Relaxation in a Hectic World

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. You can subscribe via RSS reader or email (right). Thanks for visiting!

Most people it seems have a million things going on at once. We can rarely dedicate ourselves to one task without thinking about all the other things we have to do. I am a stay at home mom and it seems that true rest is never an option. My first thoughts when I get up are about how I need to get the household up and running after the night’s hiatus. Kids need breakfast, my son needs to shower and dress for school, I need to pack his lunch, and I need to make sure the dogs go out. After I drop him off I have two other children to entertain and feed. I also have housework to do, errands to run, and an online business to attend to. I cannot get enough done it seems before I must pick my son up from school, do homework with him, get dinner ready, do some more housework, spend time with my husband and kids, and then finally go to bed thinking about all the things I did NOT get done that day. Sound familiar?

I have found that I need to spend some time unwinding each evening, even when I have things I know I could be doing. But how do you it? How do you decompress in this ever hectic world so full of outside noise and interference? Even with our weakened senses we know we must relax. We must cultivate our senses and find a way to slow things down.

Time alone seems to help. Yes it is hard to manage but it can do wonders for you. You can unwind, tune in to your senses, and concentrate on the steady rhythm of your breathing. Doing something rhythmic with your hands can help, like knitting, doing a crosstitch, embroidery, etc. The rhythmic motion seems to massage your brain and help it relax.

It is also important to turn off the noise. How can you relax with so much going on around you? The TV, the radio, the white noise of the computer and alarm clock…turn it all off. Open a window and listen to the outside sounds….maybe CNBC in the distance, crickets chirping, the wind blowing your curtains….doing with less it seems actually does more for you when you need to relax.

Lighting also helps you to relax. For me it needs to be dark with just a hint of light…perhaps a tiny stain glass lamp that gives off a dull glow or even better…natural light…like firelight. It is beautiful, authentic, and very relaxing. I was just reading an interesting post about lighting throughout history and while this particular post talks mostly of lighting as it developed through the ages and its architectural significance, it makes the very good point that the “most authentic antique light is DIY, free and available to all at the low-low price of nothing - the simple campfire.” Perhaps lighting a fire in your fireplace or lighting a few organic soy candles will be beneficial to the decompression process. Again, doing with less as they did in times past, does more.

So turn the TV off and toss that newspaper aside and really unwind when life gets hectic. The violence we encounter there has no place when we are trying to relax. Brew up some herbal tea and doing some knitting or read a calming book. Perhaps just close your eyes and listen to soft music or a meditation CD. Make this a routine!

I read a quote recently from MaryJane Butters that I love. “Using techniques to accomplish calm in your lives makes all the difference in the world. It just might be the only way to make a difference in the world.”

*Sponsored Post*

Technorati Tags: relax, unwind, massage, candle, firelight, meditation, breathing