24 Powerful Relaxation Techniques

Implementing an effective routine for “relaxing” is the key to dealing with stress and anxiety in your life.  Here are 24 of the most powerful (and unique) exercises you can begin trying today:

1. Take a Cold Shower

It may not be relaxing while you are doing it, but taking a cold shower is a fantastic way to calm the body and mind.  After a chilly rinse, you tend to feel at peace and serene and is a great activity before bed time.  I recommend doing this at least once a week!

2. Go Fishing

Fishing is one of the best ways to relax the body and mind.  First off, you are sitting in or near water, which is the most soothing substance to mankind. Second, it usually takes place in a quiet and calming setting.  Third, if you fish with some good friends then you experience a wonderful trifecta of relaxation that is hard to get elsewhere!

3. Plan a Vacation

Having things to look forward to sooths the mind and stimulates a positive mental outlook.  Constantly planning vacations, weekend getaways, or even a night out with friends can do wonders for your personal well-being.

4. Go For a Long Drive

But make sure to do it on a traffic-free area, with no specific destination in mind.  Constant traffic causes undue stress for many of us, and it is great practice to get out on the open road, listen to some great music and just drive for the FUN of it!

5. Light Incense

Very few of us pay close attention to how our sense of smell affects mood, and we can stimulate great feelings of relaxation by incorporating wonderful smells in our life.  Incense can be extremely therapeutic, and if you have a fireplace I highly recommend lighting it up a few times a month and enjoy the calming smell!

6. Go For An Early Morning Hike

The sounds, smells and sights of nature instill a calming and peaceful feeling within all of us.  In the next week, get up early and go for a long hike and just feel the uninhibited presence of natural beauty all around you.  This is relaxation experience in its finest form.

7. Take 10 Deep Breaths

Breathing is the king of all relaxation techniques!  When you want to relax, take a huge inhale through the nose, hold it for a count of 7, and then release ALL the air through the nostrils.  Do this 10 times in a row and you will be in a totally different state!

8. Go For a Really Exerting Run

Pushing your cardiovascular rhythm to its limits is a great way to relax.  You may not feel this way as you are doing it, but after a long run you will feel tension-free and crisp.  Remember, the sweat you are losing contains toxins and stress!   If you can’t run, do something that is safely exerting for YOU.  

9. Buy Yourself Something

So long as your choice of purchase is within reason, treat yourself to a new clothing item, ipod, car or whatever you truly desire.  This can do wonders to relieve stress and I highly recommend you do this guilt-free.  Realize that you deserve it!

10. Pay Your Bills a Few Days Early

Instead of stressing about bills, and thinking about all the money going out the door at the end of the month, intentionally pay your bills a week or two early!  This will help you will generate feelings of accomplishment and freedom, and will also relax you when the normal time comes to write checks.

11. Have Your Favorite Dessert– Guilt Free!

That’s right—a few times a month treat yourself to the sweet craving you constantly deny yourself.  Realize that consistent denial causes tension, and allowing yourself indulgences, within reason, is a great tool for relaxation.

12. Curl Up With a Really Good Book

For me, nothing is more relaxing than sitting in my home on a rainy Friday night and curling up with a really good book.  Implementing this activity in your life is a true MUST for instilling calmness.

13. Try a Sauna Or Take a Steam

Spending time in either one of these treatment centers drains your body of toxins and deodorizes the organs and skin.  You will feel SO good afterward and I recommend jumping in a Sauna or a Steam room at least once a week.

14. Book an Aromatherapy Massage

Massage HAS to be a staple of any relaxation routine, and adding scented oils and creams stimulates calmness in a wider range of senses.  Try and get a professional massage at least once every 6 weeks to literally rub out stress, and if you have someone in your life that you can trade massages with even better! 

15. Buy a Foot Massage Machine

Similarly, investing in one of those contraptions that massages the feet is an excellent way to add relaxation into your life.  Our lowest appendages feel the daily grind more than any other body part, at least physically, and massaging them every day is a great idea.

16. Go For a Walk In The Rain

When it rains, we have become entrained to whip out our umbrellas and hurry indoors.  Next time, try letting go of this knee-jerk reaction and take a freeing walk amid the showers.  Don’t worry about your clothes (you can deal with it later) and just enjoy the freshness of rain on your body. 

17. Go To a Comedy Club

Laughing until tears are streaming down your face is a terrific way to relax your 5 senses and restore balance in the body.  Find a really good comedy club and frequent it a few times a month and start seeing the stress-relieving benefits of laughter!

