Relaxing is something most people wish they could do. I find myself always yearning for relaxation, but I always feel tired or stressed. Relaxing seems like it is always out of my grasp. This article will help you learn to deal with stress through visualization, how to cope with worry, and the importance of sleep when searching for true relaxation.
The Tibetan's believe in the "three humours", and each of these areas relate to a type of stress; these three types of stress are known as "wind stress" which causes tense muscles, "stress of the bile" which causes irritability and impatience, and " phlegm stress" which causes "depression and fatigue" (George, 1998, p.14). Stress can and will cause pain, and I find this to be true because many people, including myself, feel sick when they are stressed out. I particularly enjoyed an exercise for dealing with stress that allows you to see your problems disappear. The method described by Roth for dealing with stress is called "stress ballooning", and it calls for the use of a felt tip marker and 2 balloons (1998). This exercise can be done without the balloons, but I enjoyed using them. In order to complete this meditation you must think of what is stressing you out, and you must figure out which one is the most potent. Now take that stress and the emotion behind it and blow it in the balloon until it is filled up with your stress. Now take a pin and pop the balloon; with that the stress and the old reaction to stress is gone. Now fill a new balloon and think positively about the stressful situation. Now write on the new balloon a new positive idea about the situation that is causing you stress. If you can not write it in words draw a picture. Now play with the balloon while thinking about your new positive response. This method was helpful to me because I realized by simply drawing a flower on the positive balloon that I need to find a job that allows me to work outside. I am very excited about my new gardening job, and this exercise definitely helped me to realize that.
Sleep is a very important part of relaxation. Sleep allows the body to "regenerate itself through inactivity" and it allows "dreams to carry out their mysterious exploration of our unconscious" (George, 1998, p. 58). Many people do not sleep enough, and many people sleep too much. I find that I sometimes I sleep way too much, and sometimes I barely sleep at all. This exercise has helped me to find a sleep pattern that is natural to me. The exercise requires going to bed when moderately tired and noting what time it is. Remember not to set an alarm, and meditate before sleep. These ideas will help you drift to sleep calmly, and you will wake up when your body feels it is restored. I found that I sleep for 8 hours before I wake up naturally. I believe that this is the natural amount of sleep that my body needs, and I also believe that I should go to sleep around midnight. I have also found through this practice if I go to sleep earlier and sleep for more than 8 hours I will be tired when I awake, and if I sleep less I will want to take a nap in the afternoon. I know that with my busy life style I will not be able to always get 8 hours of sleep, but I will try. I have also become aware of the energy restoring ability of exercise and I recommend the use of healthy sleeping instead of napping to help restore energy.
Relaxing is not always easy in the world we live in. there are always things to worry about, but these methods have helped me to relax, and I feel that these methods can help others as well. So next time you are stressed out or feel tense try these exercises in order to feel relief.
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