At the end of a busy day do you find yourself aching, full of tension and unable to clear your mind? Well you're not alone, that is how most people feel at the end of a busy day.
We have demanding jobs that often cause us both physical and emotional stress and for many people the day is spent in an over stimulating environment.
Our minds have a lot to process come the end of the day, too much.
This leads to the inability to truly relax, to sleep well or to remain focused on anything in particular.
Our minds are racing and when that happens, nobody wins.
Our jobs and the environment they take place in are most likely not going to change anytime soon, so the only solution is to learn to cope with our every day stresses more efficiently.
One way to do this is with physical activity, it could be the gym, a run outside, working in the garden or something as simple as stretching in your living room.
The nice thing about stretching is that any skill level or activity level can reap the benefits, it can be done anywhere and it is free! (It is! It is actually just an urban legend that a minimum purchase of $100.
00 is to be made at LuLu Lemon in order to participate in any form of physical activity!) The other benefits to stretching at the end of the day versus an intense work out is that it is gentle so it won't invigorate you prior to sleep and it is restorative which allows you to recover from the on goings of a busy day and prepare your body for deep rest and healing.
Here is what I suggest...
Find yourself a quiet nook in your home, one that automatically instills a little bit of peace just from being in that spot, lay on the floor on your back and just relax for a few minutes.
Be still.
We are often so busy and so committed to our lives that we neglect stillness.
Take these few moments to reacquaint yourself with yourself.
Feel what your body is quietly saying to you and let this be your guide for the next few minutes.
What I mean by that is, in stillness we become aware of the points of tension in our bodies and in our minds and just like GI Joe always said, "Knowing is half the battle!" If you notice your low back is aching in this position than that's where you need to focus your stretches.
If you find that the Monday morning meeting keeps your mind racing than take a moment to acknowledge that as a point of stress and see if it is also showing up as pain or tension in some area of your body, like your stomach or neck, and that is where you need to offer restoration in your body.
Once you have addressed your areas of tension, move into a gentle stretch that eventually takes you to the point of discomfort, but never pain.
When you have reached that depth in your stretch, again focus your attention on what you are feeling.
Don't try to escape that mild discomfort, if you do your only leaving this moment to go back to your hectic day, instead focus and experience what is happening in your body and this will bring you into a state that is very similar to meditation.
The traffic in your mind will begin to dissipate and you will be left with a sense of clarity.
The best part is your focus will be on you, in that very moment.
No money worries, no work hassles, just an opportunity to be alone with you.
The next step is to breathe.
Breathing deeply in through your nose and exhaling from your mouth automatically creates an avenue for stress and tension to leave our bodies, it calms any sense of anxiety and it just feels good.
Using this deep breathing will also allow you to deepen your stretch and improve your overall flexibility, which will in turn decrease the likely hood of physical pain and injury.
If you do notice a spot in your body where you are feeling anxiety focus on breathing into that very area, for me I feel my anxiety in my tummy so I will really exaggerate my breathe in that area by expanding my belly as much as I can.
You do want to do your best to keep your stretching symmetrical but don't get hung up on counting out your stretches.
Trust that your body will guide you and if you remain focused during this time you won't miss out on that guidance.
It is amazing how strong we can become when we allow for a few minutes of stillness each day.
Allowing this time to relax is exactly where you are going to find the strength to take on whatever the next day has to offer.
After a good night's sleep that is! Are you unfamiliar with stretching and need some guidance? Stretching by Suzanne Martin is a great book that offers a variety of stretching routines and rehabilitative stretches.
Check out the upcoming July issue of the In Touch Wellness Newsletter, in that I will be showcasing three of my favorite hip opening stretches from this book.
Also keep an eye open for the next issue of "The Whole You", I will be discussing the benefits of breathing from the diaphragm and the negative impact shallow breathing has on the amount of stress and tension we hold.
(Who would have thought that so many of us aren't breathing right?)
We have demanding jobs that often cause us both physical and emotional stress and for many people the day is spent in an over stimulating environment.
Our minds have a lot to process come the end of the day, too much.
This leads to the inability to truly relax, to sleep well or to remain focused on anything in particular.
Our minds are racing and when that happens, nobody wins.
Our jobs and the environment they take place in are most likely not going to change anytime soon, so the only solution is to learn to cope with our every day stresses more efficiently.
One way to do this is with physical activity, it could be the gym, a run outside, working in the garden or something as simple as stretching in your living room.
The nice thing about stretching is that any skill level or activity level can reap the benefits, it can be done anywhere and it is free! (It is! It is actually just an urban legend that a minimum purchase of $100.
00 is to be made at LuLu Lemon in order to participate in any form of physical activity!) The other benefits to stretching at the end of the day versus an intense work out is that it is gentle so it won't invigorate you prior to sleep and it is restorative which allows you to recover from the on goings of a busy day and prepare your body for deep rest and healing.
Here is what I suggest...
Find yourself a quiet nook in your home, one that automatically instills a little bit of peace just from being in that spot, lay on the floor on your back and just relax for a few minutes.
Be still.
We are often so busy and so committed to our lives that we neglect stillness.
Take these few moments to reacquaint yourself with yourself.
Feel what your body is quietly saying to you and let this be your guide for the next few minutes.
What I mean by that is, in stillness we become aware of the points of tension in our bodies and in our minds and just like GI Joe always said, "Knowing is half the battle!" If you notice your low back is aching in this position than that's where you need to focus your stretches.
If you find that the Monday morning meeting keeps your mind racing than take a moment to acknowledge that as a point of stress and see if it is also showing up as pain or tension in some area of your body, like your stomach or neck, and that is where you need to offer restoration in your body.
Once you have addressed your areas of tension, move into a gentle stretch that eventually takes you to the point of discomfort, but never pain.
When you have reached that depth in your stretch, again focus your attention on what you are feeling.
Don't try to escape that mild discomfort, if you do your only leaving this moment to go back to your hectic day, instead focus and experience what is happening in your body and this will bring you into a state that is very similar to meditation.
The traffic in your mind will begin to dissipate and you will be left with a sense of clarity.
The best part is your focus will be on you, in that very moment.
No money worries, no work hassles, just an opportunity to be alone with you.
The next step is to breathe.
Breathing deeply in through your nose and exhaling from your mouth automatically creates an avenue for stress and tension to leave our bodies, it calms any sense of anxiety and it just feels good.
Using this deep breathing will also allow you to deepen your stretch and improve your overall flexibility, which will in turn decrease the likely hood of physical pain and injury.
If you do notice a spot in your body where you are feeling anxiety focus on breathing into that very area, for me I feel my anxiety in my tummy so I will really exaggerate my breathe in that area by expanding my belly as much as I can.
You do want to do your best to keep your stretching symmetrical but don't get hung up on counting out your stretches.
Trust that your body will guide you and if you remain focused during this time you won't miss out on that guidance.
It is amazing how strong we can become when we allow for a few minutes of stillness each day.
Allowing this time to relax is exactly where you are going to find the strength to take on whatever the next day has to offer.
After a good night's sleep that is! Are you unfamiliar with stretching and need some guidance? Stretching by Suzanne Martin is a great book that offers a variety of stretching routines and rehabilitative stretches.
Check out the upcoming July issue of the In Touch Wellness Newsletter, in that I will be showcasing three of my favorite hip opening stretches from this book.
Also keep an eye open for the next issue of "The Whole You", I will be discussing the benefits of breathing from the diaphragm and the negative impact shallow breathing has on the amount of stress and tension we hold.
(Who would have thought that so many of us aren't breathing right?)