Relax ... or ... Help! I'm So Stretched I Could Be A Guitar String!
Posted: Saturday, January 28, 2012
by Octavia Hansen
Octavia Hansen
It's not easy to relax . . . EVERYTHING is competing for your attention, your money, your time, your very life! And if you dare slow down, you can lose your place, probably never to catch up ever again. "Lazy" has become a dirty word . . . if you aren't busy every second of every day, then something must be wrong with you. Don't just sit there -- you could be connected to someone somewhere or doing something. If some people could figure out how to go without sleep -- they actually would! Good thing that breathing comes naturally or a lot of people would fall down dead because it wasn't on their "To Do" list.
There are ways to relax, and I'll share a few . . .
Wear ear plugs. Noise in our world is constant. There are few places on the planet that are not filled with industrial sounds, nature sounds, music, wind. Everything makes a noise -- the coffee pot, a fan, the air conditioner, the heater, the phone, laundry, pets, sirens, there's a noise from opening doors, closing dressers, putting away dishes. Outside there's always traffic, office, something flying overhead making noise. When you stop sound, time slows down. Everything that distracted you, startled you, or annoyed you will immediately calm you when it's gone. Noise canceling headphones are good but clunky. Ear plugs are easy, get something that fits TIGHT into the ear -- foam or wax is very good. Probably for the first half hour to an hour, your ears will ring because you are so used to hearing so much. This is tinnitus. In severe cases, it can be so loud that it drowns out lesser noise and can keep a person from sleeping. Wearing ear protection can help the ear restore a quiet balance. (Word of warning: hearing damage is permanent. You can keep your current level, but it will never improve, ever. Hearing aids work on amplification but nothing can restore hearing loss. Protect your ears. DO NOT EVER wear ear plugs while driving!)
Dim the lights. There is a lot of light pollution everywhere now. So much so that over the last few years it has broken up the pattern of migrating birds. Yes, it's a safety measure at night, but most places are so bright that there aren't even shadows! Office lighting can be the worst -- row after row of fluorescent lights or a computer screen slow burning data onto your retina, hour after hour. Darkness immediately makes you feel cooler, not having jumping colors in front of your eyes puts your brain at rest. Bright light makes you squint -- this means wrinkles. When you turn off a bright light next to your face, you can feel your muscles relax. Even a few minutes of lesser light or even darkness can change your attitude.
Drink Water. Your body ALWAYS needs water. Just by sitting around, you lose water when you exhale. If you don't need the water, it will be passed out of your body. No one drinks their required eight glasses a day -- your body is crying out for water. When you satisfy your thirst, you can actually feel your body unwind. One of the contributing factors to muscle cramps is dehydration.
Change into VERY comfortable clothing. Take off your shoes and socks, take off your watch and rings -- a sweat suit is best for not pulling, pinching or squeezing your skin or body parts. And take off your underwear. Most people are wearing the same old stuff even after they have put on a few pounds. Now it pinches but they wear it anyway. When you are comfortable, you breathe better and you rest easier.
Listen to soothing music or mood sounds. By having low, quiet, peaceful music or nature sounds playing, it not only masks irritating noises but gives your brain something to focus on other than mentally regurgitating thoughts and problems of the day. Physical and massage therapists have known this for years. For those with tinnitus, quiet sounds can keep the ear engaged just enough so the ringing in the ear becomes less without sacrificing further hearing sensitivity. Also, listening to music expands your mind. (Relaxing music DOES NOT include rap, hip-hop, screaming soul, metal or anything played above a whisper. This also means some classical music should not be considered for relaxation either because of volume or abrasive instruments.)
Turn off the television. There are layers of sound in everything -- usually talking over music, add sound effects, bright light and jumping images and it's a headache machine! Most dialogue ends up in screaming, almost every program has gun shots, cars squealing, things crashing, some images fly past so fast you can't focus -- all in the name of entertainment. There is a flickering to television that you aren't aware of, it's your persistence of vision that makes an image appear move. High definition television flickers faster to make the movement smoother, but it's still quick flashes in succession. When you turn off the television, both sound and light are reduced and your brain can rest. With the poor quality of programming, violent sports and depressing news, you're not missing much.
Sleep. The one thing people sacrifice most in a busy life is sleep. You cannot have a reserve of sleep, there is only a deficit. Anything that keeps you awake you will have to make up later sometime. When there is enough of lack of sleep, you will pass out, your body will MAKE you sleep. Before this happens you will be nervous, you will be tired productivity goes down, you are not alert, it affects your immune system and your attitude. If you really cannot sleep (stress, emergency, change of location), then eat good food, not sugar/salty/fatty junk. We're talking fruit, steak, eggs, milk, raw veggies -- to give your body something to build with but you'll still have to catch up on sleep later.
Relaxation is an art. Like all things precious and important, to get good at it, you have to practice. When you can establish a habit or a ritual, it becomes easier to find rest in a hectic day. And lately, it has been proven that the last things you see or do before rest or sleep will effect the quality of your relaxation. So scary movies, depressing news or negative financial dealings will interfere with your rest and sleep. Reading is a great start to a good night's sleep, but it has to be something soothing. If not reading, then beautiful images and quiet music are the next best thing. A book of beautiful images is infinitely better than turning on a television. Remember, even playing a DVD won't help --that flickering will keep your brain working. Also, don't eat heavy meals or hard to digest foods before resting or sleep. Pizza, beer, chocolate, most sugar, fatty or salty food will keep you awake -- these things may be good for lunch or on a break but it defeats your relaxing anywhere. Fruit or white wine are great calming influences, but as usual -- everything in moderation.
My relaxation technique? Easy . . . get away from everybody else! This means leaving all media, all people, anything outside my own skin and being alone. A hot shower, a cup of tea and a boring book are enough to send me to slumberland. Hey, Little Nemo, over here . . . there's an adventure about to start in Dreamland.
This Article has been viewed 541 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)my friends always amaze on how fast i sleep. but the fact is that i go bed to rest. i don't want to sleep or i don't try to do that
--
O,
You hit this one out of the park! Good show! Even a great title.
Ron
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.