Relaxing Your Mind

January 07,2013

Relaxation is one of those simple things we all know we need to do better and more frequently. When we think of relaxation, many of us tend to think of relaxing our bodies. While any regular reader of this blog can easily guess that I place a high value on bodywork, I also believe it’s crucial to find ways to relax your mind. So many of us suffer from anxiety, obsessive thoughts, racing minds, and self-criticism. When you sense your mind starting to spin out of control, try out one of these simple techniques:

• Take a few slow, deep breaths. Visualize sending the oxygen from your breath straight up into your brain.
• Visualize your thoughts gently moving away from you. This one takes a bit of creativity, but imagine placing each specific thought that you’re having on a leaf, and watching the leaves float down a little stream. Or try placing them on clouds and watching the clouds drift away. There are infinite possibilities for this exercise.
• Take in your surroundings. When we get stuck in our thoughts, we stop noticing what’s going on around us. Focus on the room that you are in, and try to notice as many details as you possibly can. Examine the lines of the furniture, the texture of a blanket, or the sheen of a hardwood floor. You can also get your other senses involved by touching a variety of surfaces, listening for sounds, or noticing different scents.
• Build in breaks for your mind. There has been a lot of recent research done on how to optimize our brain’s functioning. One interesting finding has been that our brain likes to perform activities in 90-minute chunks. You can use a smartphone app or a simple stopwatch to remind you to take breaks every 90 minutes.
• Exercise. We all know this one. Moving your body greatly helps you relax your brain. Most people respond well to outdoor walks, but it also helps to try a form of exercise that you have never tried before.
• Write down your thoughts. Write exactly what you hear running through your head. Sometimes seeing our thoughts in front of us on paper can be a very different experience than just letting them run wild through our heads.
• Daydream. Learn to let your thoughts drift away from you in healthy ways too. Build in breaks to allow yourself to daydream about your favorite vacation thought, a fond memory, or a secret fantasy. Research has shown that consistent daydreaming improves our creativity, mental functioning, and overall happiness.