Relaxation and the road to cure
Relaxation and the road to cure
You have probably tried relaxation and it worked for you or it didn't because you did not understand it.
Relaxation is a relaxation of your brain, this is to stop your thoughts, your anxieties, depression, insomnia, skin complaints, food problems and all the other things associated with stress.
That's what real relaxation is.
Often when people tell you to relax, they will tell you to relax, and that's it.
They don't explain what it is, what it means, and they don't tell you how to do it.
The reasons people do this is because they probably have not learned how to relax properly themselves.
Or they don't understand or know what relaxation of the brain is.
Some people pay lots of money to learn relaxation techniques and some think that gives them the edge over everyone else, but they couldn't be more annoyed than themselves when they find that they've not quite learnt how to control their stress levels.
Some people think relaxation is lying down and resting their body, again this is not relaxation of your brain.
There are many relaxation techniques used and if they work for you, that's good.
Some relaxation techniques may require you to chant or say a mantra, again this is not relaxation of the brain.
While you are using these techniques you are using your concentration and you are using your brain to remember the mantra or chant, this does not give the brain the relaxation that it needs.
But it doesn't stop us from learning and using other techniques if they help us to understand what has been going on with ourselves.
In this technique you are going to stop your thoughts, you are going to stop thinking.
You will eventually feel the nerves in your feet, hands and other parts of your body.
This is nothing to get concerned about because you are in control of your brain and body.
It is your brain and body connecting and coming back to the way that they should be.
That's working together.
Anxiety, depression, insomnia and other stress related illnesses can be overcome and reduced by anyone learning these methods.
People who have gone through an illnesses such as strokes, operations and other medical procedures can improve their lives by getting their brain and body working together again.
There is only one way to do this, and that's by learning how to relax your brain.
When you can relax the brain, you will find that all these types of illnesses and problems can be overcome or improved by generating less stress.
You will be able to do the things that you couldn't do before with more confidence.
You will also find that you have become more rational in your way of thinking, and that your personality has changed for the better, the things that used to worry you can be left behind, you will become more relaxed by learning how to take control of your brain and your thoughts.
If you are going through stress related illnesses just now, it may be hard for you concentrate.
You might be feel negative and doubt everything that anyone tells you, that is part of your thoughts.
Believe in yourself and through time you will learn how to do this technique, don't give up because you can't do it, or because you find it hard at the beginning.
Now is the time to understand what is going on with you, it's also time to try and improve that way of thinking.
I want you to find a chair in your house or wherever you are and sit on it, make yourself comfortable and sit in a upright position that makes you feel relaxed with your back straight.
Put your left hand under your right leg and your right hand under you left leg or on your lap.
Anyone who is lying down, lie on your back and make yourself comfortable with your hands by your side and your legs straight but relaxed.
From this point on you are going to start taking control of your brain.
Close your eyes and think about nothing, no thoughts at all.
In 'Your brain and how it works', I explained how your brain controls your nervous system.
I told you how your brain will do this throughout your life and how you were unaware of it.
I also told you that sometimes when our thoughts get out of control we get stressed out and the effects on our nervous system can be felt by some people depending on the level of stress that they are going through.
Our thoughts are creating these effects because we are not relaxing the brain by switching off our thinking.
In this technique I want you to learn how to do this by thinking about nothing at all.
While you are doing this you will be aware of the sounds the smells and the other things that our senses pick up.
That's normal, and this is the way our brains should work with our body, we don't need to think about them.
For relaxation of the brain and switching of your thoughts, close your eyes and think about nothing for about five minutes right through if you can do it.
You should use no concentration at all when you use this technique, you should be thinking of nothing at all for a relaxation of the brain to work.
This is a natural relaxation of your brain.
It might be strange for some people who have let their thoughts get active and find them hard to control.
You might have to correct yourself to stop thinking, but once you learn this way of relaxation you will understand how your thoughts have built up over the years to create your stress responses..
It might take a few attempts to get it right, but when you do, you will feel the benefits to yourself and you can build on it.
This is not an instant cure for someone who has been stressed out for a long time, but it is the best way to get your brain working with your body again.
Once you gain confidence at the effects you can move to a sofa or armchair and do this type of relaxation.
This technique has to be practiced so that you can do it automatically in your way of thinking.
After doing this type of relaxation for awhile you will be able to do it anywhere.
Relaxation of the brain will become natural again giving your brain the relaxation that it needs.
This reduces your stress levels and let's you concentrate on the things you should be concentrating on.
When you can manage longer times of this type of relaxation, your thoughts and stress levels will be controlled to a level that you will not notice.
The art of relaxation is finding a way that will allow you to do it anytime no matter where you are.
This is the type of relaxation technique that you are learning.
Learn this relaxation technique until you can stop your thoughts for half an hour, and that's thinking about nothing.
When you have got control of your thoughts you might think you're cured and you can let you brain go back to its old ways again, but not in this technique.
In this technique, you have to put half an hour away a day so that you can relax your brain.
Once you have mastered this technique of relaxation you will be able to use it when you require it.
This is the real relaxation that your brain is looking for, and as time goes on you might find that you can do it longer, and there's nothing wrong with that, as long as your not sitting or lying there letting your thoughts run wild.
The thoughts must be switched off for real relaxation of the brain.
This allows your brain and nervous system to work with your body.
You have been doing this for awhile and you would like to listen to a little music for relaxation.
That is not a problem for the brain providing you stop thinking while the music's playing.
Inside our heads when we hear music that we like we tend to sing or hum along to it.
If we're not doing that we have a habit of preempting the notes of the music in our head.
There is only one way of relaxation with music, and that is turning off your thoughts so that the brain can relax.
This may need to be practiced, but when you do learn it, you will enjoy your music a lot more.
That's because you have let your brain, nervous system and senses do the job they were intended for.
The rest is up to you now.
I have told you about the stress responses and I've told you about our brains and nervous system and how it all works in a way that I hope you will understand.
These techniques do work for the people who use them and they have a better quality of life because of it.
It costs you nothing to learn and understand how to relax your brain.
Relaxing your brain is easy if you know how, well this is the way it's really done.
Getting your brain, nervous system and body all working together is the only way forward to reduce that stress.
There's only one person who can relax your brain, and that's you.
No one else can relax your brain but you.
Make it a habit to relax your brain with no thoughts at all and you will notice the difference.
Relaxation and the road to cure written by Andrew Murphy 21 February 2008
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