Relaxation is crucial to balance everyday challenges and responsibilities that you face in your career, caring for loved ones, relationships, your spiritual life, work, and your homelife. The more you make time to relax on a daily basis the greater quality of life you experience.

Relaxation supports your emotional and mental well-being by alleviating some of the social and work pressures and expectations helping to manage and/or reduce stress, it can alleviate anxiety, and support your overall mental-emotional well-being. With so many ways to relax, I'd like to share one way: relaxation through the creative and expressive arts. Writing short stories, poems, journaling, sewing, painting, drawing, crocheting, refurbishing furniture and more - as long as it's creative can be good for the soul AND relaxing.  

The more relaxed you feel the more space you have to experience greater calm and joyfulness which enhances your quality of life with God, loved ones, yourself and life itself. Relaxation is essential for wellness. 

Wellness care practices maintain life balance for preventative care; and essential in today's chaotic world. One of the keys to maintaining balance is to perform the practices before the onset of experiencing  symptoms of stress and anxiety.  The following practice can be done anytime and anyplace as soon as you feel symptoms begin to bubble up. Or, when you're already in the midst of having stress and anxiety and need to calm yourself down.
Focused Breathing Exercise: 5 5 5
1. Mentally say to yourself in your mind "Breathe." This engages the body-mind connection.
2. Keeping your mouth relaxed and closed, take a deep breath through your nostrils, inhaling for 5 full seconds.
3. Slightly part your lips, and exhale slowly for 5 seconds. 
4. Repeat 5 times.
5. To enhance the calming experience, gently relax your hand on your belly during this exercise. If you've ever noticed how babies are soothed by having a loved one gently place their hand on their belly, your hand on your belly engages the same calming response. 

Try it and let me know how it worked for you.