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THE IMPORTANCE OF RELAXATION
MAY 01, 2009
Dear Reader,
Do
you think that you are a bad person when you relax instead of working? Is it
one of your beliefs that taking time off is unnecessary? Are you sure that
doing nothing is an attitude of laziness?
Have
you ever felt burned out because you overworked yourself? Have you ever had
stress symptoms that made it impossible for you to continue working on your
projects? Have you ever become sick since you didn't take enough care of
yourself?
I
would like to know what my readers think and experience: If you know
somebody who could contribute to this topic, please ask this person to share her story using the form on my website http://www.express-your-voice.com/contact-me.html.
read more below
THE IMPORTANCE OF RELAXATION
The truth about work and relaxation
For
each phase of productivity, we need a phase of relaxation that allows us to
recharge our batteries and to generate new energy for upcoming projects. We
should follow the example of competitive athletes: After each phase of strong
activity we should calm down, relax and loosen ourselves including soul, mind
and body. We cannot be in a relaxed state when our muscles are tense.
If
we don't accept that we need relaxation in between projects, we slowly but
steadily get burned out. Feeling burned out makes it impossible for us to
continue working on our projects because we have a lack of energy in this
state.
Don't
forget that it is a part of life sometimes to do nothing. For some people this
part is very hard since they believe that busy people are better people, or
since they cannot stand the thoughts that they have when they do nothing. Doing
nothing should be included in your schedule from time to time, anyway, no
matter if you like it or not.
You
are not a better human because you keep yourself busy all day long. When we
cannot stand doing nothing, we should gently ask ourselves why. Is there
something in our life that we haven't faced yet even though we should? What is
troubling us when we do nothing? Do we believe that we are not valuable humans
when we are not active?
Will relaxation help us to become
more productive?
The
mean attention span of a human being is about 45 minutes. This means that the
average human needs a pause after 45 minutes of paying attention. This pause
shouldn't be longer than 10 to 15 minutes.
When
we relax, we move from a tense state of activity into a state of alpha waves
that makes us very creative and gives us new ideas that we wouldn't get
otherwise. Therefore, we should not only relax between projects, but also
between short time intervals that we work on a project. When we follow these
relaxation times, we set our full creative potential free for the project. The
goals are attained more easily and the results are even better.
Time
of relaxation that we spend with family and friends makes us happier in life
and creates new energy for upcoming projects. When we spend time with
supportive people, we gain new insights, and we get out of isolation.
Always
remember that you have not only the right to relax between activities, but that
you also have the duty to do so if you want to stay healthy and live your life
with the most possible energy!
We can choose between different
methods of relaxation:
-
Going for a walk (with or without dog)
-
Exercising
-
Meditation
-
Sports
-
Yoga
-
Reading a book that you always wanted to read
-
Taking one or more days off
-
Only doing what you like without any rules
-
Hiking in the mountains
-
Getting a massage
-
Attending a wellness spa
-
Listening to music that you like
-
Meeting friends inside or outside the house
-
Painting
-
Writing about something you always wanted to write about
-
Playing an instrument
-
Lying on a sofa or bed and just doing NOTHING
Can
you come up with other ideas?
Make
your personal list of activities or inactivities that relax you.
Is it possible to relax too often?
Yes,
of course it is. With relaxation it is the same as with everything else in
life. Finding the right dose for you is important. You should relax so often
that you don't get feelings of burn out, and that you have enough energy to
work on your projects. The relaxation intervals between short periods that you
are working on your projects should be short too. Try to find out how much
relaxation you need by testing different options.
If
you are looking for relaxing music, then check out the website of Hypnotherapist
Janet Montgomery that is called www.livewellseries.com.
She
offers CDs and her motto is "Imagine... living your best life".
This month, I suggest that you...
... find
some activities that have a relaxing effect on you and that you love doing. The
more you like these activities, the simpler it will be for you to make a
regular habit out of doing them. Make consistent relaxation a constant habit in
your life. When you relax regularly, the effects on your life and projects are
ideal.
Please recommend signing up for the Express Your Voice Booster to your interested friends, relatives and colleagues, and send them over to www.express-your-voice.com/newsletter.html.
Make sure that you visit my website www.expres-your-voice.com and check out my book preview "Speaking Out - A Journey To Your Greatest Life.
Feel free to visit my new blog http://create-great-life.blogspot.com regularly, and read about my newest projects and insights about speaking out and creating a great life.
