Why We Need to Relax More

By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published ​on LeAnn's blog.

The skateboarder came careening toward me at about 100 miles per hour down the post office steps, then screeched to a stop inches in front of me.

My expression of terror (and admittedly annoyance) caused him to drawl, “Chill out, Dude. Relax.”

I wanted to shake my finger and lecture him on his social skills, but realized the “dude” had a point.

I’d been working at a frenzy all day, rushing to meet the postal deadline, to then hustle to my next meeting. I needed to chill out and relax. Maybe we all do.

Relaxation is important because it is more than a state of mind; it physically changes the way your body functions. When your body is relaxed breathing slows, blood pressure and oxygen consumption decrease, and most people report feeling an increased sense of well-being. This is called the “relaxation response.”

Using relaxation techniques to produce this response actually changes not only your mind, but your body, researchers proved.

They discovered this list of ailments relaxation can help cure (in alphabetical order for your convenience): anxiety, asthma, depression, digestive problems, fibromyalgia, headaches, heart disease, high blood pressure, hot flashes, insomnia, irritable bowel, nausea, nightmares, overactive bladder, pain, ringing in the ears, smoking cessation, temporomandibular pain. Whew!

Are any of these a bit too familiar to you?

If so, will you join me? Chill out, and relax, Dude.

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