Twenty: Daily Relaxers

          No time for yoga?  Best friend unavailable for a chance to vent?  Too active to sit and meditate?  Quotidian practices, however small, serve to alleviate extra daily stress.

          The little things add up, such as a good night’s sleep.   Adequate rest keeps us going and able to face the challenges of the day.  The Egyptians and Romans ate lettuce to promote sleep.   Lactucarium in lettuce promotes relaxation.  But since lettuce is not a common bedtime snack, consider boosting melatonin levels during the day, a hormone created by the pineal gland that regulates circadian rhythms.   Make sure you get enough B vitamins, and soak up some sunlight.   

          Another of nature’s subtle tranquilizers is magnesium.   Mid-night waking is the perfect setting for dark thoughts.   Magnesium gets depleted when we are very stressed, eat too many sugary foods, and imbibe too much alcohol.  Broiled tuna and halibut, artichokes, bananas, and dried figs, brown rice, barley, oats, and buckwheat, prune juice, dairy foods, nuts, cooked spinach, pumpkin seeds, and tomato paste provide a good dose.  Roll over and go back to sleep.

          The stress from a tough day can be easier to bear with a drink – of hot or cold chamomile tea.  The calming effects from this old remedy should not be underestimated, especially for those who suffer chronic anxiety.  The amino acid glycine in chamomile acts as a low level muscle and nerve relaxant.  The synergistic outcome is a result of the mind-body connection.  If the body is calmed, the mind follows suit, and of course the reverse is also true. 

          The power of a hug is medicinal.  Cortisol levels are lowered, and blood pressure goes down.  When huggers hold on for at least twenty seconds, and full relaxation occurs, the benefit is obvious.  Touch communicates with the cerebellum to trigger positive emotion.  Virginia Satir, family therapist stated, “We need four hugs a day for survival.  We need eight hugs a day for maintenance.  We need twelve hugs a day for growth.”  True or not, her belief in a hug’s potency makes you think.  In the absence of a co-hugger, hug a pet, a pillow, yourself when wrapped in a shawl. 

          Humming boosts mood, and is easier to get away with than, “whistling a happy tune” in public.  When we hum, nitric oxide levels are raised in the blood.  Nitric oxide has stress-reducing properties.  Focusing on a tune distracts your worried thoughts, too.  Humming is similar to purring.  It soothes.  Perhaps it’s catching.  Keep it soft.  Give it a try.

          The more we take small measures to help ourselves, the better we can attend to each other. 

                                               As we think, so it shall be.

                                                       Happiness!