Reducing Stress with Local Travel Trips

Sometimes traveling can be an adventure, and it's a goal many of us seek in life.  However, it can also lead to a lot of stress and complicated planning that can increase anxiety as the details and intricate pieces of a complicated trip unfold.  That's why considering more simplified local travel trips in your own area can be much more enjoyable and a lot less expensive and taxing.

We tend to always think that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, or at least in someone else's state or country besides our own.  But if you do a little digging, you might realize that many people work to try and come to your own area for things you never knew existed.  Festivals, parades, annual celebrations and gatherings, lakes, mountains, sporting events, unique geological spots like hot springs, and volcanic rock formations.  Most places have some kind of history that makes them special, be that for wildlife, camping and hiking, or just for the local life of breweries, restaurants and unique architecture.

If you tend to feel like you need another entire vacation just to rest up after returning from your vacations, you might need to rethink what you consider a relaxing getaway, and consider new ways to make your plans a lot less stressful.  Staying fairly local, or within your own surrounding state can be less expensive as it doesn't require as much time spent in flight, train or car.  In fact, you can actually spend more time enjoying whatever it is you've gone to do or see.  And if it saves you so much to stay local that you have extra vacation funds left over, then you can spend that on more local things like boating, helicopter tours, museums, interesting new foods, and the plentiful spa, massage, and relaxation offerings in most vacation spots.

We can get stuck believing that a real vacation is one that is loaded with lots of expensive new and unique activities we should bring back to tell others about--as if it's not a real getaway if you can't say that you lived it up, tried new things (i.e. zip lining, skydiving, bungee jumping, scuba diving, etc.), saw every famous spot and checked one more item off of your bucket list.  But your next vacation getaway does not have to be so elaborate (and stressful).  It's just as fine to bring home stories of full bodied relaxation, soaks in hot natural mineral water, beautiful sunsets, and peaceful mountain lakes that look like glass.

Thanks to Christian Collins for the great photo of Lake of Glass, Rocky Mtn Nat Park, Colorado
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Personalizing your Relaxation

Everyone has a different idea of what relaxation is.  Where one person might believe that heading out to sea on a lovely sailboat to catch a glimpse of the sunset on the ocean horizon is all they need to quiet their mind and slow their breath, another might feel that heading out on the ocean in any vessel, at all, is the equivalent of being trapped on a floating, inescapable prison cell.

The point is that no one else can tell you what relaxation "should" be--for you.  Each individual will need to come to an awareness on their own as to what it is in life that brings them a state of calm, meditative peace.

Each of us does need to keep in mind, however, that we do not have to adhere to the expectations of others that what they find to be personally relaxing, is what we should find to be relaxing, too.  Just as important, is to know that we have a right to enjoy the things we find relaxing, without others telling us we should not find those things to be relaxing just because they do not find them to be relaxing for themselves.

Though a beekeeper may find it very relaxing to suit up and spend time working with their bees and honey, someone else might find it difficult to understand how spending time with hundreds or thousands of flying insects, with the potential of stinging, could possibly be relaxing.

At the same time, there are many who find massage therapy to be very relaxing, healing, and calming.  Yet, for others, the notion of being touched in this way by a stranger is more stress and anxiety inducing that it is relaxing.

When it comes to relaxation, self-trust and self-knowledge is key to making the best of your time and effort, but for this you may have to explore a little bit and try a few new things in order to discover what things may bring you the most sense of relaxation and peace.  In the end, it is you who will be the decision maker about what is and is not relaxing for you personally.  In this way you give your body your full attention and let it know you are listening to what it has to say.

Here are a few (non-animal-harming) ideas for things that some have found relaxing:

*Rock Climbing
*Music
*Sailing, canoeing, kayaking
*Gardening
*Hot Springs
*Reiki
*Hiking
*Woodworking
*Cooking
*Massage Therapy
*Tea Ceremony
*Meditation
*Sauna, Hot Tub, or Steam Room
*Art (Painting, drawing, pottery, etc.)
*Day Spa
*Tai Chi and Qigong
*Peaceful time with animals
*Surfing
*Picnics
*Conversation with friends

Thanks to JacobEnos for the great photo
https://www.flickr.com/photos/notjake13/
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Finding Solitude helps Reduce Stress and Anxiety

We can't always get away from this big world for rest and relaxation, but making an effort to find pockets in our schedule for solitude and rejuvenation is key to keeping a balanced life.

"I'll do it after the first of the year," you say, or "when the kids finish school."  But the truth is, those times are always in the future and the need for balanced relaxation in our lives is now.

If you aren't able to find a hut in the middle of nowhere to find peace and quiet, then try for a smaller, more reachable goal.

One woman finally insisted with her family that they must all arranged to cover for her so she could get away to the local Barnes and Noble once a week to sip some coffee and peruse the magazines and books for a couple of hours.  Another asked friends to watch her kids so she could go sit in a hot tub at the local recreation center now and then.  One man began taking that lunch hour he once worked through to go meditate at a facility he'd found in his area.

