Tension will  drain your energy.

It will make you sore. It causes inflammation and will make you walk stiffly. You WILL be tired.  And you won’t even know it.

That’s because we’re used to it. We don’t think about it. Why would we notice something different when it’s the norm? We pay no attention to it. We’re used to it.  If we got nice and relaxed then we’d notice it because we’re not used to that.

Here lately (wish I’d started sooner) I began to notice how tense I was. Especially in my shoulders and face. And there was no reason for it. I was standing on the deck watching my dog play in the yard. The tension did not help me stand better or watch my dog better. It was all for nothing. Nothing good. And I noticed it when I was walking. Didn’t help at all. I can walk just fine without being tense.

But it’s a habit. I don’t even have to think about it to be tense. I have to think about it to relax. I was totally oblivious to how tense I really was. And the tension didn’t help. In fact, it hurt.

Now I try to be aware of it as much as I can. And the awareness helps. I relax some when I realize how I’m feeling. When I try to relax, sometimes I can and sometimes I can’t.  When I do relax at different times it’s to different degrees. And when I tried to relax and I couldn’t like I wanted to I’d get frustrated and give up. When you fail at something you don’t want to try to do it anymore. But what I can succeed at every time is being aware of how I feel. Once I set my goal to just being aware, not trying to relax, that seems to do it. The pressure is off. I don’t have to relax. Just be aware of how I feel. That makes me relax better than when I try too hard to relax.

The Benefits are Now

It will take a while before relaxation becomes a habit. But it doesn’t have to become a habit to enjoy its benefits now. Any relaxation you can obtain now is a great benefit. Even a small amount of relaxation or any relaxation for just a little bit of time is a good thing.

So think about how you feel and think about it often. You will see results. It’s like a lot of other things. If you don’t realize you’re doing it, you can’t change it.

But when you change it, it’s very good. You’ll be more relaxed and look relaxed. I’ve always found that attractive. People who look relaxed look better than someone stiff. You’ll move more gracefully. You’ll be loose and fluid. And, if you’re older, you’ll look younger. Good, easy strides when you walk. You’ll look healthier. You’ll feel healthier. You’ll think better. You’ll have more energy and a better attitude.

Every Second Adds Up

There’s not a moment wasted when you work on relaxing. You’ll be building on a habit that will benefit you in many ways. Every time you stop and think about how you’re feeling tension-wise is another step toward this life-changing goal. The effort is accumulative. It all adds up. So put in the time and reap the rewards.