Podcast Episode #53
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[00:00:00] Welcome to the Extraordinary Life Podcast from the creator of the Extraordinary Life Tribe, Crystal Obregon,, the self-development podcast propelling you forward toward your goals, using science backed high performance habits. Reach the next level in your physical and mental health. See new Heights in your relationships.
[00:00:18] Gain clarity on your purpose and live your extraordinary life. Welcome your host writer, speaker and coach, Crystal Obregon. Hi there. This is Crystal of Crystal Obregon Coaching with Episode Number 53 of the Extraordinary Life Podcast. We're settling into summer here in the Northern hemisphere. And I have one question for you:
[00:00:47] what are your plans for relaxing and unwinding this summer? This week, I'm going to share why it's so important to relax and also [00:01:00] include a free downloadable resource for reducing stress and increasing relaxation in your day to day life. These days, our lives are so busy, especially, as many people are working at home and it's harder to get away from their work.
[00:01:19] But being able to relax is really important to achieving optimal performance and health. Whatever you're trying to accomplish, being relaxed will increase your productivity and your efficiency in moving toward it. If you're not relaxed, everything you do will be a struggle. Relaxation provides the mind body integration necessary for peak performance.
[00:01:45] So if you feel like you don't have time to relax, you actually don't have time not to relax. It's important to relax, to get your mind clear and your body tension free [00:02:00] to regain focus and to cool down and to help you return to a balanced physical state. Relaxation is vital for a healthy mind and is required to maintain motivation and interest in our lives and careers.
[00:02:17] I'll be next month, talking a lot about motivation and it's important. We lose motivation when we're exhausted. Not only that, not being able to relax and unwind can also be damaging to your health. So even when there are, and especially when there are huge demands on your life, whether it's a large family, an important career, maybe a home amongst your weekly commitments, it's still necessary to find your own time and space to relax.
[00:02:53] It's important both to find time to relax throughout your day. One thing that works well is [00:03:00] taking 20 minutes, two or three times a day. And if you can't always manage 20 minutes, it's important to realize that whatever amount of time you do manage to relax will be beneficial to your mind and body. If you're finding that you can't find that time to relax, whether it's 10, 15, 20 minutes, then it's probably a good idea to take a look at your life and ask why there could be a whole other issue happening with priorities and productivity and all of that.
[00:03:35] But when time is short, there are a number of things you can do. Take a few minutes, set an alarm or set a timer to read, to write daydream, or just sit quietly. Quite often, whatever you do to relax will be personal to you and work for you. So you need to experiment and find out what works best as a life coach, I've worked [00:04:00] with numerous people with issues relating to relaxation and stress.
[00:04:04] No big surprise. And it's interesting that initially many do find it difficult to slow down and see the benefits of taking more time out. However, after a few weeks and a few sessions focused on this area and a bit of commitment on their part, most of them experience a shift and really see the benefits in their lives.
[00:04:28] Some of the common benefits of relaxation are that it improves your ability to concentrate and helps you in your ability to tune out distractions and gives you better sensory awareness. It also improves your body awareness so that you can know when you're under or overdoing it. The body does need to recover, whether it's an injury or a sickness to perform at an optimal level.[00:05:00]
[00:05:00] Another benefit is that learning is enhanced. It's much easier to introduce new thoughts and ideas when your mind is clear in your relaxed. Skills are best learned when you're in a relaxed state and there's an absence of tension. I know I've told the story about in my college years when I used to tutor algebra, that's the first thing that I would have, the students that worked with me do is just take a few deep breaths because they were generally stressed, intense about trying to understand the math.
[00:05:36] Another benefit of relaxation is it helps you sleep better, which you might think of sleeping as relaxation. If you're tense, it's harder to sleep and then becomes a vicious cycle. Relaxation also puts your focus back on the present and gives you a sense of control. It also increases your energy on the other side of [00:06:00] the coin.
[00:06:01] If you don't take the time to relax and unwind regularly. You might not only be putting your own health and wellbeing at risk, but that of others as well. So in relation to your responsibility, to the health and safety of others, you only have to think of driving a car operating machinery and how your ability to do these tasks diminishes when you're tense, tired or stressed.
[00:06:27] So your responsibility to relax is not just for your own sake, but that of others. And I must say that often, this is the impetus for many of my clients to make that change with regards to your own health and emotional wellbeing. If you don't make time to relax regularly, you're putting your own physical and mental health at risk of failure.
[00:06:52] And some of the effects of lack of relaxation are tension, headaches and migraines, chronic fatigue, [00:07:00] cardiovascular disorders, gastrointestinal problems, and a poor immune system. Just to name a few, we usually have an area that's affected more than others. Early warning signs that you need to take a break and relax, whether it's a long or short break or yawning, or SI a lack of concentration, feeling the urge to stretch and move about hint.
[00:07:27] If you're working at a desk you should stretch and move about at least once an hour. Long term signs would be a general drop in performance feelings of stress and irritability, making mistakes and general tiredness. If you're aware of the signs and take notice of them and take a break, you can avoid a lot of stress and fatigue.
[00:07:51] You'll be more rational and focused and better equipped to carry on and be far healthier. So start looking at where you [00:08:00] can build in relaxed time throughout your day. I've included a free resource to download in the show notes on reducing stress. And it's also important. I know I've talked about this before, but to take time away from your regular routine over a weekend here and there, and then a longer period of time, at least once per year, and be sure and schedule them in.
[00:08:24] Don't wait until you're already exhausted to take time out. And that's my way of telling you that I'm taking off for a vacation slash red trip with my family for a few weeks. Be sure to get on my email list. If you aren't already, you can do that on my website and I'll be sending out a couple of content roundups in the next few weeks while I'm gone.
[00:08:50] If you have missed a podcast or blog along the way. So look out for those. I'll be taking a complete break except for a few coaching [00:09:00] calls and I'm super excited. Because I can work from anywhere I often do. So I'm taking my own advice as a business owner, and I'm even pledging to take two weeks off every summer and at Christmas time.
[00:09:15] At least I know that it will fuel my inspiration and I'll have more to contribute to you, my podcast audience, and to my coaching clients and to my family. So that's how important I think it is. The next few weeks are a great time to listen to some podcasts you may have missed. Be sure to look at your day and your calendar and build in some relaxation time.
[00:09:42] That's it for now? Have a great rest of your day. And I'll see you back here in a few weeks. Bye for now. Thank you for listening to the Extraordinary Life Podcast with writer and coach, Crystal Obregon. We'd love to connect with you outside of the podcast, [00:10:00] too, to find more helpful insights, show notes and more about crystal.
[00:10:03] Go to Crystal Obregon dot com.. That's O B R E G O N, where you'll also find info for the Design Your Decade Workshop. This workshop will help you to stop drifting and start creating. Until next time, be extraordinary.