The Seven Myths of Relaxation

Relaxation

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by Cecil McIntosh

Working as a volunteer I teach relaxation by the bedside for heart, stroke and cancer patients in hospitals.

I thought it might be interesting to address what I call the 7 Myths of Relaxation. Since many patients share similar misconceptions about relaxation, I thought it might be interesting look through the eyes of the patients.

Myth 1 If you slow down and relax nothing gets done.

Reality Check 1 Having a major health challenge allows you to appreciate the joys of slowing down.

Myth 2 I don't know how to relax.

Reality Check 2 Patients in the hospital learn the relaxation process faster than all my other clients. I guess their mind is not cluttered with all the stresses of the world.

Myth 3 Keeping yourself busy is therapeutic for dealing with stress.

Reality Check 3 A 40 -year- old stroke patient discovered that being busy prevented her from getting in touch with her true feelings. It took the experience of a stroke to convince her that there is no need for or benefit from always being busy.

Myth 4 You need to accept that you are stressed.

Reality Check 4 A 40 - year- old man was stressing out about having a stroke. In the relaxation process I was able to take him to a garden. This garden brought back memories that he had not recalled for 35 years. He now understood that by recalling (getting in touch with past pleasant memories) these memories, he had no need to be stressed.

Myth 5 Relaxation is from the outside.

Reality Check 5 One older gentleman who had had a stroke told me that in the past (when he was much younger) he had found relaxation by pleasing his dad. This desire caused him to forsake his own immediate family because to please his dad, he was always attempting to change the world. Changing the world meant that he got his dad's approval.

When his dad finally acknowledged him (giving a pat on the back)he felt relaxed. Now after having a stroke at age 67 he has decided it is time to spend some time with his own family.

Myth 6 Relaxation should be a one time thing.

Reality Check 6 Most patients agree, from experience, that to be healthy you need to slow down and smell the roses. Slowing down is a process and not a quick fix.

Relaxation is not part of life; relaxation is a process of living in each moment.

Myth 7 It is OK to be all stressed out.

Reality Check 7 Sometimes you need a life altering experience (like a stroke or a heart attack) to appreciate the fact that you create stress. That is the bad news.

The good news is: now that you know you have the ability to create stress, you can also find pleasant memories within you to help create relaxation.

In summary

1.Relaxation helps you slow down so that you can notice a feeling of peace and tranquility and listen to your thoughts which will make you become more relaxed, productive and healthy.

2.Relaxation if practiced regularly, gives you the feeling of having more energy as you notice yourself becoming more focused.

3.Now you can notice the feelings of relaxation, it is not healthy to avoid a situation by being busy.

4.Relaxation makes you more aware, as you listen to that part of you that is now 'relaxed.'

5. You do not need other people's approval to make you feel relaxed. Also, you may begin to notice the health benefits that come from being relaxed.

6.To begin to acknowledge and notice and experience the sounds of the simple things in life, you need to practice relaxation regularly.

7.When you discover the ways you create stress, within the next 30 days you can look forward with excitement as you tell yourself how many ways you are going to create relaxation.

Suggestions for Further Reading

Author: Cecil McIntosh is a Hypnotherapist, NLP Trainer and Energy worker specializing in providing a gifted teacher's shortcut relaxation resources to his clients. For a free 7 day relaxation course visit this site now. http://www.emptyyourcup.com. Cecil McIntosh may be contacted at [email protected]

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