R'n'R

No, it's not some new fangled type of House/Dance/Blues fusion music. Simple old Rest and Relaxation/Recouperation. I've written a few times about it, but I think this post will be a little different.

Rather than the old tried and tested "get away from it all" methods - which are just impractical if you have any sort of life at all. I'm trying a few things to help me rest and relax a little better.

Caffeine is never going to help you - even if you are immune to the effects of several ristretto's (ristretti is actually more correct but hey this is the InformationSuperOfficeNet after all) a day your body will still have some physical effects from all that caffeine in it. The same goes for all the other foods, drinks and chocolate you shove in there (yes chocolate is so important it deserves it's own category).

I am by no means advocating a move towards being a vegetablist - I like steaks, burgers, chicken, pork and the like too much to ever give that up. Instead there are a few techniques that might help me (and you) relax a little more without the need for inducing a deep weekend sleep with 8 pints of Stella Artois/Peroni (only if I am rich that week).

The simplest is breathing. Listen, I know we all breathe, if we didn't there would be a daily epidemic of people turning blue and falling over in offices, creches, shops and the like...but when you sit and think about it, you don't breathe deeply, you breathe the least amount that you can get away with. Social conditioning might have something to do with it (how many times did your parents say suck in that belly - was it just mine?), magazines all make us think having six packs is normal, and if you are lucky to be skinny like me then you arent helping either because you are probably making everyone else feel self conscious about their stomachs.

WARNING: First things first, switch off the iron/pots and pans/oven - there's a danger you might fall asleep when you try this.

So, to overcome the postural problem -yeah you, get yourself sat back and stop leaning over your keyboard - lie down, on a nice comfortable bed, couch, floor. Hands anywhere they feel comfortable and wont get you dirty looks from your partner. Now breathe, not like you do every day, but deep as you can start by breathing with the top of your lungs, and when you feel your rib cage wont go any further, breathe with the diaphragm so it expands out too.

There, doesnt it feel better to get loads of air into your lungs? Try it twenty or thirty times, bet you it works. I bet you it also makes you feel a lot more tired than you thought it would - who would've thought breathing was so tiring.

Oh, cripes....I forgot to say...Breathe out slowly...

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