Relaxation

We talk a lot about stress in our society, but very little about relaxation. Odd, isn't it? The ability to relax is, in my view, undervalued. We value driven people, achievers, go-getters. "He's a bit laid-back" is more likely to be an insult than a compliment!

We all need to relax. Heart disease leads too many of us to an early grave. Interpersonal friction damages marriages and relationships. The everyday tensions of life weigh too heavily on us, crushing our sense of joy at being alive. (If I become too lyrical, just slap me)

The ideal image of the truly relaxed person is the sprinter tearing down the track. Watch his face -- see how the skin ripples easily. He's utterly relaxed, even to his facial muscles. He's pumping his arms but, again, see how the muscles float freely. Relaxed. Not holding him back. Now look at his eyes. They're focused on one thing only -- the finishing tape. This is the paradox of relaxation: we perform optimally when we are both relaxed and focused.

This applies in every aspect of life. Relaxation + focus = optimum performance. In social relationships. At work. In sports and athletics. It's the goal of every sports psychologist -- to help their athletes to stay in control of body and mind, even when they are playing the most important game of the year. It's called being "in the zone". It's sometimes referred to as "Daring to lose, to win". Allowing yourself to be bold, to take risks, and not to fear the consequences. Watch a top-flight sportsperson at work and you will see what I mean. It's the difference between competence and mastery, that moment when it all looks so easy.

How do we get "in the zone"? There are two proven relaxation techniques : deep meditation and hypnosis. I use both, personally. If these approaches seem daunting, then let me suggest a few simple techniques which you can use every day, without special training or expense, to help you shed some of your daily load of anxiety.

The first technique is the simplest: just take a deep breath in, hold it, and release slowly. As you release, let your shoulders drop. You'd be surprised how much tension resides in our shoulders. A variation of this technique is the walking meditation. As you walk along, count your paces. Breath in for 4 paces, hold for 4, breathe out for 6. Start again. You can vary the numbers. A singer I know does 12 in, 12 holding and 12 out, but then breath control is her stock in trade.

Another useful, everyday technique is to develop awareness of your body. For example, observe your breathing. Become aware of the breath entering your body. The slight increase in tension in your chest muscles as your chest expands. The release of tension on the outbreath. Any part of your body can be treated in this way. Pay close attention to your body here and now, and you will rapidly shed some of your tension.

A third approach is to use an external object as your focus. A cup, for example. Let everything else disappear from your attention and focus exclusively on the cup. Become aware of its glaze. The porcelain beneath. Sense its curvature. Let its history begin to seep into your soul. I'm getting lyrical again, so slap me. When you focus intently on an everyday object, not forcing the issue but allowing that object to fill your field of awareness, good things happen to your mind and body. It's another example of living in the here and now.

Some people shy away from hypnotherapy and meditation. I can understand the reluctance if you've never experienced the benefits, but I can wholeheartedly recommend both approaches. My own hypnotherapy clients swear by the CDs I give them. How simple is that? Half an hour of 'quiet time' every so often (typically, once per week) can unwind the tensions of work, relationships and the general hassles of modern life.

Whatever solution you choose, you won't regret learning to relax. It's the most valuable investment any person can make.

Jim Sullivan is a hypnotherapist specialising in confidence, self esteem and stress management. He may be contacted via the Confidence Club website http://www.confidenceclub.net

---

Cure for Shingles

Shingles is a patch of painful blisters that appear on one side of the body. These blisters are filled with fluid. These blisters are caused by the varicella-zoster virus, a virus from the... Read More

Self Hypnosis CD Recordings

The purpose of this article is not to offer an opinion about the efficacy of hypnosis as used by any hypnotherapist. The BMA has long since acknowledged its place as a useful psychological... Read More

What are Some Benefits For Quitting Smoking?

There are immediate benefits for quitting smoking. Within eight hours after you quit, the level of dangerous carbon monoxide gas in the blood returns to normal. Also, within the next 24 hours, your... Read More

Various Types of Herbal Medicine: Used for Thousands of Years to Successfully Treat Diseases

Interest in medicinal herbs is on the rise again and the interest is primarily from the pharmaceutical industry, which is always looking for 'new drugs' and more effective substances to treat diseases, for... Read More

Healing Through Stories

Stories are powerful. How many times have you heard a child beg, *Tell me a story.* Scientists say we are wired to learn through stories. In fact, the first three polysyllabic words your... Read More

Bird Flu : A Disease You Can?t Ignore

AS BIRD flu, or Avian Influenza, raged through Asia, countries such as Vietnam, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Japan, Korea and Taiwan are stepping up on massive culling of their poultry as they... Read More

Once You Discover and Act on This ?Secret? to Health and Energy, You May be Changed for the Better

I discovered something completely, 100% amazing about 5 years ago. The first thing it did for me health- wise was get rid of my back problem to the point that I no longer... Read More

