Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The Ultimate List For 2014: #8 Relax More

 Keep calm and relax.
Easier said than done, right?
We think about the past and worry about the future, a recipe for stress!
My mantra these days as I approach the big 6-0 at the speed of light is to concentrate on living in the moment and relax. 

re-lax (re-laks) v.
1. To make less tense or rigid.
2. To relieve from nervous stress.
3. To seek rest or recreation.

All we have is now anyway.

For Mr. A, it's fishing.
But more than that, it's being on the river.
Although that's not my idea of relaxation, for him it is the ultimate!

"Stop a minute, relax where you are.
Relax your shoulders.
Shake your head and spine like a dog shaking off cold water.
Tell that imperious voice in your head to be still.
~Barbara Kingsolver

Me?  
I'll take a hammock by the sea.
Just listening to the ocean's waves and breathing the salt air....Ahhhhh! 
(Although I've only done this once in my life!)

"Tension is who you think you should be.
Relaxation is who you are." 
 ~Chinese Proverb

 Or sitting amongst a garden of flowers, breathing their scent and watching the birds.
That is relaxation to me.

"Sometimes the best thing that you can do is not think.
Not wonder.  Not imagine.  Not obsess.
Just breathe and have faith that everything will work out for the best."

Note to self:
Relax!
You are enough.
You have enough.
You do enough.

What do you do to relax?

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9 comments:

auntp said...

Thanks for this posting....am learning the value of relaxation myself, and it doesn't come easily:)

Lesa said...

It is my year to turn the big 6-0 as well. I try every day (actually several times a day) to just relax - and be in the moment.
Thanks for all your "tips"! :)

cindy hattersley design said...

I love the concept...but to find the time!! Such a greaat post!!

Kathysue said...

Great advice to all who read this. I find it easy to relax on most days. The ocean is my best place to relax for hours, literally hours. Here at home we sit in the backyard and watch the birds in our backyard by the pool. I have to have water it seems, I also sit on my porch and listen to my fountain. Now that I think about it, I relax quite a bit. I guess that can be good and bad. I had to learn how to relax, our society teaches us to do the opposite. ♥♥♥ that picture of you in the hammock, priceless.
xo Kathysue

sugarcreek said...

We could learn a lot about relaxing from our dogs...I'm envious of their ability to shake from head to toe, to stretch to infinity and then to plop down on any available lap and just drift away to doggie heaven.

Sarah said...

Since retiring, I find it very easy to relax. Taking a walk, stitching, reading, just sitting by a cozy fire in the winter. I get in plenty of relaxation. ;-)

rogers creek farm said...

Good reminder for everyone, regardless of age! We take each day for granted when we should actually revel in it!

Terri~terrileeauthor said...

For me it's the old bubble bath. As soon as I sink up to my chin in the hot bubbles, my cares evaporate with the steam.

Carollynn @ www.designGumbo.net said...

I like to relax with a good book of fiction. It's easy to slip out of my own world and into someone else's for a few hours. Trouble is, sometimes I don't want to come back to my world, as the other is so compelling. I guess that truly is the mark of a great writer.

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