Mental Relaxation

New Update

2009-11-13T08:48:00.002+09:00

Hello,

It has been a while since I have updated this blog. My appollogies to those of you who follow me. I have been working on a revision of my website (relaxationmedia.com) and as a result studying a lot about how to create a website using Joomla. It is a really good way to manage a site and there is a plethora of on-line information to help reduce the learning curve.

In any case, I will continue posting here and hope you will comment about the topics presented to help all of us share in knowledge of how to have a happy and healthy life.

The Worst Birthday Present

2009-02-25T22:17:00.004+09:00

Recently my friend Ryan turned 40. While for most people this is a big event a bigger one was lurking around the corner waiting for him.

Ryan has been married for 15 years. He and his wife, Maria, have two children. Abby is starting school this September and Peter, who is in the third grade. Ryan was hoping for an uneventful birthday. Maybe he would watch a movie at home and enjoy dinner with his family. However what he got was much more dramatic.

Five years earlier Maria had been diagnosed with stage IIB breast cancer. She had surgery and chemotherapy and had shown no sign of recurrence. While she had not regained her full strength in the last five years she was doing much better and in some ways actually had made great strides in her health. The day before Ryan's birthday she had her bi-annual checkup and to their surprise, cancer was found in her other breast. At first this was a shock as you might well expect. But Maria's drive to stay healthy and raise her children to adulthood has helped Ryan to understand this is a fight they will face their entire lives and that a diagnosis is not a termination notice. They are now forging their plan for the long term.

A few weeks later Maria contacted one of her friends who is also a cancer survivor and was shocked to find out that her cancer had spread through out her entire body. Never the less, her friend, Shiori, who also has young children, remains upbeat and happy to greet every day she receives.

These women and the millions of cancer survivors like them are a testament to all of us that having the fortitude to push on through difficult times and seemingly impossible odds is a special gift more of us should strive to be worthy of.

The Courage that we all prize and seek is not the courage to die decently, but to live (man)fully.
-Thomas Caryle Proflies in Courage by: John F. Kennedy Scottish author, essayist, & historian (1795 - 1881)

You can find more stories of hope here.

Help for Caregivers

2009-01-09T06:23:00.003+09:00

If you or someone you know is a caregiver. You know the tremendous amount of mental, physical and emotional effort required to perform these unceasing duties. Many experts claim that caregivers need extensive support networks and assistance as well if they hope to keep their sanity and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Recently the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org) has posted a caregivers stress check. You can find it here. This 8 question assessment helps to pinpoint your concerns and then provides links and resources to help you get help. If the illness your loved one is afflicted with is something other than Alzheimer's, the resources can give you a good idea of keywords to google so you too can get some support. Additionally the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) has resources for caregivers here.

As caregivers we often feel that we have to go it alone and find ourselves in isolation. However, there is help out there and you only need take a little time to find it. If you need help in finding additional resources to help you as a care giver please contact me by leaving a post in this blog or checking my profile for contact information.

10 Great Reasons to buy Relaxation Media DVDs

2008-12-14T13:29:00.001+09:00

War, politics and the financial crisis are all weighing heavily on us. If we are going to survive these stresses in addition to the ones that grip us on a personal level everyday we need to find ways to relax and clear our minds. One excellent way to do this is by controlling your environment, even if only for a short time. Relaxation Media DVDs are designed with this concept in mind. Our videos are not only sanity savers but also healing helpers. Whether you take 10-20 minutes to enjoy a scene from the great outdoors or let the DVD play continuously on your TV or computer you will find yourself being calmed and at the same time energized, improving your ability to handle the next crisis. Here are 10 additional reasons to buy and use our DVD to help balance your life.

1. Our DVD, Wide Open Spaces has outstanding views of some of the most beautiful places in the western United States.
Our DVD features scenes from Lake Tahoe, Yellowstone and The Grand Tetons captured through the day starting at sunrise and concluding at dusk.

2. Re-connect with nature.
Whether you are unable or too busy to get out and experience the magnificence of nature our DVD gives you a real sense of the outdoors because we use longer, wider shots that allow you to choose what you want to see and provides a different experience on each viewing.

