002: Why Don’t I know How to Relax?

Many years ago I found myself running around constantly busy doing things thinking that this would get me ahead. Why? Because we live in a society here in the United States that tells us that to be successful we have to be constantly focused on where we are going. In so doing we are constantly in motion never taking any time to relax. There are a few problems with this sort of mind set. First that we are ever going to get to a place where we feel successful enough to relax as the bar is ever heightened. Second this idea that we don’t need to relax.

 Being under stress because of your job responsibilities or responsibilities to your family will also take away one’s ability to relax. Other common causes of stress are:

Having long hours on the job, doing work that you dislike, having a hostile work environment, having a long commute especially with lots of traffic, being in a rocky relationship, caring for an ill loved one, financial difficulties, perfectionism, unrealistic expectations, lack of assertiveness when necessary. There are also positive events that can create stress like: getting married, purchasing a new house, getting a promotion, or having a child.

 The problem with having all this stress in our lives is that it can reek havoc in our lives by unbalancing our hormones, putting undo stress on our heart, and over many years causing the break down of your bodies in various ways.

 Obvious indicators of stress are constant worrying, irritability, feelings of overwhelm, nervous habits like pacing and biting one’s nails, abusing substances, poor judgment, seeing only the negative in situations, racing thoughts, and lack of sleep.