Here is how to easily relax:

As a manager – at any level – you are always under pressure.

You are under pressure because your superiors demand from you specific results with a deadline – and within budget.

You are under pressure because you must make sure your direct reports perform – yet, at the same time – you must keep them engaged.

You are under pressure because – sometimes – your internal and/or external suppliers don’t fulfill their promises 100 per cent.

You are under pressure because – sometimes – your internal and/or external customers change their specifications.

Etc. Etc. Etc.

Here is a VERY simple and healthy technique to help you keep your cool, relax – and even in a good mood.

If you heat water until it reaches 100 degrees Celsius – it will boil – there is no question about it. If you use this technique properly – you will relax – there is no question about it.

But first – please allow me to give you some background …

Have you ever wondered why some people get addicted to morphine?

They get addicted to morphine for three reasons:

First – morphine significantly reduces physical pain.

Second – morphine gives you a sense of well-being and even euphoria.

And third – morphine relaxes you.

Now – have you ever heard about endorphins?

At a molecular level, endorphins (endogenous morphine) are very similar to morphine. But they are very different for two reasons:

1) Your central nervous system and pituitary gland produce them

2) According to Norman Cousins in “Anatomy of an illness” [Norton, New York, NY, 1979], they are up to 200 times more potent than morphine

Your body has several mechanisms to create endorphins – but basically – every time you feel good, your body generates them.

If you happen to love chocolate for example – then, every time you eat a chocolate that you really like – your body manufactures endorphins.

However – your body’s mechanism that produces the most endorphins is laughter.

But your laughter is not the same as your sense of humor.

Your sense of humor is a psychological process – whereas laughter is a physiological process.

Have you ever laughed at the “wrong spots” while you were watching a film inside a movie theater for example?

Different people have different sense of humor – different cultures have different sense of humor.

Laughter however is the contraction and expansion of your diaphragm with its corresponding inhalation and exhalation of air.

Your particular laughter might be different from your neighbor’s laughter – but the physiological process is basically identical.

In other words – you don’t necessarily need your sense of humor to laugh.

You can laugh at will, anytime – without the ‘help’ of your sense of humor. We all can.

The healthy technique that will help you keep your cool, relaxed – and even in a good mood is this …

Laugh non-stop for 60 seconds – three consecutive times.

That’s it.

Let me say it again …

Laugh continuously for 60 seconds. Stop and rest for 10-15 seconds. Laugh again non-stop for another 60 seconds. Then stop and rest for 10-15 seconds. And finally, laugh again for another 60 seconds without one single interruption.

That’s it.

As I already said, you don’t need your sense of humor to start laughing.

All you need is your will and conviction to relax – and therefore you will laugh three consecutive times, 60 seconds each time.

If you laugh non-stop for 60 seconds, three consecutive times – you will not only relax, but you will also feel pretty good. There is no question about it.

But let me warn you however …

The first couple of times you try this technique, you will feel silly and/or ridiculous and/or even stupid.

That is completely normal. We are not used to laugh without our sense of humor kick starting our laughter.

The point is: Do you really want to relax?

IF you really want to relax – just do it.

Period.

And it is like anything else: The more you do it, the more skilled you will become and the better you will get at it.

Just make sure you do it where it is appropriate.

You can laugh while you are taking a shower, while driving to work, in the elevator if you are by yourself, in the restroom at the office, etc., etc., etc.

Conclusion:

If you want to effectively relax, laugh non-stop for 60 seconds – three consecutive times.

Question:

What do you usually do to relax at work?

Is there anything that you have found that helps you relax while at work?

Please – tell me: What do you do in order to to relax?

Questions? Feedback? Reply to this Newsletter and tell me what you would like future issues to be about.

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