Do you ever find that you want to relax, but you just can’t slow down and unwind? If your mind is overstimulated, you are suffering from stress, your lifestyle is erratic or you have excess energy, you will probably find relaxing hard.
OVERSTIMULATED MIND
Neurotransmitters such as adrenalin are designed to make you alert. They are naturally produced when you carry out activities that stimulate your mind or body. During the day, you can benefit from having these brain messengers in your system. They can help you feel good and give you energy. The only problem when they are produced when you want to relax is that they create the opposite effect to that which you want to achieve. You want to calm down and let go, but they make you agitated and wound up.
Anything that excites your mind, from watching a horror movie to working late using your computer can send a message to your brain to create the type of neurotransmitters that keep you alert and ready for action. Thus, if you want to relax, you need to cut down on stimulating activities as the day ends and evening begins.
STRESS
Unwanted thoughts about things that trouble you are likely to make it hard for you to relax. The more you focus on problems, the more difficult it can be to let go and achieve a peaceful mind. In order to de-stress you will benefit from practicing meditation, or another method of calming your mind such as guided imagery.
ERRATIC LIFESTYLE
Nobody’s life runs smoothly all of the time. However, you can develop a routine that you follow as a means of winding down as often as possible. Train your brain to recognize signs that you want to relax by carrying out similar tasks at a similar time of evening and night before you go to bed every day of the week. Sure, you might socialize more at weekends, or study and work late in the week, but you can still eat at a similar time, exercise at a similar time and end the day with a cup of warm milk.
EXCESS ENERGY
You might have excess energy if you haven’t exercised enough. If you have a sedentary desk job, or just don’t like exercising, you might find it is hard to loosen up. Either way, you can exercise without realizing it by making small changes to your daily routine. For example, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, cycling to work rather than taking the car, and walking to the shops instead of shopping online will provide you with physical activity.
ANXIETY ABOUT RELAXING
If you have found it hard to relax for some time, you might have come to believe that relaxing is virtually impossible. In addition, you might worry about not relaxing and so become stressed, which in turn prevents you from relaxing.
To alter your mentality regarding relaxation, try new methods of soothing your mind and body you’ve not endeavored to explore previously. Your mind is more likely to readily accept a new way of relaxing than an old one you assume doesn’t work. Perhaps you would benefit from a session in a floatation tank to remind you what it feels like to relax, or you could join a yoga class.
There are many reasons why you might find relaxing hard. Identifying where your difficulty relaxing stems from can help you alleviate the problem.
