How to Relax
I've recently returned from a wonderful break in the Mediterranean. It's been a long while since I actually gave myself a 'real' break from the grind of everyday life and I feel that it was needed. On most occasions when I travel I take a camera and a laptop and so I usually end up working on some photography or editing. It was wise not to take either of these tools with me as this gave me the opportunity to get a much needed 'soul clean'.
With the chance to reflect, I once again recognise that I am a creative and spiritually strong person. Running a creative-business and making enough money to survive is often so time consuming that if a break isn't taken once in a while, my work can start to lose it's true substance which can have a nasty knock on effect to my income... most of you will surely agree that it's a sensible idea when practicing any form of creativity to step back occasionally to observe from a distance.
So my writers block has lifted again and so I will thank all those people that are reading this and a special thanks to those who have stayed subscribed through the duration where my posts have been less regular.
This blog seems a good one to restart the creative engine, although I must admit, that as my writers block lifted, I've already been writing things down on scrappy pieces of paper for me to include in later posts.
"How To Relax"
Right, well I've pretty much nailed it on a personal level and (obviously everyone is going to be slightly different but) I think I can give some tips so that you can all start living a life with a little (or a lot) less stress. I am going to put a few things in bullet points.
1. Preparation
If you aren't ready to take a break for any reason then you aren't really going to be able to have one; you're just going to be somewhere else and still burnt out. Regardless of if you are employed or self employed, I would suggest picking some time out as early as possible as to when you are going to take a holiday; try and think about work that you're going to have in the pipeline when you come back feeling all refreshed and also choose a time when you are able to afford having some real disposable income. If employed, this doesn't have to be down to when it fits in conveniently with everyone else as if you're in a contracted (salaried) employment, you have earned your holiday - you earn a percentage of this liberty every moment you work. Don't let guilt trips by the boss or your colleagues distract you from that - you've earned it, it's yours: you spend it how you like, your contract says so and if you can't redeem it how you've agreed to be able to do so at the time you signed up, then someone is in breach of contract. Check the wording of your contract and maintain respect of that contract so that if you find yourself unfairly dismissed, a simple employment tribunal is going to see you being able to afford an even longer holiday at your ex employers expense! Jobs are rife, the unemployment issue is a lie supported both by politicians (not currently in power) and lazy people that just don't want to do anything. If you can't find work, you make work for yourself; we can all do something... people value your input and time somewhere even if it's helping your neighbours out in the garden or walking someone's dog so they can have a holiday, I'm sure you can think of loads - the list is endless.
2. Breathe
When you clock off for the last time before your holiday, take a deep breath and remove all the issues that were causing you to get closer to burnout. These could be family, work (for me it's a social discomfort that I feel from being around stressed out people) but whatever first comes into your head as a worry, you have to reprogram yourself to ignore. The issue will likely still be there when you come back but if it isn't then there is a weight off of your mind whatever it is. As you reprogram yourself to go into holiday mode, take note of the things that wind you up so that you can implement new ways over the next few days/weeks to avoid coming into close contact with those things.
3. Relax
The point was you needed to relax, if you've followed steps one and two correctly then you should be able to do so. If anything arises from step two that you really have no choice but to deal with, someone will let you know, and if this happens, try and delegate the responsibility to someone else or outsource it to a trusted friend if possible - remember that if someone helps you out, you shouldn't fob them off when they ask for your help. Your relaxation is likely the number one priority at the moment, maybe you only get a couple of weeks a year so it's an important ingredient for your coping mechanism and efficiency in the future. Your relaxation is your job right now - remember this. Switch off the things that frustrate you and DON'T plan too much now - go with the flow, eat when you're hungry, go to the places you want to go when you want to go etc. If you end up doing nothing, then what's the problem with that?
4. Maintenance
Now you're relaxed, you need to take a few steps to keep this maintained. Avoid media as much as possible; less of the selfies (mine are for irony ;) ) and less of the telling everyone else what you're doing be that for an ego boost or well, an ego boost. Don't be on Facebook or Twitter all the time, it doesn't matter what people think of you and you don't need to make them jealous that you've achieved tranquility whilst they are having a crap time. If you do choose to do this in the form of any electronic banter or on any media feed then do so only to people that like to see you having a good time and your reciprocated kindness could be to point them in the direction of this blog because then hopefully they will be able to achieve the same relaxation you have. I would like to see more of my friends enjoying a real break, to me that is success and I'm perhaps in a minority of people that genuinely like to see people having a good time. I have a philosophy that we are all responsible for our own happiness and so the objectives and material achievements of others have no baring upon my own happiness because there can be no negative effect upon my own psyche (the variables are neither critically or logically relative). I do see it all the time in social media and so, if you have ever seen something by me that makes you feel negatively towards me in any way, I will take this moment to tell you that unfortunately if this is this case I'm sorry to have to tell you that you are doing it all wrong (or at least thinking about it illogically) - please find harmony with yourself; that would be beneficial for all of us.