3. Helps to speed recovery from illness.
Experts agree that the greatest medicine for any illness is the power of positive thinking. Our DVD helps you to clear your mind and focus on healing.

4. A great gift.
Do you know someone who longs for the outdoors or a new way to experience their home theater? Someone who can not get out to the park or is home bound? Why not give them an experience instead of just a gift?

5. Create a great natural atmosphere in any room of your house.
What better way to enjoy the enormity of nature in your own home or office than playing our DVD to create positive wholesome ambiance?

6. An excellent tool for meditation and exercise.
Whether you are practicing yoga, running on a treadmill, doing aerobics or meditating you will feel more relaxed and focused by performing a soothing environment like the one provided by our DVD.

7. As green as it could possibly be.
Our DVD cases are made from recycled materials. The paper inserts are also recycled and we use soy based inks. You can also purchase a download able version of our program which obviously is 100% green.

8. You will feel better.
Our programs are designed to help you to relax and improve the three pillars (mental, physical and spiritual) of you health holistically. We do this by producing a product that engulfs you in the experience and lets you focus inward rather than on the video. Creating a new experience in using your TV and DVD player.

9. A cheap vacation.
Take a virtual vacation any time you want. Just pop in our DVD and you are in one of the most relaxing locations you could imagine. Drink in the scenery and atmosphere created right before you.

10. Help out some really cool guys.
Our mission is to help people like you to live a more enjoyable, balanced and fulfilling life. By purchasing our DVDs you can show your commitment to these same principles.

Bonus-
Now through January 1, 2009 our DVD, Wide Open Spaces, is on sale for only $14.99 (a $5.00 savings!). Follow this link and become a member of Relaxation Media to take advantage of this great deal for you and someone you care about.

Don't Have a Blue Christmas - 3 Ways to Spread Holiday Cheer

2008-11-19T11:07:00.005+09:00

As the holidays approach and the financial crisis continues on there is a good chance that someone you know will be feeling lonely during this year's holiday season. I recently saw this article about the ill affects to health that loneliness causes.

Instead of letting depression and sadness set in do these three things to make the holiday season a happy and fulfilling time.

1- Volunteer: Work a soup kitchen for the holidays, get involved with you local food bank, homeless shelter and/or Toys for Tots program. You will be glad you did.

2- Build your social skills and get out there and meet people. Recently, I have been teaching some company directors the benefits of social interaction and was surprised to find that even these highly successful people are really shy in social situations. We have been using "How to Work a Room" by Susan RoAne as a way to become aware of and have more control in social situations. Her blog is here.

3- Rekindle old friendships: One of my mentors says that a relationship is as strong as its last interaction. So who are some friends you have not spoken with in a long time. Why not drop them an e-mail or give them a call. I recently re-established friendships with some old friends I had not spoken with for several years. Although they had moved, gotten married and in some cases even left the country, I was able to find them through key word searches and social networking sights like face book. Now we keep in touch on a regular basis and you can do it too.

So don't sit idly by feeling sorry for yourself. Look for what is good in your life (The answer is not nothing!)and take some action to spread that gift around you will be glad you did.

Don't Panic

2008-10-24T05:34:00.005+09:00

The housing slump, the stock market crash and people loosing their jobs left and right have made it is easy tfor all of us to panic and throw in the towel. Now is NOT the time to do that. Instead it is a time where cooler heads prevail. You may know that more millionaires were made during the Great Depression than at almost any other time in history. Why? Because those who made a fortune saw opportunity in a depressed market. They did not panic. They looked for the silver lining while most other folks saw the black cloud.

So how can you find your success in these troubling times? Well, there is not a one size fits all solution. Instead what needs to happen is stepping back, clearing you mind and looking around you see your situation from a new prospective. Doing this, you will find there are several opportunities out there for you. I know it is easy to say but there is a evidence of this working everyday. After all, why during one of the darkest week in Wall Street history, did Warren Buffet pour $5Billion in the investment bank Goldman Sachs? He knows times will get better. Yes, times will get better for you too.

