My goal in prison was to find various methods to help me stay positive. I knew it was going to be difficult, but I kept pushing to find ways to relax as well. As a method of staying busy, I kept a journal. Here is an insert from my personal prison camp journal. I discussed the importance of relaxing and how it would benefit me. The foundation of these concepts came from a book called, “Self-Discipline in 10 days: How To Go From Thinking to Doing, by Theodore Bryant, MSW.
Relaxation is another good way to stay positive. It allows me to de-stress and remove tension so that I can focus on what needs my attention. Meditation CD’s work too. One of my favorite is the Inner Temple of Witchcraft.
Learning to relax in my daily situations will prevent me from stressing and having anxiety and it will overall keep my stress to a minimum. I’ll take some relaxation or wellness classes to learn how to relax when meeting new people. Which is something I’m going to do a lot as I finish poems and perform them.
Also, I need to learn to build from my mistakes and “move like water” to help avoid and control anxiety. With those emotions under control, I hope the need for escapism and procrastination—two of my biggest problems resulting from fear of failure and fear of rejection, will also be under control as well.
The following relaxing techniques are those I found in Theodore Bryant’s book, which I then modified:
- Take a deep breath, slow my breathing and say “relax”. This technique will relax the tension in my body and I’ll gain a controlled breathing. This is something I could do while looking at a menu.
- In case someone immediately engages me in conversation, I will picture relaxing images or discuss relaxing subjects.
- Counteract any thoughts that prevent me from relaxing or enjoying the task at hand. If I have a quick conversation, I’ll have to send the person away or refuse to have any conversations until I’m fully relaxed.
- Remind myself as often as possible to relax and breathe. I also won’t think about anything negative. It’s a problem I always have when talking to people.
These methods gave me the relaxation I needed to think and act at my peak performance. Do you have any relaxation methods? Share them below in the comments area.