Relaxation Day…Yes you can!

August 15th is National Relaxation Day! What is the first thing that came to your mind when you read that sentence?

• That is great but there is no way I can relax today, I have too much to do.
• Relax- who has time for that?
• Relax- I do not know how.
• Relaxation is for lazy people.

According to the Oxford Dictionary the definition of relaxation is the state of being free from tension and anxiety. With so much going on in our world, our State and even in our jobs how can we ever be free from tension and anxiety? A lot of us work with people in constant crisis, which just adds to the constant crisis in our own everyday lives. It is often hard to compartmentalize our lives. Our work life bleeds over into our home life and what is going on at home is always in the back of our minds when we are at work. The word boundary gets tossed around a lot but very few of us set them. But you know what- it is okay to set them. There is a reason so many quotes are floating around about taking care of yourself- you cannot pour from an empty cup or put your oxygen mask on first, or you must pour something out before you can refill.

So, let us talk about how we can relax today and how we can incorporate it on a more regular basis. There are the usual activities:

• Get a massage
• Get a manicure and or pedicure
• Talk a walk
• Watch cute animal videos
• Read a book
• Play with a pet
• Play with a kid
• Go to a movie

And then there are the things we do not think about:

• Start a journal
• Schedule “me” time on your calendar
• Turn off your phone and step away from your computer for a period of time (and stick to it!)
• Call a friend or family member you have not talked to in a while
• Share a meal with a friend or family member
• Eat by yourself at a restaurant
• Dance
• Listen to music and sing along at the top of your lungs
• List things you are grateful for
• Smile at strangers
• Compliment someone
• Do a random act of kindness
• Hand write a letter to someone

As Lauren Carter said: “Self-care allows us humans to maintain balance and continue functioning like a well-oiled machine that increases our ability to help care for others. Just as you would not expect your car to run continuously for 5,000 miles without stopping for gas or having its oil changed, you too cannot expect that of yourself! Running on empty eventually leads to a machine that no longer functions”.

Give yourself permission to relax not just today but every day. I challenge you to incorporate relaxation into your daily routine. We all have time to care for ourselves, we just need to realize our needs are just as important as our clients’. We help them get to where they need to be aren’t we significant enough to do the same for ourselves?