Relaxation Haven

Archive for December, 2009

With a new year around the corner it is time to think about the year behind us as well as to plan for the future. Most people typically do this in the form of New Year’s Resolutions. There are a bunch of common resolutions of course, such as “lose weight”, “quit smoking”, “get fit” and so on. Unfortunately these resolutions are often forgotten about by February. What I plan on teaching you in this article is not only how to make New Year’s Resolutions but how to successfully achieve them as well.

Before we go any further though I would be remiss not to mention what I consider to be the most important resolution of all, and that is to relax more often. If that’s not on your list already it should be, so go on and add it now!

Start the new year with a bang!

I’m going to use the goal of relaxation to show you how to achieve any New Year’s Resolution. It’s not good enough to simply write down “relax more” on a piece of paper, or mentally and then just expect it to happen. Not only do you need a goal, you also need a plan.

So take a minute to think about it. How exactly can you relax more? Well first of all you need to find time. If you are a busy person then you need to think about how to make more time for yourself. Are there activities you do that you don’t need or have to do? Maybe you could drop a night class that you aren’t finding as enthralling as you first expecting or perhaps you could turn the TV and internet off for one night a week.

Now that you’ve found the time, all you have to do this relax. Even that though raises further questions. How do you relax? Well that is really a subjective question. What relaxes you personally. Some people like to curl up with a good book while others relieve stress by hitting the gym. Maybe you could spend your newfound time meditating or improving yourself with self hypnosis. Whatever the answer, as long as the result is relaxation then you are achieving your goal.

This is the sort of mental process you have to go through if you really intend to be successful with your New Year’s Resolutions. This thought process can be put to any resolution whether it’s spending more time with your family, lowering your golfing handicap or becoming more well read.

From Relaxation Haven we wish you a happy and prosperous 2010!

A few months ago I posted an article entitled An Overview of Meditation, and later a video Introduction To Meditation, both of which proved to be popular. However because meditation is such an expansive topic, even these beginners guides are quite complex. That is why I am posting this quick YouTube video on How To Meditate.

How To Meditate is a quick five minute video that trims meditation down to it’s very basics. So if you just want a quick start guide to meditation this is perfect.

Note: This will probably be my last post before Christmas but I hope to make a post sometime between Christmas and New Year so stay tuned for that. I’ve no particular plans yet but it could be something to do with New Year’s resolutions.

Like most things in life there are no hard and fast rules to how much sleep a person needs. Some people need nine hours to fresh in the morning, while others only require four hours. Generally it is recommended for a person to get between seven and eight hours of sleep. But what if you struggle for hours every night to drop off to sleep? Not only do you lose hours of sleep but it also can negatively effect your health.

Enjoy a deep sleep every night.

Sleep deprivation can result in irritability, poor memory, attention deficiency, weak immune system, diabetes, heightened risk of heart disease, muscle aches as well as an increased risk of obesity. That covers nearly all worst things that can happen to your health! After reading all of those symptoms you might be feeling a little anxious, but this is exactly the opposite of how you need to feel to get to sleep in a timely fashion.

That is why I’m going to teach you a few ways that will help you to relax yourself to sleep.

First of all you should avoid drinking caffeine and alcohol for at least three hours before you got to bed. Both these drugs act as stimulants. Instead try drinking a warm, milky drink such as a cup of Horlicks. Similarly if you are hungry don’t eat a big meal, take in a light snack such as some fruit and yoghurt. This prevents your digestive system from being overworked and should help you be more comfortable in bed.

If possible you should exercise early on in the day rather than at night. Exercise helps to tire you out so that you’ll need to rest later on at night, however if you exercise at night this increases your temperature and heart rate which makes it difficult to fall asleep. To relax your body at night try taking a nice, hot bath. This releases any tension from your muscles and allows you to reflect on the day behind you, rather than doing so in bed.

My final suggestion is to listen to some relaxation music or hypnosis audio just before you go to bed. You could even do this while you are in the bath. This will ease away any mental chatter and lull you into a sleepy state.

By following this advice you should find yourself falling to sleep much more quickly and enjoying a deeper, more restful sleep.