Now That's Relaxing!

Someone writes, "I discovered I like jogging outside in the evening--it made me look forward to my runs as quiet time to relax." Um, not me. I don't wanna!

So what did I do tonight? I watched some t. v. I enjoy watching MythBusters with my husband. Although many times I get to laugh when I watch, and laughing is relaxing, most times the crew is blowing something up or doing some daredevil hare-brained thing to test a myth. Tonight, I had to leave the room while they tested a myth about firing a gun on an airplane and making a hole in the side of it. If I had stayed, I know I would be terrifying myself in my dreams, recreating all this including me and/or a member of my family, in this situation. My husband did tell me that according to the test, firing a pistol on an airplane, which did cause a hole, did not also cause a crash. He flies a lot on business. We are flying on our trip this coming week. Nope, I didn't need to watch that and it would not have been relaxing.

Usually, I read to relax. I read before sleep. I read in between tasks when I do house work. I read when in the bathroom. Both sides of the family are bibliophiles. I also read e-mails and am on several special interest lists. I get plenty of support and relaxation from those.

I also read today that to calm down the flight-fight reflex, getting more oxygen into the system helps a great deal. The writer suggests running up and down a couple of flights of stairs. I think belly breathing, and preferably, belly laughing, also would have the same effect. So, if you have a YouTube video, a funny story to relate or something hilarious that happened to you, do send it my way. Relaxing through laughter is an ongoing goal for me.