18. Sit In Silence For One Day

Pick a day in the next two weeks where you can shut off your phone, turn off your email and literally sit in silence (and solitude) for 24 straight hours.  Sound daunting?  It can be at first, but integrating this practice into your life quiets the never ending chatterbox in your head.

19. Stare At a Candle For 15 Minutes

Lighting a candle and staring at is a wonderful relaxation technique.  As you try this, commit yourself to focusing ALL of your attention on the flickering beauty.  After some practice you may experience moments of crisp awareness and heightened clarity, which are the ultimate feelings of serentiy!

20. Go Star Gazing

State at them with great purpose.  Contemplate that what you are really staring at is the past; meaning the star you are observing is really a sparkle from a distant age (given it takes millions of light years to get here)!  When you are done, bring yourself back to earth, where you are, your situation, and your life.  This will relax you.

21. Invest in Really Comfortable Furniture

Relaxation is about treating your body well ALL the time.  We sit in furniture for so much of our life that it is imperative to invest in kinds that make you feel really good.  If you drive a lot, but a comfortable seat cushion for your car.  If you work in an office, make sure your chair molds nicely to your body.  This is relaxation through the prevention of stress!

22. Drink Soothing Tea

A nice calming hot cup of tea is an elixir of relaxation.  Certain teas also have a myriad of other health benefits, including being high in antioxidants.  Great options are chamomile and green tea.  

23. Invest in a Posturpedic Pillow

We spend anywhere from 25-35% of our lives sleeping, and it is critical to make this time as effective as possible.  Posturpedic pillows are expensive, but worth it.  They mold to your head and shoulders and insure proper alignment of the back as you slumber.  The results:  increased energy, better focus, and a more relaxed attitude! 

24. Go See a Mindless Movie

Sitting in the dark, eating some buttery popcorn and laughing at ridiculously obvious jokes is a wonderful way to relax and get out of your own head for a few hours.  I recommend doing this at least once a month, and you know the movies I am talking about (anything with Ben Stiller in it will do the trick)!

This list is a follow-up to an article published a few weeks ago on We The Change called 25 Ways to Pamper Your Body and Increase Vitality. 

In my opinion, this list of relaxation techniques is even more important for creating a fulfilling and meaningful life.  Let me know what you think!

Source:  http://www.wethechange.com/24-powerful-relaxation-techniques/

10 Ways to Give Your Morning a Makeover (thechangeblog.com)

Once upon a time I hated the morning. Waking up was a process of hitting the snooze button over and over, only to roll out of bed at the last possible moment. It was then a mad rush to get out the door, and very often I would need to run for the bus (not surprisingly I missed it a few times). Anyhow, I gave my morning a makeover and now it is my favorite part of the day. The following are 10 ways you too can give your mornings a makeover:

1. Wake Earlier

If the morning is always one big rush for you, it makes sense to wake earlier. Personally, I have trained myself to enjoy waking at 5am in the morning (something I have written about in my article How I Won the Battle of the Bed). I realize, thought, that this is far too early for many people. Anyone, however, can wake earlier. If you don’t normally enjoy the morning, this one tip may help change that. It is amazing what happens when you don’t have to be in a hurry to get out the door.

2. Don’t Turn the Computer Straight On

If you are anything like me, you will be tempted to turn the computer on first thing when you wake up. Take it from me, though, that is worth delaying this for 10, 30 or (ideally) 60 minutes. Too much time on the computer leaves anyone feeling drained, and in this modern age many of us are likely to spend much of our day in front of a computer.

3. Take a “Holy Hour”

One of my favorite personal growth coaches, Robin Sharma, suggests taking a “Holy Hour” each morning. Basically this is an hour you devote to your own self improvement. For ideas of what to do in this hour, read on….

4. Meditate

Meditation is such a powerful way to strengthen your mind and relax your body. For me, one of its main benefits is to help me focus on the now and stop worrying about the future or past.

5. Read

I love to ease into the day with a good book and a cup of coffee. Avoid the newspaper and instead feed you mind with inspiring stories, interesting ideas, and exciting adventures.

6. Exercise

If you have ever exercised in the morning, you will know how good it makes you feel for the rest of the day. Some ideas include hitting the gym, riding to work, going for a swim, running, yoga or even just having a stretch.

7. Review Your Goals

A great way to start the day is to review, or even better rewrite, your goals. Why? Because if you do this, you will be more aware of them as you go about your day. And with better awareness, you will be empowered to make better choices that help get you closer to achieving these goals.

