Relaxation: the importance of taking a break

Published by Alison Wem on

You may be experiencing the relentless pace of business or the rigours of running a family life or perhaps both!

Stress resides not in the mind but in the nervous system. Our ‘fight or flight’ response raises our cortisol level causing the sympathetic nervous system to activate. Our bodies are designed for a raised cortisol level but only in short bursts to aid our survival. However in our modern ‘always on the go’ life style, many people live with chronic raised cortisol levels leading to slow digestion, sleep disruption and other side effects.

Rest and relaxation reduces our cortisol level.  But the question is;

How do you maintain an appropriate cortisol level once you are back at work?

Taking a break of not less than 15 minutes has a big impact on your cortisol level.  These breaks can and should be simple such as a walk, a coffee and a magazine, sitting in a park, taking a bath, listening to some music.  All of these breaks should be discrete and separate.  There is little value in a break where you spend the entire time worrying about a problem.

The aim of the break is to slow the mind, for calmness to arrive which then allows the body to relax. 15 minutes is all it takes. Try to decide where and how in your day you would get the most value from it.

Your concentration will improve which will increase your effectiveness and efficiency at work, well worth the 15 minutes.

Be kind to yourself – learn to relax

Alison Wem – life coach, author and leadership consultant, MBCS CITP, former Business Transformation Director, IT Director, Programme Director who led major transformation programmes for corporate and multi-national organisations such as Amey PLC, Christies. News UK.

Alison is married with five grown-up children. Many of the techniques in her ‘leading yourself’ coaching and courses are based on her life experiences in her professional and family life. She retains a calmness and clarity enabling her to assess the right things to do.

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Life and Living

Back to work: how do you keep the relaxed feel from the break?

Many of us have now gone back to work.  After the long Festive break, you will be adjusting back to the relentless pace of business.

Stress resides not in the mind but in the nervous system. Our ‘fight or flight’ response raises our cortisol level causing the sympathetic nervous system to activate. Our bodies are designed for a raised cortisol level but only in short bursts to aid our survival. However in our modern ‘always on the go’ life style, many people live with chronic raised cortisol levels leading to slow digestion, sleep disruption and other side effects.

Rest and relaxation reduces our cortisol level.  Some will have achieved this in the long festive break, but the question is;

How do you maintain an appropriate cortisol level once you are back at work?

Taking a break of not less than 15 minutes has a big impact on your cortisol level.  These breaks can and should be simple such as a walk, a coffee and a magazine, sitting in a park, taking a bath, listening to some music.  All of these breaks should be discrete and separate.  There is little value in a break where you spend the entire time worrying about a problem.

 The aim of the break is to slow the mind, for calmness to arrive which then allows the body to relax. 15 minutes is all it takes. Try to decide where and how in your day you would get the most value from it.

Your concentration will improve which will increase your effectiveness and efficiency at work, well worth the 15 minutes.

Be kind to yourself – learn to relax

If you relate to this article and need some more help and guidance in your life – get in touch with Alison. Here are her contact details.

Click to contact me Here

Tel: +44 7966 137568  Email: alison.wem@yoursoulfamily.com

Available face-to-face or via WhatsApp/Zoom depending on your location.

Conscious Mind

Living with balance in your life

Finding balance in all you think, feel and do brings you calmness. In my experience, when you feel calmness there is much more clarity on who you are and what is happening in your life.

In the northern hemisphere the Spring Equinox is coming on the 21st March. It brings us out of winter and officially is the start of the spring season. But what exactly is the spring equinox? 

First, let’s get into the equinox, which actually occurs twice a year. We have already mentioned the Spring Equinox. Another equinox occurs on the 23rd September and takes us into autumn. The word equinox comes from Latin and means “equality of night and day.” So, the equinox occurs at two specific moments in time when the sun is exactly above the equator. 

The earth and the sun are poised briefly in balance with one another as if in a dance. Now is a good time to bring your life into balance. Find what your balance means. For example, is it between home and work, in a relationship, or perhaps even balance with yourself in how you treat yourself.

To achieve balance you need equal weight on either side with you being the pivotal point in the middle, much as a tight rope walker does. It is about finding the middle way so both halves of you feel heard and satisfied. This is more easily achieved from a point of calmness,

At Your Soul Family we use Soul Maps to gain insight into yourself and colouring of the Soul Map to bring in the calmness. You can find guidance on this approach here. It is one approach but there are others.

So the question is;

How do you find calmness and balance in our hectic 21st century lifestyle?

Needing some ideas? I recommend you read Karen Newell’s article on Finding Balance in an Erratic World

One approach is to listen to acoustic music which Sacred Acoustics offers. You can listen to their free training videos to appreciate what is involved, sample some sounds and answer questions you may have. View videos here

Karen Newell is co-founder of Sacred Acoustics and works with Eben Alexander, author of best selling books Living in a Mindful Universe, Proof of Heaven and The Map of Heaven.

 

Mindful workplace

Relaxation: learn to breath deeply and consciously

Mindfulness is a commonly used term these days. However it is true that breathing consciously or just being still brings calmness which enhances your concentration, lowers blood pressure and aids sleep quality. All are good for enhancing your performance at work and improves your well-being.

The simplest way to induce stillness is to take deep breaths.

I work at home on my own. It can be hard to keep my boundaries between home and work life. Each day I go for a walk, preferably in the park. Today I tried conscious breathing to see if it improved me living in the moment and finding happiness in that moment. It is a simple exercise;

  1.  Take a deep breath in – say ‘In’.
  2.  Breath out – say ‘Out’.

Repeat this at least 3 times. As you breath in, your mind and body becomes peaceful. As you breath out, all that you do not want leaves you, it may be frustration, upset, boredom.

Recently I have found that when I go for my walk I am thinking about all the things I need to get done, my back is bowed and I am looking at the ground. This is not good for me. Today I did this exercise in the park with people walking around me with some surprising results.

I was standing amongst some trees and I noticed the brown, dry autumn leaves on the ground. A rather fat squirrel was running towards me. I suspect he had got used to being fed by humans. When I did not offer anything, he ran off. Two big, black crows were looking amongst the leaves for grubs. Suddenly they took to their wings and flew to the tree tops. My eyes followed them. I noticed a green parakeet, you increasingly see them as they have escaped captivity. They add a splash of colour to our parks. Then I noticed the clouds scudding across the sky and heard the cry of sea gulls. It must be stormy at sea and they have moved inland. As the crow flies, London is really not far from the sea.

All of this happened in a matter of a few minutes. I felt calm, contented and happy. For this precious time, I had left my worries behind. Afterwards I felt both relaxed and energised. A good way to start my afternoon.

The exercise is simple, can be done anywhere and gives great benefits. Try to repeat it everyday at the same time to make it a habit.  When I was in a stressful corporate job I did this exercise after my drive to work before I went into the office. I started my day … feeling calm and competent.

Be kind to yourself – learn to relax

If you relate to this article and need some more help and guidance in your life – get in touch with Alison. Here are her contact details.

Click to contact me Here

Tel: +44 7966 137568  Email: alison.wem@yoursoulfamily.com

Available face-to-face or via a video call depending on location.

Upcoming events with Alison Wem – look here