It doesn't have to be complicated or involve expensive trips away to even more expensive retreats in the mountains, which take time away from work, family, jobs and typically end up being even more stressful.  It's actually the little pockets of time, and little bits of relaxation during our day to day activity that add up to a more balanced life of stress versus relaxation.

Here are a few simple ideas for getting away for short periods of time:

*Find a local park and visit it during your lunch hour to eat or just walk or sit.
*Utilize your own back yard now and then to sit and watch the birds or clouds
*At home, run a hot bath and soak while listening to gentle music and/or using gentle aroma candles
*Go for walks in your area to relax the eyes from all the electronic stimulation
*Go visit your local library on a day when all the kids are in school.  They are fairly quiet places.
*Visit a Day Spa and get a massage in your area

Be creative and remember to listen to yourself.  When you find yourself saying "I'll do it later", you can be sure it's because you think it's too big of a task to get to right now.  Making the task smaller makes it reachable and doable.  You  can't put off your need for relaxation forever.  Your body and mind will eventually catch up with you and the stress by then will take so much longer to correct in order to bring balance to your life.

Thanks to Lain Merchant for the great photos
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Relaxation Exercises for the Eyes

The more we use computers and electronic devices for communication, the more strain we put on our eyes.  Many headaches and facial-muscle tension can be attributed to the strain involved in focusing on changing text and font sizes, as can setting our eyes on moving objects on our computer screens.  That’s why it’s important to learn a few exercises for relaxing the eyes throughout the day.

Two of the quickest ways to relax the eyes are:  Closing the eyes, and Distance Focusing.  Closing the eyes means just that.  Sitting back from your computer for just a moment and closing the eyes to relax all the muscles being used to focus on objects on your screen.  Many people avoid this exercise because they fear that if they close their eyes, they will fall asleep.  This is an understandable fear as statistics show that most people do not get enough sleep and are therefore tired prior to beginning their work day.  However, if you are disciplined or can set a brief and gentle timer, this method may work for you.

Distance Focusing is a way to get out from behind the computer (and the close proximity to the screen), and allow the eyes to focus on things much farther away.  If you can, go to a window and focus on distant objects or the horizon.  Mountains and even clouds are good targets to allow the eyes to shift from being focused just feet or inches away, to much farther distances.  Even just looking across a large room is a nice shift from the close-proximity-focusing of your computer screen or electronic device.

In addition, gently massaging the eyes over the top of the eyelids is another way to help the eyes take a break and relax from straining.  This can be done with the tips of the fingers, or the open palm of the hands.  Running your hands under warm or cool water first (depending on comfort level) can be helpful in introducing a calming sensation to the eyes.  If you wear contact lenses, you may want to massage the area near and around the eyes instead.

The human eyes are under much more strain than ever before in history, so it's very important that you take good care of them and know your limitations.  Looking at computer screens for prolonged periods of time can cause your eyes to dry out.  So it's crucial that you make a conscious effort to blink more frequently when you are doing work on your computer.  Don't push your eyes to extremes that are unnatural for them.  

Remember, the human body is not a machine.  It's a living organism and it needs rest.  The eyes were not meant to be used non-stop day and night and are certainly not meant to be exposed to light and stimulation without chances for rejuvenation.  The eyes need periodic times of rest and relaxation--just like the rest of the body does-- in order to recharge and function properly for us throughout our lives.

Thanks to banoootah_qtr for the great photo - just close your eyes...and dream

Relaxation through Reflexology

One way to lower tension is through massage, but not everyone has tried a very specific type of massage called reflexology, which focuses on the feet, hands and ears.  It's not always considered a form of massage, but it is believed that by applying pressure to various reflex points in these areas, that healing is generated in organs that are associated with the specific point where pressure is being applied. 

Reflexologist are trained and skilled in knowing which specific areas to apply pressure to that will help to reduce stress, anxiety, depression, and other various ailments. 

Reflexology is similar to massage, but for those who are a little more shy when it comes to getting a massage, it’s good to know that the only clothing you have to remove for reflexology is your shoes and socks!

Similar to massage, reflexology can be very relaxing and helps to reduce levels of stress and anxiety in most people.  If you are worried about being ticklish in the feet, you will be surprised to discover that with a good reflexologist it's the amount of pressure that is applied which prevents the tickling sensation.  For instance, it would feel much more irritating to have a feather brushed along the bottom of your feet, than to have someone gently hold and massage them.

Many good massage therapists are trained in reflexology, but according to the Reflexology Association of America's website, their professional members must have completed 300 hours of reflexology-only training, of which 60% must have been taken in a live classroom setting with an instructor, or they must meet this criteria via a National Certification or State license in reflexology.  Finding one of these skilled practitioners would be well worth your time.

When you are looking for one more method of relaxation and stress reduction, consider putting this method in your bag of tricks.  Reflexology has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, help with sleeping issues, reduce headache pain, and facilitate improvement of digestive disorders and back pain

Thanks to Janis Petranis for her great photo - feet