#Live Whole Health #169: Relax, refresh, recharge

Few people, if ever any, have been calmed by the words, “calm down.” The same goes for the word “relax.” In fact, these commands may even get your blood pumping, readying you to react with action instead of relaxing.

Our fight or flight response is our body’s natural reaction to a perceived threat, and it’s often activated by situations that are not truly a threat, such as work stress, phobias, mobile device alerts and more. Our world is so full of these “alerts” that our minds and bodies can be triggered by even the most harmless situations.

Being in a state of constant stress can be bad for our physical and mental health and well-being. Stress can cause or worsen these and other health problems:

• Chronic fatigue
• Depression
• Gastrointestinal issues
• Headaches and migraines

You may not be able to control external stressors, but you can learn how to relax, refresh and recharge using mindfulness tools, such as this 10-minute iRest® yoga nidra meditation practice led by Marcy Newman, DACM, RN, MPH and Employee Whole Health Program manager from the Phoenix VA Medical Center. In this practice, Newman will help you imagine being on a beautiful beach and she’ll give you time to create stillness and peace in your body and mind.

Practicing guided meditation can help you to:

• Increase focus
• Boost awareness to make healthy choices
• Reduce stress
• Help maintain interest and energy level
• Make it possible to do better work after the pause
• Decrease risk of the types of injuries that can happen when we lose focus, like overuse injuries

Learn more about how to relax, refresh and recharge here.