Part 1: What Happens When You Relax?

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “What happens when I relax?” I definitely didn’t until recently. I’m usually asking myself, “How can I avoid being stressed right now?” I’m the kind of person who can easily go into information overload – especially when I’m using the Internet. Can anyone else relate?

One of the things I overloaded on was researching the effects of stress on the body. (Irony.)

I researched multiple different reputable health and wellness sites, read a few books, as well as the results of different clinical trials that were performed to show the results of stress on the human body. It took me awhile to realize that my focus on stress prevention took my attention off of relaxation implementation. After doing so much research on stress and seeing how it negatively impacts EVERYTHING related to the human body (digestion, blood flow, emotional well-being, focus, chronic pains, etc.), guess what happened…?

I got stressed out.

The questions I asked myself got a little too “Type A”-ish. 

When am I gunna practice deep breathing and meditation? Should I add it to my calendar?

If I miss a week of meditation, then will my body go back into stress mode?

Did I eat my food too quickly? Did I practice mindful eating today?!

What should I do to counteract the negative effects of all the times I was under stress?!

By focusing on stress and the effects of stress on the human body, I manifested some of the very symptoms that I was trying to avoid.

One day, I was watching a Tony Robbins video, where he was speaking to a large group of people at a conference. He shouted that he wanted everyone in the room to “Look for the color red! Anything you can find that’s red! Look for red! Look for red!” Frantically people searched for the color red, and once they found a satisfied amount of crimson in the room, they looked back towards the stage.

Even I started searching my little bedroom for anything that was red. Noticing that I didn’t have very much red in the room, I even considered redecorating a bit. Finally after the room quieted down, Tony cleverly asked, “Now what did you find in the room that was blue?”

Oh crap.

I immediately caught on to what he was doing. I was so preoccupied with finding red (and possibly buying some red conversation pieces) that I ignored every other color in the room – including blurple (a mix of blue and purple), which is my favorite color.

Why would I ignore the things I love and adore in favor of something that was not as favorable to me?

The same concept applies to stress and relaxation: Why would I divert my attention away from relaxation in favor of avoiding the pains of stress? It’s like the Bible story of the Israelites taking 40 years to get to the Promised Land, when it should have only taken them 11 days. Just sayin’. Why do we run around in circles and do back flips to try to avoid pain, when all we really have to do step up with open hands and accept our blessings?

I’m not belittling the fact that life is hard. The daily grind can absolutely wear down our bodies and souls. However, similar to the “red/blue” exercise, just ask yourself what would happen if you actually knew what you wanted in your life and looked for that instead of looking for and expecting problems and hardships?

Let’s apply this info practically.

I’d HIGHLY recommend pulling out a journal or laptop for this next exercise.

My three questions for you are simple:

1. What desire do you have for your life that you are you currently ignoring or not doing? (This can be a life change you’ve been wanting or making a big career decision. It can be something more simple – like going to the gym twice a week. Try to pick just one thing for now. Remember that the things you love will bring you into a more relaxed state, and less stressed, so be honest with yourself here!)
2. What are you settling for in your life that is less than favorable? (Again this can be really complex or simple – like instead of going to the gym, I work overtime every day at my job.)
3. What is stopping you from saying “YES” to what came up for you in your answer for #1? (Remember that you’re the only one reading this, unless you share it! So be completely honest in your answer!)

Once you complete the question sequence above, take some time to stretch, take some deep breaths, then go back and reread what you wrote. Take some time to congratulate yourself for the work you’ve done, and just notice if anything is different in your mood or state of mind. It could be that you feel nothing different; or maybe you’ve stepped into a deeper state of relaxation after letting your truth manifest itself in writing.

Either way, you’ve done great work, and I’m excited to deliver Part 2 very soon! Be sure to bring your notebook or laptop again! 🙂

To your health,

Brandie Nicole

P.S. Click here to dive deeper on implementing relaxation into your life.