Ring. Ring. Buzz. Beep. Bloop. What's all that? Oh it's your devices going off. Deadlines are coming up. You are stressed out. Stress leads to sickness. So take a minute to re-charge without feeling guilty because in the long run, you will be much better off.
How do I relax?
1. Go to your happy place. Where's my happy place? If you don't know, chances are you need to relax. For me, it's the beach. Since I live near there, I can go stick my feet in the sand and relax. But it could easily be a hammock, a favorite restaurant, a movie, a good book, or just closing my eyes for a few minutes thinking about my children, husband and dachshunds. Or perhaps a massage in Jamaica. Whatever:)
2. Listen to music. I have eclectic taste in music. Okay, fine, I listen to old music mostly. However, I have songs that bring about happy feelings, so they relax me. I can just put on some Rusted Root and send me on my way to my happy place. I can listen to Celtic inspired music and dream about the day I actually get to go to Ireland. And Bob Marley and his birds, well, I need them to remind me about the joys of little things.
3. Breathe deeply and be present. Unfortunately, this one is my nemesis. I work on staying present, but it's like this giant battle in my head. "Oh look. It's the past. Let's go there." Or "Hey, let's go down this path to worry. You like it a lot." Noooo. Not there. Path to now. Let's stay on that path. "Wait, a bunny. It's leading me to what if?" WHAT IF?? No. Absolutely don't follow the bunny. Bad bunny. Trying to take me down the rabbit hole.
4. Unplug from devices. Bzzz. Beep. Bling. Message. Text. Call. Notifications x 100. Groups. FB status. E-mail. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. Stop the insanity! That's why for family vacations, people might be extremely surprised to find out the social media gal, that's me, goes away to state parks that don't have internet or any connection to the outside world. Muhaha. And if you are that person who has tried to remove Facebook from your phone for the third time...but re-installs it. Or deletes their profile...and gets back on. Well, at least you tried.
5. Get moving! Honestly, this is the best. I do "the yoga" to relax. It helps me get into my flow, which I have mentioned before, is my moving meditation. It is the way I truly and fully live in the now. I listen to the teacher and focus only on me. I don't care what you are doing in the class, I really am focused on me. Sometimes, I might make a joke under my breath that others close by might hear as I talk myself through a pose...but I am truly only thinking about the present moment. I am trying not to talk to myself as much about my short comings...but working alone, I spend lots of time in my head.That's why this one is the best for me!!
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