I had mentioned our hectic lifestyles when I spoke about exercise.  Many of us are always on the go.  We are always doing something.  Oftentimes our activities come along with time pressure.  We don't want to be late, or perhaps we have a deadline to meet.  We always have someplace to go or something to do.  This is just a function of our modern society, and the time pressures we feel are frequently unavoidable.  In addition to the demands on our time, we are often bombarded with stress from multiple facets of our lives.  These can include our careers, our finances and our relationships. 

     Although this is just all part of the world in which we live, the enormous amount of daily stress that we are under can have detrimental effects on both our minds and our bodies.  I'm sure that many of us have become frazzled during stressful situations.  However, it doesn't stop there.  Mental stress actually triggers physiologic changes within the body.  These changes include an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, as well as a degree of immune system suppression.  Have you ever wondered why you are usually more likely to catch a cold during times of great stress?  It is because of the very intimate relationship between the mind and body.  Can you imagine the effects of this compounded over time?  Picture going about your daily life with a heart rate and blood pressure that are frequently elevated.  The cumulative effects can sometimes lead to chronic headaches or neck pain; a heart attack is certainly a possiblity.

     We are always doing something.  We need to relax periodically.  And when I say relax, I am not talking about plopping down on the couch and watching TV.  Although TV can be relaxing and enjoyable, wathching TV is still doing something.  We need to give our minds a rest during our waking hours.  We need to just be.  We need to just be with ourselves in the present moment, without doing anything.  There is a large body of scientific evidence demonstrating the benefits of this.  These benfits include a lower blood pressure, a stronger immune system as well as an ability to better handle stress.

     So, how can you relax in the manner in which I am speaking?  The easist way is to just take a few minutes each day to close your eyes and focus on your breathing.   If you make a conscious effort to also focus on your breathing during times of stress, you may find yourself dealing with the circumstances in a more effective fashion.  It sounds simple, but it can have profoundly beneficial effects.  To take this a step further and reap even greater benefits, you can become a student of meditation or yoga, incorporating these practices into your daily life.