How many times do you lament your lack of time to relax? When it’s forced upon us—like when we’re home sick with the flu—we somehow find the time to “do nothing,” but doing nothing is not often something we make time to fit into our day. Illness should not be our prescription for relaxation, however. If you don’t find a way to relax your mind, your body and your spirit, there is a chance that you might be setting yourself on the path of feeling un-well.
Relaxation exercises were first introduced by Edmund Jacobson, a Chicago physician who wrote the book Progressive Relaxation. In 1975, Dr. Herbert Benson wrote his groundbreaking book called The Relaxation Response, which is now recognized by the National Institute of Health. Relaxation exercises do not necessarily need to take a great deal of time. They do require the mind to focus on what you are doing such as breathing, thinking or progressive muscle relaxation. Relaxation exercises have been found to be very beneficial in the treatment of high blood pressure, muscular tension, anxiety, insomnia, depression, fatigue, muscle spasms, and neck and back pain.
Every day should be “Relaxation Day,” and here’s one exercise to get you started:
- Breathe in to the count of four, and then breathe out to the count of four. As you silently count, focus on how the breath feels coming into your lungs and going out.
- Close your eyes. Let your mind travel to a place that you remember made you feel relaxed and calm. It could be at the beach, on a picnic, in the mountains or even in your own back yard. Recall the special scents of this place, such as the salt water, cut grass or smell of home cooking.
- Then begin to focus in on what you remember seeing in your special place at that time, like the water, a country road, family members or children at play.
- Think about the sounds you heard at that time, such as children laughing, birds tweeting, or the ocean’s roar.
- Allow yourself to relive the emotions you felt at that time.
- End your mind journey with repeating your breathing as described above. This may take anywhere from 3-5 minutes, depending on how long you prefer to remain in the exercise.
Remember, our minds have minds of their own and will naturally wander. If you do find your mind starting to wander away from the exercise, gently bring your mind back to your relaxation exercise.
There are many short relaxation exercises that are beneficial emotionally, spiritually and physically. Find the one that works best for you, and take time out to relax TODAY!