So, to succeed now you need to have a clear head and open eyes. You need to take some time to create your options and devise a plan to seize them. And you can't do that with you head full of worries and troubles.

Invest in yourself and a tool that will help you to clear your mind. Relaxation Media's Wide Open Spaces is a program you can put on your TV to help you focus your thinking, discover new possibilities and have the courage to take action in a way that will have you winning through the crisis at hand rather that being swallowed up in it.

The Spirit of Humanity

2008-08-13T11:49:00.007+09:00

Everyday we are inundated with news of death and despair, war, conspiracy and predatory behavior. Sometimes, however, we are reminded of the warm hearted spirit of humanity and the power of people to do good. It may be something as small as kind words from a colleague or an offer of assistance from a friend. It may be something monumental like an international rescue of disaster victims or the heroic actions of a few against the many.

Two artistic works from members of my own family last month served as reminders that there is good all around us just waiting to be (re)discovered. My five year old daughter, Ayn, is so full of energy she can hardly contain herself. Her zest for life is apparent in everything she does whether she is singing in her loudest voice, dancing around the house, reading a story to her dolls or running to the door to greet me as I come home from a long and busy day at work. Her passion for life fills the heart of every one around her. Last month Ayn won an art contest and while she is no Picasso, she does emit a passion and energy level in her art I have rarely seen. Her drawings remind me that there is plenty of good in this world.

My grandfather will be 87 years old this year. He is a veteran of WW II. He is also the patriarch of our family. He has deep rooted moral values and an unfaltering ability to do what is right. He recently had a poem published which sent ripples all the way across the pacific ocean from the San Francisco Bay Area, where he lives, to Tokyo, Japan, my home. Here is his poem.

Sunrise (2008)

I saw the sunrise today It reminded me of the birth of a child
Who like the sun Would be here for but awhile
As it ascended in the skies above
It brought thoughts of my childhood
And those I love
And as the sun peaked in its daily flight
It made me aware of the joys of life
And as it traveled its westward way
It assured me advancing years are of no dismay
And as it descends into the golden west
This child, like the sun, will welcome God’s rest.
Now the sun is beyond the sea Leaving only its rays for me.
And as darkness settles in and night enfolds
It’s like the journey of life
Has now been told.

- Robert W. James

So here we are in a world that many say is so dark and dangerous yet the rays of hope seem imminently more powerful. Who in this world has done something recently that inspires you? Slow down and look around and find the power of the human spirit that feeds your heart and mind.

Do you find sound theraputic?

2008-07-07T14:43:00.002+09:00

We are inundated with sounds all day long. Some are pleasing while others may give us goose bumps. Do you find the sound of silence peaceful or anxiety raising? Do you like the sound of nature or of a particular style of music? Are there instruments or combinations you find more appealing than others? What kind of sounds are relaxing to you?

We are wired for sound. Our brain uses more processing power for music than it does for speech. Still the tones and pitches we find equaling happiness in speech are also those that provide a feeling of joy in music. A lot of our taste in music is related to emotional attachment. Barry Manilow said that we often like best the music we listened to as young children. I know as a 5 and 6 year old kid I was intrigued by Jazz and the traditional jazz of the 50s and 60s is among my favorite genres of music today. Most western music is harmonic in nature and as a result when we hear music that is disharmonious or atonal it can lead to violent outburst. Did you know that at the premiere of Stravinski's Rite of Spring there was a riot? Maybe that is one reason I like this piece of music. Another would be that it seems to confront the listener and challenge them to raise their own tempo.

Music plays an important part in our lives from the time we are born and our mothers sing us lullabies to important rituals like Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance at graduation or the wedding march when we take our vows. Many of us also have theme songs for various stages of life. The song we shared with our first girlfriend or boyfriend. The song we played to inspire us at difficult times or the one that let us know that others shared our emotions and feelings. Isn't that what Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly" is all about?

Yes music is powerful and an important part of our lives. So what music helps you through the day? What do you indulge in that helps you reach your inner peace and your truest heart?