The Simplest Asthma Solution

During the Democratic convention the Reverend Al Sharpton quoted a shocking statistic: One third of the children in Harlem suffer from asthma. This shouldn't be completely surprising since asthma cases have been consistently... Read More

Moles, Warts & Skin Tags Remedy

Are you worried about your moles, warts, and skin tags? Are scared about the idea of removing them surgically using laser, knife or some acid?Moles and warts are skin infection caused by specific... Read More

Our New Years Resolution ? Get Rid of The Toxins in our Lives

It is hard to believe, almost unthinkable. Everyday we are exposed to so many toxins in our lives. Some are so common and ordinary that we never know or fail to remember how... Read More

Making Your Lungs Work Better With Water

All of us know when our lungs aren't quite working right. We feel sluggish, and our heads feel foggy. It may be that we're having an upper-respiratory infection, or some other problem.But whatever... Read More

Strong Drugstore Laxatives ? Use With Caution

Osmotic chemicals ? Saline CartherticsThese chemicals are salts and other compounds that activate secretions of water from your colon walls and into your colon, which are absorbed by the fecal matter. This softens... Read More

Quantum Biology and Its Uses for Aromatherapy

Bel'Air has brought in cutting edge medical technology from Europe and America, in the form of "Quantum Xrriod C.I System", to allow distributors to understand their health conditions using the most advanced medical... Read More

Toddler Stuttering

Some parents have the shock of hearing their young child start to stutter as a toddler. I am somebody who runs a speech centre in Birmingham, England, I now help people to achieve... Read More

The 5 Hidden Dangers In Toothpaste

A Must Read if You Have Children!Would you allow your family to brush their teeth with engine degreaser or rat poison? The fact is, they probably are and you don't even know it.Dental... Read More

Reversing Macular Degeneration: Without Drugs Or Surgery

I would like to report some anecdotal research findings that suggest how our beliefs and our traumatic life history can be directly linked to some of the physical illnesses that we experience during... Read More

How to Stop Bleeding Gums

Bleeding gums can be one sign of periodontal disease, gingivitis, or other serious problems. Other symptoms like bad breath, toothache, and receding gums indicate poor dental health.Gum disease affects the tissues that surround... Read More

How To Have Optimal Health and Energy: Seven Key Steps

Hello!Alan Allard here?You have my respect for taking action to learn how to improve your overall health. You can discover and learn how to do just that?change and improve your health?and enjoy the... Read More

Food Combining for Indigestion

I'd like to share with you some basic food combining rules as set forth by the late Dr. Herbert Shelton many years ago.A couple of comments before we get to the rules.First, the... Read More

What is Hypnosis?

Before anyone experiences hypnosis and starts using it to make wonderful, beneficial changes in their life, this article is designed to perhaps to answer a few questions you may have and also to... Read More

When Your Emotions Become Like Ticking Bombs & Cause Disease

So, where does disease come from? How does it get manifested in your body in the first place? Do environment and diet really play key roles in causing disease? Well, the information contained... Read More

Living with Aromatherapy

Places Suitable for Use of Aromatherapy Products: living room, bedroom, study room, kitchen, bathroom, office, conference room, KTV, hospital, car and other enclosed spaces.Aromatherapy? When someone at home is down with influenza, light... Read More

Use Digestive Enzymes to Reduce Hemorrhoid Inflammation

Using digestive enzymes when you have hemorrhoids is a good idea. Digestive enzymes help reduce inflammation, reduce fibrin, and clean the blood of foreign particles. These enzymes activities strengthen your immune system and... Read More

A Morning Smoothie to Help You Stop Constipation

Chronic constipation can be hard to stop or elimination, since the colon have become weak. In most cases it will have to be retrained on how to have a bowel movement.For those of... Read More

Understanding Hypnosis

If you want to use hypnosis for therapeutic reasons, there are three personal assets you will need. They are: imagination, concentration, and a genuine motivation to be hypnotized. Each time someone works with... Read More

The Tribrain and Trauma Therapy

When someone experiences a trauma they go into immediate shock. This is very similar to hypnosis. Under hypnosis a person is more suggestible and tends to remember everything that occurred while in that... Read More

Shiatsu

What is Shiatsu? Shiatsu, literally means: Shi = 'finger,' Atsu = 'pressure.' By definition, Shiatsu translates into 'finger pressure.' Recognized by Japanese law in 1955, and in the text book, 'Theory and Practice... Read More

Medieval Remedies That Still Work Today

Home Remedies - Facts or Quacks?In a previous article we looked at several possible definitions of a home remedy, and patched together a definition that met our mental image of such a remedy.... Read More

The Raindrop Technique Massage

Raindrop Technique is a procedure for applying therapeutic grade essential oils to the feet, back and spine. It is a form of aromatherapy. Raindrop icorporates certain Native American concepts, including a special form... Read More