| RELAX
YOUR WAY TO STRESS MANAGEMENT
John
G. Carlson, Ph.D.
Just relax! We hear that a lot in this stressful world of
ours. As for why we should relax, of course, it feels good-but
most things in that category are generally illegal, immoral,
or ... well, you know. Fortunately, relaxation is one major
exception to that rule. Why relax? It's a healthy habit
and it feels good.
Relaxation is not just sleeping. As I say to my clients,
if sleeping were enough no one would complain about stress
in their lives. Getting enough sleep is, of course, essential
to wellness, but something else is needed. In recent years,
health psychologists have come to realize that the something
else is what we might call, "Wakeful Relaxation"--the
art of quieting oneself while staying awake. But when, and
how?
There
are many ways to wakeful relaxation, most of them simple,
some more systematic. These ways include just sitting quietly,
listening to music or the sound of the waves, or deliberately
relaxing muscles, focusing on imagery, doing biofeedback
in a clinic, or learning yoga or meditation.
Here
is a version of a simple meditation technique based on an
ancient yoga-based meditation:
1.Find
a quiet place to sit, get comfortable, and close your eyes.
2.Take
a deep breath and allow your body to relax as best you can.
Try not to move a lot, but if you need to for comfort (or
need to scratch), do so.
3.After
a few moments, begin a "mantra"; this is a word
that you will say to yourself repeatedly. Try: "One,"
or "Gentle," or the Sanscdt, 'Sha-rem," or
"Ohm"-any one- or two-syllable word will do. Just
think your mantra over and over to yourself
4. Continue for about 15-20 minutes, once or twice a day.
(Before meals is best--such as, early morning and late afternoon.)
The purpose of the mantra is to help you clear your mind
and achieve a quiet, "thoughtless" state. This
is easier said than done. Thinking of more things than you
imagined possible during meditation is natural, especially
as you first begin to practice. When you find yourself thinking
of something else, just return to the mantra gently and
continue.
The effects of meditation are powerful--first in a renewed
sense of well being and energy then, as you become more
practiced, in other ways that are personal, and perhaps
evten spiritual. And from the body's standpoint, research
shows that it is a wonderful way to defuse physiological
arousal due to stress.
|