Why Did I Start Relaxation Media

2008-06-03T21:47:00.008+09:00

Do you or someone you know have a debilitating illness? Have you or someone you love faced the pain of chemotherapy? Does a person close to you suffer from Alzheimer's or another affliction that makes it difficult to leave the house? Do you take care of someone who is ill or worse yet, bed ridden?

If you have had any of these experiences, welcome to the club. I have been helping my wife recover from the effects of chemotherapy for the past four years. During that time not only have I lived through the difficulty she has experienced but also had an increased amount of stress and strain in my life as well.

It has been said that care givers need support just like those they care for and often I have wished for something to change our environment if only for a few minutes a day.

One day the light went on.

While on a business trip to Ishikawa on the Sea of Japan I was walking along a deserted beach and I asked myself, "How many people will ever have the opportunity to see the beauty of this place, or for that matter, the wonder of nature just outside their doors?" I thought that sharing the beauty of nature with people, like me, who don't have much of an chance to experience it would be a wonderful gift. While I did not shoot any video on that trip I did subsequently do some test video which I showed my wife. She commented that the programs were helpful in changing her perspective and did re-introduce her to a world she would not have the ability to connect with otherwise. For me, it was surprising that for those few minutes we watched it was as if we were tele-ported to another place. I was able to quickly connect to the rhythm of the nature presented on the screen and almost instantaneously felt relaxed.

Due Diligence

I started my research to discover whether my findings were supported. What I found was that not only do passive, non narrative nature videos stimulate our minds and help us to relax but they are also an exceptional tool for people suffering from either mental or physical illness. I was surprised to find out that people with Alzheimer's disease generally can not experience nature first hand or do a simple thing like go to the park alone because they quickly become disorientated and can not find a safe route back to safety. Additionally, while we all understand the tragedy of being bed ridden or home bound how much time have any of us spent considering the large amount of stress incurred by looking at the same four walls day in and day out?

So I began to to see more and more benefits to producing nature videos not only for the ill and those who take care of them but also for the increasing number of us who have little escape from our ever more stressful world.

Creating Something From Nothing

Last summer I approached a friend, Sean Frame, who is an award winning video producer.We discussed my ideas and findings and discovered a mutual excitement. Now, we are slowly and steadily rolling out our shared vision to you. Our first DVD, Wide Open Spaces has just been released and it is exactly what I envisioned when starting out a couple of years ago on a quest for relief from the stress of being ill. It features three beautiful locations from the Western United States: Lake Tahoe, California, Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National parks in Wyoming and a classical guitar soundtrack.

Visit relaxationmedia.com where you can save $5.00 on our DVD, Wide Open Spaces. In addition to the DVD we will give you 10 free wall papers and an mp4 version of the video for your computer we will also ship it to you for free anywhere in North America, Japan or to any US territory. All you have to do is follow this link and enter the coupon code relaxationblog. I will give you $5.00 off the current list price for every DVD you buy. This offer is valid for the entire month of June. Please watch the trailer above, and ask yourself if this DVD would help you or someone you love feel better and if your answer is yes, give it a try. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

Who Can You Talk To?

2008-03-25T08:23:00.002+09:00

Today there is so much interference between us and happiness that we often feel stress mounting and no place to turn. In fact, the number one cause of stress is solitude. We are social animals and we need contact with others to affirm our life's course. So, who can you talk to?

Most of us do not have one specific person who understands every facet of our lives. Instead we must rely on a group of specialist who each have valuable insight to some parts of our world. Which of your friends and family members can you talk to about work, relationships, personal finance, self improvement and other areas you feel need attention and are essential to your well being?

We often hear people say, "build your network." More than this however, we must preserve our network by keeping in touch with people, being good listeners, and giving of ourselves. Doing this will help our network to grow strong and our relationships to blossom. By connecting to others we are protecting ourselves against a life of solitude and assuring that we have support for facing the challenges that are dealt to us.

For more on this topic see this

Find The Source Of Your Stress

2008-02-26T13:26:00.010+09:00

Taking a stress inventory will help you manage your stress more effectively.

While there are many things to stress us out on a daily basis there are probably two or three things that cause stress more than others. As you are well aware, these stresses leak into other ares as well. One way to get a handle on your ever increasing stress load is to document it.

