The Art of Relaxation to Succeed

DEFINITION OF SUCCESS

To understand this article, it is important to define our vision of success. For many it means being the best in their professional career, in their field. Usually that includes having financial rewards and a better life than other people in general. But success is something much more complex and profound than money, the respect of your colleagues and your level of luxury. Success also includes the balance. Balance that you have in your life, and that you can maintain in a constant way. Specifically, it is how you handle your stress, and how you relax in difficult times.

Relaxation is vital for anyone. And even more so for those who seek to be successful professionally. The higher you want to be in your career, the more complicated and stressful situations you will accumulate on a daily basis. Usually one thinks that relaxing is something natural for a human being. But really, like any other art, it requires techniques, and a lot of practice. That is why many do not process stress correctly, and they even get sick.

Those techniques that we suggest here don’t necessarily work for everyone. But at least pick one or two, and practice. Like any other art form, it takes hours of work to become an expert. A sure fact: as soon as you start to really relax, practicing your favorite techniques on a daily basis, part of your routine, you will have a much more free, open mind, and thus you can achieve the success you are seeking to achieve.

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RELAX AND BREATHE

The more ambitious your project, the more frustration, conflict, stress and anger towards employees, colleagues and clients you accumulate. The more you scream, you contract, you use your body to squeeze those strong and explosive emotions, the more you will press on your internal organs, resulting in damage to your internal health. It is something progressive, over time, but even CEOs of international companies develop cancer from all that stress.

Instead of responding in those situations, take a moment to take a deep breath. There are two benefits to controlling your breathing:

1. It allows you to lower the heat inside you, it works as a ventilation of your body
2. Lowering the heat of your body, breathing calmly, with time (closing your eyes if necessary) will naturally calm you and your mind will free and open to thoughts directed to solutions instead of problems.

It may take 10 seconds or a couple of hours, but take the time necessary to achieve that tranquility and inner peace before facing the situation that brought you to that boiling point.

Tips – Breathing exercise:

1. Inhale deeply for 5 seconds
2. Save air for 15 seconds
3. Expires 10 seconds

Repeat 10 times minimum.

STOP THE CAFFEINE ALREADY

When I was first recommended that over 5 years ago, I didn’t pay much attention to it… But it’s important to lower your caffeine intake. Starting the day with a strong dose of coffee seems logical to wake up and have energy for at least the morning. But by consuming so much caffeine you put yourself through a rush of adrenaline and internal pressure that has negative effects for someone looking to relax. It makes you more impatient, and you are more likely to get angry about something that doesn’t make sense.

If like me you love coffee, and you need a boost in the morning, have green tea. It contains less caffeine, more antioxidants, natural components that help you relax and consequently help you have a better focus on what you are doing.

CHANGE YOUR POSTURE

The way you sit, how you stand, and sleep. Your posture is very important. Have you seen someone with a curved back and thought they looked sad? Or someone laying their face on her desk and thinking they lacked energy? Your posture is not just a representation of how you feel. It has a direct impact on how you are going to feel.

Keep your back straight. Don’t let your spine curve. Not only is it bad for your back, but also because in the front, you are compressing your organs, you make yourself smaller than you are, and the smaller you feel, the less powerful you will feel.

What posture do I recommend? If you are sitting, arms on the table/desk, ready to use them to take notes or to express yourself in a debate/conversation, having more presence with the other person. Straight back, you feel taller, more powerful, more important, and more confident.

It sounds simple, but your posture really has a direct impact on how you feel, and if you are looking to relax, there is no better way to do so than to feel in control. Take the position of a leader.

MY FAVORITE: ENTERTAINMENT

This technique is the simplest and one of the most efficient. When I feel stressed, angry, if I am scared or sad, listening to music, shouting encouragement phrases help me a lot. Cortisol is a stress hormone. Put your mind and body in touch with a beautiful song/music, watch a comedy that makes you laugh, yell at yourself in the mirror; All of this helps lower your Cortisol level, lowers your blood pressure, and eventually relaxes you.

Some people laugh too. Start by forcing it, and after about 20/30 seconds it turns into a heartfelt laugh. Why? Because laughing generates endorphin.

When you feel stressed, take a break. five, ten minutes, and look at the activities that make you feel better. Practice this every time you feel your pressure, anger, stress building up. Over time, you will begin to control your emotions without any help. And when you go back to work, you’ll have more energy and motivation to keep moving forward.