The Necessity of Relaxation

Are you always on the go? Are you always trying to get overtime at work or finding more chores to do around the house? Are you always finding yourself getting up to do something just after you sit down? If you can answer yes to any one of these questions then you have not been letting yourself relax. Before the last month or so, I can’t remember the last time that I had relaxed. I was always trying to find more work and working into the wee hours of the night. I couldn’t stay seated very long and whenever I would try to do something for myself I felt guilty like I should be working or cleaning. I know that many others have been in this same position as well. In my case, I grew up with a father who was always working and he still does to this day. I believe that I learned this from him. However, throughout my life I was always trying to finally (waiting for the day) where I could do better or more than my sisters so I could make others proud. I believe that this contributed to me always trying to work so hard. Finally, after some counseling and a very tough day I realized that in order to have success in life, I must be happy with myself. I wasn’t going to be happy with myself until changes started to happen and I had to make those changes happen. One of the changes that I needed to make was allowing myself to relax. You can do this in your life as well. Keep in mind that in order to live a healthier and more content lifestyle allowing yourself to relax is a necessity.

What are some of the ways that you can allow yourself to relax?

Relaxation is needed for so many things in your life. If you are like me then you have often been stressed and have had higher anxiety levels. The thing is we bring this on ourselves because we do have the control to change what we are doing in our lives. When we do not allow ourselves to relax, we are overworking ourselves and we are stressing ourselves to the bone. We can make the changes that are needed to even just start relaxing for a little bit each day. Any time that you can relax should be a comfortable and enjoyable moment.

Start relaxing just 15 minutes a day. When you first start relaxing you aren’t going to want to do it and you aren’t going to be comfortable doing it. However, just make yourself do it anyway. Even if you are sitting there thinking that you need to get up and do something else just concentrate on the fact that you need to sit there and do nothing. After trying this for a while you may be able to get over the feeling that you should be doing something else (this took me 8 days before feeling like I could just sit there).

Once you are able to sit there without feeling overly stressed about relaxing, choose something that you believe would be relaxing for you. Relaxing doesn’t come naturally for many people and it didn’t for me either. There are still days when I try to relax and feel myself getting frustrated because things need done. However, now I get myself back into relaxation mode and tell myself I am not going to be happy with my day if I don’t relax. After you have gotten to the point of feeling a bit more comfortable relaxing you can choose something that you believe would be relaxing for you. Some examples of things that I have chosen include crocheting, reading a book, taking a nap, taking a hot bath, doing yoga, stretching, writing in my journal and more. You can choose what works for you and try something for a few days and then try something else until you find a way that you can truly relax.

Keep in mind that in order to live an enjoyable life and in order to appreciate things in life more you must learn to relax. Yes, some people have to learn to relax. I certainly know that I did and I am still learning more about relaxing too. Before I learned to relax, I was living a life full of daily stress and anxiety. Now, I am able to take some time and relax so that I do not get as overwhelmed with the things going on in life. You can relax! You can enjoy your life!