You Gotta Relax

I’ve written a lot about the importance of staying active, both physically and mentally, and figured it’s time to cover another aspect – the art of relaxing. This is something that my wife is an expert at and I am becoming better at. Yeah, I’m retired, and old dogs can learn new tricks, but that type of mental re-training takes time – and effort. Yes, it takes effort to learn to relax if you are not one of the lucky ones to whom it comes naturally.

Relaxing doesn’t mean just doing nothing – it can mean a lot of different things. One thing that relaxes me is writing these blog posts. I don’t pressure myself to write. I write when I feel the muse and often wind up creating several posts in a single session. That gives me a stock of posts to pull from, and having that enables me to relax more. After all, I started this blog as a fun outlet for writing and I don’t want it to become a job. I’m retired for crying out loud!

I find it tough to turn off my brain when doing nothing, so for me, activities that change my focus are key to relaxing and re-charging mentally. Walking, cycling, and taking meandering drives while listening to music all do that for me. Driving takes focus on the task at hand but it allows my mind to wander while the scenery rolls by. Same for cycling and walking. Both provide my brain with a bit of a rest while providing my body with much-needed exercise. Getting lost in a long ride on Columbia Trail or the D&R Canal are sure fire ways to turn my brain off for a bit as the sites and sounds of nature envelop me.

On the sedentary side, getting lost in a good book, particularly sitting by a nice warm fire is a wonderful way to spend an evening, and a great way to re-focus my brain and allow it to re-charge. Sometimes just watching a bit of stupid TV does the trick, especially if it’s been a really busy day. That’s not so good for brain development but it is relaxing. For some, watching sports might do the trick, but for me that can be aggravating when my team is not doing well. And most of the teams I follow are in that position - a lot.

We need both physical and mental relaxation to keep ourselves balanced and healthy. Your mental re-charge may be from doing nothing, doing what you feel like doing in the moment or from an activity you enjoy – something that engages your body but frees your mind like walking, cycling, or jogging. Physical re-charge requires you to stop moving and let your body rest, not just during sleep but giving yourself downtime to just be.

Give yourself permission to relax. You’ll have more energy, be in a better mood, and your brain and body will function more smoothly.

We are now 1/12 through 2022. Here’s to each month being better than that last one!