When you feel that you are just about at the breaking point take some time out to document your dilemma in a stress notebook. One way to start your notebook is like this:

1- Noting the date and time you lost your cool may help you to identify cycles or times you are more venerable.

2 - Writing the cause of your immediate stress will help you to focus on the real root of the problem.

3- Documenting the leading factors will help you get to the root of the real problem. These are probably the real cause of your stress rather than the initial situation. This will also help you to better understand what you can change and what you can't.

4- Solutions, to get to this point it may be helpful to talk to others or take some quiet time alone to root out the problem. Not all of the solutions will be realistic or useful but some in your list will and that's is a good place to start in combating your stress.

Visit the Relaxation Media Forums to discuss how you cope with stress

Good And Bad Stress

2008-02-07T22:20:00.004+09:00

A friend of mine came to me recently and said she was thinking of moving and quitting her job. Needless to say, I was shocked at this development as she was doing quite well in her work and a benefit of her position was free housing. As we discussed her situation it began to become clear that she was experiencing stress because other people were more in control of her life than she was. A big change would allow her to be the master of her circumstances. However, knowing her and her dilemma, I could see her interpretation of the events had missed the mark. The stress she felt was calling for action. She needed to take more control of her environment. It was time for her to fight not take flight.

Most people think of all stress as being a negative but there are two sides to stress and the effects we experience. While it is true that stress endured for long periods of time can have drastically negative effects. Many times we associate all stress as being this draining, dangerous type, but stress can also be a signal for us to push back in an effort to improve our situation. A rabbit does not run its fastest when it is playing in the field. She reaches top speed when being chased by the fox.

Similarly we need to look at how we can meet the challenges life gives us and use stress as a sign that we need to find a new solution to recurring problems. Stress can help us to be our most creative and innovative or it can cause us to sit paralyzed in front of the TV. Let stress be your call to action. If we think of stress in this way we can vastly improve the quality of our lives.

What things are stressing you out? Mind map the situations and solutions one by one. Spend some time thinking about the benefits of taking action then choose the best course. If we remain immobile things will never really improve they will just become more stressful.

Take Five - A Guide To Short Meditations

2007-12-08T05:26:00.001+09:00

Need a time out? Too tired to go on?

You need an environment changing experience. Giving yourself five uninterrupted minutes of peace a couple of times a day will help you maintain your edge.

Using my You Tube videos below, or your own images, fix your senses on the location and imagine that you are there. Focus on makeing your breathing deep and rhythmical. Try to emerse yourself in the moment, this will get easier with practice. Continue this exercise for five minutes.

The key to this short meditation is to completely clear your mind of all outside thoughts and blur out the background of your environment. If this is challenging try closing your eyes and using headphones or ear buds to block out the sound around you.

When the five minutes are completed stand up slowly, stretch, take a deep breath and refocus your energies to the next task on your plate.

Can you share another idea for regaining you composure?

Welcome

2007-11-21T09:27:00.000+09:00

The mental relaxation blog is all about offering you tools to:
1- Exercise your mind
2- Help you manage stress
3- Provide short escapes that help you to refocus your energies.

One way to relieve stress is to have a better understanding of our situation. While we face many tasks and situations that appear to be daunting; being able to step back and examine these dilemmas from multiple perspectives helps us to better wield these difficult challenges rather than being held captive to them. Using mental puzzles to trains our minds helps us to consider many different solutions to a problem.

Sudoku is one of these brain training exercises. Sudoku puzzles help you to discover a variety of tactics for solving problems and perceiving details. Whether working box by box, vertically, horizontally, number by number or using some other method initially we will have to use many types of logic to complete the more challenging puzzles.

If you have never tried sudoku before start with easy puzzles untill you get the hang of it then ramp up the level of difficulty always making sure the puzzles are more a source of mind awakening and training than a stressful act of futility. If you find yourself staring aimlessly at the page for several minutes then it is time to put the puzzle away. When your return to it later your brain will probably have worked out some solutions.

Do you know of any other puzzles that are useful for mental training?

...Next week: Take five, a guide to short meditations.