well enough. Consequently, I’ve spent a lot of my life, in distress. Not good. I’m not relaxed.
The staff has my number. They have figured out I’m not a great sleeper, and that even though I’m sitting still and attentively listening to the lectures or going through the treatments my relax game is weak. Believe it or not, I have to report how many hours of sleep I have a night, I also have been reminded about my devices more than once and have been told to stroll and “take it easy”. STROLL???? Was I just cursed out?
How am I learning to relax? (Perhaps you have this down and you can skip the rest of this post entirely):
Spend time everyday in prayer/meditation.
Spend time giving thanks - I give thanks for all the things that make my life good right now. Example I’m giving thanks for peaches that fall out of trees and smell and taste so good I could weep.
Do not multi-task relaxation - I do this a lot. I allegedly watch a tv show, design a full line of clothing, text my realtor on a steal of a property, and mentally kick myself that I didn’t place that flower order in for a friends new baby - at once.
Spend time in fresh air and sunshine each day…without an exercise objective.
Switch it off - Did you know that the optimal hours for healing sleep are between 9 p.m. and 2 a.m.? Therefore, I can’t be eating late and twirling batons and high kicking in my private marching band at 8:45 p.m. I think I’m going to really try and turn off (deep breath) all electronics at 8:00 p.m. and store them in another room and wind down. Wind down = Reading a magazine, sipping tea, playing some smooth jazz?
Take one day of complete rest from the usual hustle and bustle (no exception on the hustle or the bustle) - I said ONE WHOLE DAY OF REST! Not sleep! REST! Which I believe leads to an overall relaxed way of living.
Read something enjoyable every day.
Repeat after me. Never hurry, never worry. No guilt about not getting it all done.
Laugh hard at least once a day - I need more time with my best friend.
Dance daily.
Do you have some other ideas about how to relax? PLEASE help me out and leave some suggestions below. Or poo-poo my suggestions above. It’s cool. I’m working on this relaxation thing. I suck at it and need to get better ASAP. Help please!