8. Be Prepared

Personally, the morning is when I feel the freshest and most productive. So I like to spend my time on many of the activities on this list, rather than mundane activities such as ironing my clothes and making my lunch. This means being prepared – I try to iron my clothes for the week on Sunday night and prepare my lunch the night before.

9. Eat a Nutritious Breakfast

Firstly, make sure you actually are eating breakfast. I am amazed when I hear people tell me they don’t eat breakfast. How can they possibly be performing at their peak? Secondly, I’m no nutritional expert, but here are a few of my tips for a healthy breakfast: 1) if you eat cereal, make sure it is whole grain with lots of fiber and little to no added sugar 2) try adding some fresh berries, dried fruit, or sliced almonds to your cereal 3) if you are sick of cereal, try a breakfast shake (see a long list of shake ideas here).

10. Listen to Motivational Podcasts/ Audiobooks

The morning is the ideal time to listen to motivational podcasts and audiobooks. Personally, I love the feeling in the morning that there is a day of endless possibilities ahead. Also, if you need to travel to work or school, it’s a great way to make the most of the commute.

Source:  http://www.thechangeblog.com/10-ways-to-give-your-morning-a-makeover/

Mind Over Mattress: How to Wake Early When All You Want to Do is Sleep (thechangeblog.com)

I normally wake at 5am, and have been doing so for some time. In fact, if I didn’t wake early you probably wouldn’t be reading this right now as I simply wouldn’t have the time to write for this blog. This past week, however, I have struggled to wake early and have been hitting the snooze button for the first time in a long time… what’s going on???

One thing I have learned over the past year and a half is that waking early is not just about setting your alarm clock for a particular time and getting up. For example, it is pointless to force yourself to wake early if it leaves you feeling like a zombie for the rest of the day. If you are interested in waking earlier, the following are a few things I have learned that may be of help. And hopefully we can work out why I have been bashing the snooze button so much….

The Evening Before

Avoid caffeine/ alcohol/ sugar. All these things can potentially affect your quality of sleep and make it incredibly hard to wake when your alarm goes off. When it comes to something like sugar, for example, I indulge my sweet tooth during the day. Then in the evening I avoid it because I know it makes me restless during the night.

Wind down. Don’t go to bed with your mind still active. This is one reason I have been struggling to wake early the past week – I have gotten into the bad habit of shutting down the computer and heading straight to bed. I need to get back into the habit of turning off the computer earlier and instead reading a fictional book followed by some meditation.

Visualize. Just before falling asleep, visualize yourself waking at a particular time. It’s amazing how effectively this works.

Sleep

Get enough. Different people need different amounts of sleep. So the key is to experiment and be aware what amount works well for you. I need at least 6 and a half to 7 hours. When I sleep less than this (such as I did a night or two last week), I always regret it because I am tired all the next day. There is nothing productive about that.

Better quality. I sleep less than I did 2 years ago, but I generally find it easier to wake up. One major reason for this is my quality of sleep is much better (although I am conveniently forgetting the first few months after our son was born). Apart from avoiding the things I mentioned earlier, I usually wear a sleep mask to make things completely dark. Kathryn has nicknamed me Zorro because of this, but it is worth it. Also, I might even look at getting myself a posturpedic pillow (as suggested awhile back by my friend Todd in 24 Powerful Relaxation Techniques).

Waking Early

Have a purpose. I usually find it relatively easy to wake at 5am because I have a clear purpose of what I want to do in the morning. Typically I will spend a few minutes the night before making a list of what I want to do. Then in the morning I am able to quickly focus on these.
Find a morning routine you love. Over the past 1-2 years my mornings have changed from waking up and rushing to get ready and out the door, to waking earlier and incorporating some activities/ habits I enjoy into my mornings. To get some ideas, I highly recommend my articles 24 Daily Habits and 10 Ways to Give Your Morning a Makeover. I obviously don’t do everything in the preceding articles each morning, but once you have some ideas to make your morning more enjoyable it is easy to incorporate at least one or two.
Be sneaky. A very effective trick I do is to place my alarm on the other side of the room, effectively forcing me to get out of bed to turn it off.
Be disciplined. Of course the above trick is no guarantee that I won’t go back and curl up in bed (as I have done a few times over the past week). I don’t think my problem has been discipline so much as the other things I have discussed in this article. But certainly waking earlier does require you to put “mind over mattress”. Remember: “the price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret”.

Small steps. It took me a number of months to go from waking at 7am to 5am. The key was to take it slowly by chipping away at 15 minutes at a time. Take small steps and be patient.

