Relaxation
How To Relax
Joe and I are trading today. He’s posting over at “How I Will Be Rich” and I’m writing here.
This site is called Be Healthy and Relax and so far there’s been a whole lot about being healthy and not a whole lot about relaxation. Joe and I live in San Diego and we are both huge sports fans. If there’s anyone else out there who’s big on sports, you probably already know what I’m getting at. Watching and being a fan of San Diego has been rather stressful. The Padres blew their shot at the playoffs in the last three games of the season and The Chargers, who were one of the best teams in the NFL last year have been completely, well… stinking.
It’s hard not to be stressed about this type of thing. Sometimes you just take these things for a little more than what they really are, a bunch of guys playing a game. Nonetheless, you want to see your team win and when they don’t you’re less than happy.
On that note, I’d like to give a little list of some ideas to relax. If you take some time out of your day to really relax, you will see benefits in so many areas of your life. It’s better for your heart, it clears your mind, it’s good for your complexion and maybe you’ll stop yelling at loved ones when the Chargers blow a 16 to nothing lead in the second half.
Here’s some ideas:
- Sit or lay in silence – Find an area that’s quiet and comfortable. Close your eyes and take deep breaths. Listen to the sound of your breathing. Imagine all the muscles in your body just turning to Jello. Clear your head and just relax. This is a great way to calm yourself down. Do this for maybe ten to fifteen minutes. Once you’re done, I can almost guarantee that you will feel great.
- Take a warm bath – Draw a warm bath, light some candles, maybe even use some of the scented oils. Lay back, close your eyes and relax. This is a great stress reducer.
- Have a glass of wine or two – Joe has already discussed the fact that wine can be beneficial to your health if taken in small doses. It’s also a great stress reliever at the end of a long day. Maybe even combine the glass of wine with the warm bath. Spoil yourself a little after a stressful day.
- Get a massage – How great does a good massage make you feel. It’s hard to think about the days events while receiving an amazing massage.
- Get pets – It’s been shown that people with pets tend to be less stressed than people without pets. Cats, dogs and fish all seem to work really well. Studies even show that dog owners live longer than people without dogs.
- Exercise – This can work wonders on your mind. Not only is exercise great for getting your mind off of stressful things but, when done often, actually helps prevent feeling stressed in less than pleasing situations. A healthy body makes a happy body and a happy mind.
Those are some ideas to get you started on the path to a more relaxing life. Try not to let those sports teams affect you so much… That’s something I’m still working on.
-M
Napping is a Very Powerful Tool
Most people associate nappers with lazy people. You sleep all night and still need a nap in the middle of the day. You must have went to bed too late or are just plain lazy. Studies have actually shown lately that there is a little more to napping than meets the eye. There are numerous benefits.
- Naps improve alertness and stamina.
- Naps can lift productivity and mood.
- They can lower stress.
- They can improve memory and learning.
- Brain activity stays high throughout the day after naps.
The optimum nap time is about 20 minutes but no more. When you sleep for 20 minutes you go through the first 2 cycles of sleep where you really relax and fall in to a slight sleep. Any more than that and you start to fall in to the third cycle of sleep which is a deeper, slow wave sleep. If you start to slip in to this stage of sleep, you may wake up groggy and tired. This is the opposite effect of what you want. So set an alarm clock to get the optimum level of sleep.
When taking a nap, follow these steps:
- Avoid drinking caffeine, sugar, or fatty foods before naps.
- Eat foods with calcium or protein which promote sleep.
- Find a dark place to sleep or use an eye shade.
- Find a quiet place to sleep where you won’t be disturbed.
- Sleep with a blanket to raise body temperature.
- White noise works for some people to help them relax.
- Set an alarm to make sure you don’t fall in to too deep of a sleep.
Power naps are very beneficial. Take advantage of them to improve your life. For more information on the subject and the source of this material, check out this article at Men’s Journal.
-M
