The Importance of Relaxing
Stress and anxiety seem to be running rampant these days. I work with pretty healthy people who are trying to get healthier, and even many of my clients are struggling with this issue.
We spend so much of our time doing and worrying and planning, that sometimes we forget to actually take the time to relax and enjoy our lives.
Relaxing can mean a variety of things but ultimately it involves “resting” in such a way that rejuvenates or recharges you.
For some, this means alone-time and for others it means socializing.
It could involve sleep or it can involve activity.
Everyone is different so there is no right way to relax. It doesn’t matter where or how you relax, only that you do relax.
I’m writing this post one month before taxes are due and for the accountants out there, I understand that you’re not relaxing much right now.
Despite your business however, I encourage you to notice the small things that make you happy every day. This also applies to the non-accountants.
Every one of us is capable of being happy and relaxed or unhappy and stressed. For many of us, we may encounter all four of these emotions during the course of a day.
The goal is simply to pay attention to our lives and spend more time engaging in the restful activities that make us happier more of the time.
Stress creates a slew of medical problems because our body is constantly reacting as though our lives are in danger.
Every time we are stressed we release “fight or flight” hormones into our system. When we don’t release these hormones they wreak havoc on our bodies, often in the form of various illnesses and disease.
Exercise and meditation counteract stress and living more mindfully (being in the present moment) also helps us to eliminate this problematic condition.
We can’t relax all of the time or we wouldn’t get anything done. We can pay attention to how we live our lives however and do our best to spend some time relaxing during each day.
Action Steps:
Think about how often you relax on any given day.
Are you pretty happy with how you’re doing or is there room for improvement?
Consider how much stress you live with each day.
What might you realistically do differently to eliminate even a little bit of that stress today?
Can you make that action a habit that will grow and help you to reduce your stress more over time?