Source:  http://www.thechangeblog.com/how-to-wake-early/

Fatiga mental: cuando el trabajo nos supera

 

"Disminución temporal de la eficiencia funcional mental". Así definen los expertos la fatiga mental. Los efectos en el trabajo son evidentes: pérdida de concentración, peor relación esfuerzo-resultado, menor capacidad de asimilar información y, en consecuencia, aumento de los errores.

A todos nos ha ocurrido en alguna ocasión, pero existen casos en los que la sensación de fatiga llega a ser permanente. Y entonces, las consecuencias para el afectado llegan mucho más allá del trabajo. Entre los síntomas asociados habitualmente a la fatiga mental encontramos trastornos en el sueño, fatiga ocular, sensación continua de cansancio, adormecimiento, mareos, cefaleas, irritabilidad, alteraciones digestivas.

¿Por qué se produce?

La fatiga se produce cuando hay un exceso de carga mental en el trabajo. Es decir, cuando las exigencias de nuestra tarea diaria -esfuerzo requerido, ritmo de trabajo, nivel de atención, tensión emocional - superan nuestra capacidad de respuesta.

Esto puede ocurrir en trabajos que requieren una intensa actividad intelectual o una implicación emocional fuerte. Pero también en trabajos que aún siendo monótonos y repetitivos exigen atención continua. En todo caso, es más frecuente en puestos sedentarios, con poca actividad física.

En una encuesta realizada por el Instituto Nacional de Seguridad e Higiene en el Trabajo a finales de 1999, dos de cada tres personas que decían mantener un ritmo alto de trabajo y un nivel elevado de atención durante más de la mitad de la jornada presentaban síntomas claros de fatiga.

En este punto, sin embargo, conviene aclarar dos cosas: primero, que la fatiga no siempre está motivada por el trabajo; segundo, que nunca está motivada sólo por el trabajo. Los hábitos poco saludables en la vida diaria y las circunstancias personales del individuo también influyen.

La fatiga, además, es un síntoma habitual en muchas enfermedades graves, por lo que el afectado no debe confiarse pensando que el problema está causado por el trabajo, la falta de sueño y una dieta poco recomendable. La visita al médico es obligada.

¿Cómo prevenirla?

La sensación de fatiga, sea o no síntoma de otra enfermedad, nos indica la necesidad de descanso. Es un mecanismo regulador del organismo. Cuando aparece, nuestro cuerpo y nuestra mente ponen en marcha sistemas de defensa sin que seamos conscientes de ello: ralentizamos el ritmo de trabajo, hacemos más comprobaciones de las habituales y aplazamos las tareas más críticas. Todo esto ocurre cuando la fatiga ya es una realidad. Pero, ¿cómo evitar que aparezca?

Lo primero que hay que hacer es fortalecer la propia capacidad de resistencia mejorando los hábitos de alimentación, descanso y ejercicio. Son tres factores que, por sí solos, pueden provocar una sensación de cansancio permanente si no se les presta la debida atención.

La organización de las tareas del puesto de trabajo también es clave para prevenir la fatiga. La asignación de funciones a cada trabajador y el establecimiento de timings razonables dependen fundamentalmente de la empresa, pero la persona también puede tomar algunas medidas:

• Establecer objetivos parciales de trabajo a lo largo del día ayuda a tener una sensación de avance, de "cosas terminadas", que previene la fatiga. El problema de estas metas parciales es que, si no se distribuyen correctamente y resulta imposible alcanzarlas a la hora prevista, originan lo que algunos expertos llaman "agendas calientes" y acaban teniendo un efecto contrario al deseado.
• Es muy importante poder hacer pausas durante la jornada. Pausas que serán mucho más reparadoras si se cumplen dos condiciones: que el trabajador las pueda distribuir según sus necesidades y que verdaderamente permitan "desconectar". Estar esperando una información o una llamada de teléfono no es hacer una pausa, porque la persona permanece alerta. Sí lo es alejarse del puesto de trabajo y cambiar el foco de atención durante unos minutos.

Las condiciones ambientales en el entorno de trabajo también pueden influir en la aparición de la fatiga. La mala iluminación o el exceso de ruido obligan a hacer un esfuerzo suplementario que provoca más cansancio.

Cada individuo responde de manera diferente a la carga mental en el trabajo. Un trabajador hipermotivado, por ejemplo, puede ser incapaz de percibir su propia fatiga hasta llegar al borde del agotamiento. Una persona muy poco motivada, en cambio, puede notar los primeros síntomas nada más empezar su jornada laboral. 

Fuente:  http://www.laboris.net/static/ca_salud_fatiga.aspx

La fatiga mental

 

¿Qué es la fatiga?

