Stop Aging, Start Living by Jeannette Graf M.D

Author:Jeannette Graf, M.D.
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780307406200
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2007-09-10T16:00:00+00:00

CHILL OUT

STOP AGING PRESCRIPTION: TEN MINUTES, TWICE A DAY

In chapter 4 you learned how chronically elevated stress hormones can accelerate aging. To bring down stress hormones, you need to practice the art of turning on your relaxation response.

Regular doses of relaxation will teach you what it feels like to be relaxed. So many of us set off our stress response so often that we don’t know what calm feels like. Once you know what calm feels like, you’ll also more easily notice tension and other indications of stress and be able to halt your stress response more quickly.

Learning to relax will also help you dial into the internal communications going on inside your body all the time. We humans tend to be outwardly focused beings. Our minds stay occupied with work, family issues, and other aspects of life. Rarely if ever do we take the time to focus inward. Yet when we do bring our attention inward—say, to notice our breathing, our emotions, our bodily sensations—we cultivate a sixth sense, a type of bodily intuition. Learn to relax and you’ll more easily integrate your whole body, optimizing your neuropeptide response and cell communication.

How do you relax? That’s a great question. Relaxation can be elusive. For some people, it involves a formal practice or yoga, deep breathing, or meditation. I don’t really care how you do it. Just spend some time every day by yourself. Sit and listen to soothing music or a meditation tape. Consider trying the following relaxation techniques.

Window gazing. Sit somewhere in a comfortable position where you can see out a window. Take five slow, deep breaths to relax. Then focus your attention on sights outside the window. Beauty surrounds us all the time, but we often don’t notice it. See if you can notice—without labeling or using mental words to describe it—all of the natural beauty out the window. How do the leaves reflect light or move in the breeze? What wildlife do you see? How do different-colored pieces fit together?

Body scan. Lie on your back. Take a few slow, deep breaths. Then bring your awareness to your scalp, noticing any sensations. Slowly expand your awareness to your face, forehead, and skull. How do your eyes feel? How do your cheeks feel? Do not try to physically relax any body area; just notice how it feels.

Slowly bring your awareness down your body, into your neck, your chest, then your right shoulder, right arm, right wrist, right hand. Continue until you’ve explored your entire body from head to toes.

Progressive muscle relaxation. This technique is similar to the body scan, except instead of simply noticing bodily sensations, you will actively try to relax your muscles. It’s usually easiest to start at your feet and move upward to your head. As you inhale, tense up your feet as much as you can, squeezing your toes together. Then as you exhale, release the tension. Do the same with your calves, inhaling as you tense them up, and exhaling as you release.

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