What do you do to relax?

I was at the Dr yesterday, and he asked me "What do you do to relax?"

I laughed at him and said "What, are you kidding"? He wasn't laughing and asked me the question again.

Alright, he's serious... Uh, OK lets see. I uh, well, uh, I... Nothing. I do nothing to relax.

I mean come on after working, cleaning, cooking, shopping, doing laundry and chasing after four teens and two dogs I barely have the energy to drag myself to bed where I get a lousy night's sleep only to get up and do it all again...

He reminded me that the big ugly stress monster wasn't going to go away on it's own. We have to take the steps to manage it and bla bla bla...and he eased into the Dr-speak that they all have - that somehow doesn't come across as condescending or badgering; and we all smile and nod and agree with them "Yes, I know I should pay more attention to what I eat...Yes I know I should quit smoking..." And we keep that smile on until we leave the office.

You're guilty of it too, I know you are.


Well, I quit the smoking 8 months and 3 days ago. Done, finished. It was terribly hard, and I wouldn't go through it again if you offered me all the money in the world. I am working on the weight thing as well, and Geoff is a great support and motivator. He's genuine and helpful, I love him for that. The stress though, that's another thing all together. How do you get rid of stress?


My Doctor made some suggestions that have worked for other patients:


The first one was Visualization.

In this technique, you form mental images to take a visual journey to a peaceful, calming place or situation. Try to use as many senses as you can, including smells, sights, sounds and textures. If you imagine relaxing at the ocean, for instance, think about the warmth of the sun, the sound of crashing waves, the feel of the grains of sand and the smell of salt water. You may want to close your eyes, sit in a quiet spot and loosen any tight clothing.


OK, first of all, all my clothes are tight -hence the need for me to shed a few pounds...This one already isn't working for me. And sorry, if I want to smell the beach, I go to the beach, if I want to taste the beach, I make a coconut rum cocktail and mix it with pineapple soda. A few of those and I am pretty relaxed. I knew this one already apparently...

Progressive muscle relaxation was second...

In this technique, you focus on slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group. This helps you focus on the difference between muscle tension and relaxation, and you become more aware of physical sensations. You may choose to start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes and progressively working your way up to your neck and head. Tense your muscles for at least five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds, and repeat

OK, tensing and relaxing my muscles? This happens when I come in contact with my EX husband. In my jaws AND my fists. Forget my toes, I don't need to relax them, they're primed and ready to be shoved into someone's back side.


Autogenic relaxation.

Autogenic means something that comes from within you. In this technique, you use both visual imagery and body awareness to reduce stress. You repeat words or suggestions in your mind to help you relax and reduce muscle tension. You may imagine a peaceful place and then focus on controlled, relaxing breathing, slowing your heart rate, or different physical sensations, such as relaxing each arm or leg one by one.

This one may have some merit... I can visualize my EX, then tense my muscles into a fist and then visualize myself reaching each one of my arms and smacking him about his head and shoulders. (heh heh, just kidding, I couldn't do that. He'd have me arrested or something.)

Then he mentioned some other relaxation techniques you may be more familiar with, such as

Yoga - which I just can't even imagine at this point...No thank you!

Tai chi - this one actually looks really cool, although with my foot in this boot, it's not possible...

Music - Uh, hello...? Doesn't he know what I do for a living??





He went on to mention some others, but by this point I'd stopped listening... I had already started to visualize myself sipping a coconutty drink on my comfortable couch.

Oh come on, I am kidding! But, the truth of the matter is no matter how you handle it, whether you exercise, use humor or one of the above mentioned methods - it is very important that you try on a daily basis to eliminate some stress from some area of your life. Take care of yourself, you're the only one who can.

Rock on with your bad self, I am going to take a nice hot bath.

H