La fatiga, tanto si es mental - es decir originada por el trabajo psíquico o nervioso - como si es corporal - originada por el trabajo físico o muscular es un peculiar estado individual, y se caracteriza por fenómenos conscientes y por fenómenos objetivos. Los primeros constituyen la sensación de fatiga, cansancio o agotamiento, que unida a diversas molestias, integra la llamada fatiga subjetiva; los segundos consisten en una disminución del rendimiento (en cantidad, en calidad, o en ambas formas). 

 

Cuando alguien afirma que se está fatigando, generalmente lo hace porque siente que el esfuerzo que realiza para lograr el trabajo le resulta progresivamente más penoso, y va acompañado de malestares tales como sensaciones dolorosas de tensión, congestión, vacío, etc., en diversas partes del cuerpo.

 

¿Cómo se engendra la fatiga mental?
 

En condiciones normales, cuando nos disponemos a realizar un estudio, hemos de atravesar un período inicial de ajuste, adaptación y concentración, durante el cual se adquiere la actitud de compenetración con el tema y se ponen en marcha, adquiriendo velocidad y aceleración, todos los dispositivos mentales, para la captación del material estudiado.

Sigue un segundo período, de “calentamiento”, durante el cual, vencidas las resistencias o inercias del comienzo, se entra más en el asunto y se absorbe  los datos con creciente facilidad.

En el tercer período, se balancean los efectos del entrenamiento y de la incipiente fatiga, aumentando insensiblemente el esfuerzo de concentración.

Finalmente, el cuarto período, en el cual los efectos de la fatiga privan por sobre los del 

entrenamiento, y a partir de entonces declina progresivamente la curva de aprovechamiento, a la vez que aumenta la molestia del esfuerzo, engendrándose una impresión de cansancio, aburrimiento o desinterés que puede producir sueño.

 

Factores de los que depende la fatiga general

 

Factores intrínsecos:

 

·     Excesivo número de horas de trabajo.

·     Falta de pausas adecuadas durante el mismo.

·     Excesiva velocidad  atropellamiento.

·     Operaciones desagradables durante su ejecución.

·     Textos inadecuados.

·     Postura impropia.

·     Exceso de ruido.

·     Iluminación deficiente o excesiva.

·     Temperatura deficiente o excesiva.

·     Presencia de sustancias anormales en el aire (falta de ventilación, malos olores, etc.).

·     Alteraciones digestivas (hambre, digestión difícil, etc.).

·     Perturbaciones emocionales, originadas por el miedo al fracaso en el trabajo.

·     Actitud personal de antipatía hacia él.

 

Factores extrínsecos:

 

·     Falta de reposo o sueño nocturno.

·     Intemperancia.

·     Retrasos o dificultades en el transporte.

·     Habitación defectuosa.

·     Conflictos familiares.

·     Preocupaciones diversas (económicas, sexuales, etc.)

·     Nutrición deficiente.

·     Falta de intereses compensadores.

·     Enfermedades.

En los estudiantes de ritmo temperamental “diurno” , la fatiga tarda mucho en sobrevenir cuando estudian a la mañana, y en cambio adquiere rápido crecimiento si tratan de estudiar después de cenar ; en cambio sucede lo contrario con los estudiantes de ritmo “vespertino”.

 

Como evitar y combatir la fatiga

 

·     No estudiar nunca más de una hora seguida, es decir, sin pausa.

·     Procure evitar el estudio después de ejercicios físicos pesados, cuando se tiene sueño, hambre, frío, sed, calor excesivo u otras molestias o preocupaciones.

·     Alternar siempre las diversas fases del estudio : lectura de orientación general, lectura concentrada, evocación de datos conocidos, discusión (con algún compañero) de puntos oscuros, ejercicios de práctica de técnicas, formulación de resúmenes, etc.)

·     Procurar cambiar de postura cada diez o quince minutos y descansar la vista medio minuto en los mismos intervalos.

·     Tras una sesión de dos o tres horas, introducir una larga pausa de distracción y reposo, además de las pequeñas pausas 8de uno a cinco minutos) que se habrán introducido antes).

·     Practicar durante las pausas algunas fricciones en la nuca y movimientos rítmicos, para desentumecer las extremidades.

·     El abuso de café o bebidas alcohólicas es perjudicial, en cambio un baño ligeramente tibio, seguido de fricción y masaje, suele mejorar la sensación de cansancio. 

Fuente:  http://www.tecnicas-de-estudio.org/tecnicas/tecnicas12.htm