5. Avoidance
Although touched upon in point four, avoidance is a great way to disengage. you don't have to be responsible for other problems when you're taking a break. Only engage in the issues that you care about. Avoid the TV, turn off the news - instead listen to your favourite music. The world will still be at war and in poverty when you return so give yourself some time to think if you are going to action anything to improve that: if so then use this time to work out how you are going to help, if not use this time to not be injected with fear of which you will not offer any will or charity to - why sacrifice your emotions to things that you won't change? If there is a local issue that causes alarm, then you'll still find out about it regardless of if you've turned on the news or not, people still use talking as one method of communication between one another - this can be easily forgotten with so much staring at screens.
6. Maintenance
You've returned and no that isn't a typo, even when you return from your break, it's a good idea to maintain a relaxed attitude as much as possible. The issue arises mostly from point five; as you consume more fear and helplessness because of the terrible things that you aren't currently offering a solution to then you will begin to feel your energy drain from you once again... it's inevitable so whilst you have a clear mind, think about returning to step one so that you can do it all over again. The alternative is to do something that appeases your soul when it comes to step five and so reduces the rate at which your energy depletes. Either is an acceptable option, just work out which is most convenient for you and makes you happiest.
Ok so my next post is already on the horizon as there are a few that I've written in my spare time anyway (I enjoy it). This break gave me a chance to recognise the way of life that I like to have and on reflection, I have a pretty good time anyway so I'm going to go with it and see where it takes me - it got me this far. I don't really feel I want to use my time or abilities to reflect upon stupid subjects anymore (such as politics) although I recognise that even subjects I would prefer to avoid will interfere somewhat with all the other things that truly matter in life (which I will be talking about). I'm going to be writing more blogs of which some may even turn into documentaries. My audience is likely to be an enlightened group of people looking to engage in making the world a better place and to gain more satisfaction within their own lives and achievements. I have no real qualifications to give this advice other than I'm living a life which I like to live - in reflection I don't think any qualification exists that trumps such a philosophy but nonetheless it's all a recipe for improvement whichever way you look at it.
I'm going to be discussing and critically analysing things that the mainstream media feed into our minds all of the time that we should be skeptical about. This means that I will be looking at (and hopefully opening debate towards) truth and lies, imagery, theism and atheism, finances, fears and conspiracies and many other ingredients of life to bring independent debate to the forefront. I particularly want to discuss what separates the illusions from our reality. I will approach these subjects without bias, as I feel I have always done previously, and I will critically analyse them down to the founding semantics so as to see how any imagery (or media) contributes towards the human race (either positively or negatively). This is amongst the day job which currently consists of two websites and a documentary to edit so if you like what I write about, please send contributions to my Paypal (you can find details on my webpage or by messaging me); the more sponsors I get whilst blogging means the more time I can give to writing more great posts.
Please debate in the comments section on what you feel you would like to look at. There are links to my other posts in the sidebar, some more meaningful than others but hopefully some can spark debate. Please feel free to share links to your RELEVANT blogs but use common sense before clicking on links that were not contributed by myself that you find in the comments section.
© Ash Knight 2015 - All Rights Reserved - copying of this post "How To Relax" is permitted only when referenced to the copyright owner (Ash Knight) and back-linked to the original source address (#AKnightsTales / Blogger); contributions and sponsors welcomed.
With the chance to reflect, I once again recognise that I am a creative and spiritually strong person. Running a creative-business and making enough money to survive is often so time consuming that if a break isn't taken once in a while, my work can start to lose it's true substance which can have a nasty knock on effect to my income... most of you will surely agree that it's a sensible idea when practicing any form of creativity to step back occasionally to observe from a distance.
So my writers block has lifted again and so I will thank all those people that are reading this and a special thanks to those who have stayed subscribed through the duration where my posts have been less regular.
This blog seems a good one to restart the creative engine, although I must admit, that as my writers block lifted, I've already been writing things down on scrappy pieces of paper for me to include in later posts.
"How To Relax"
Right, well I've pretty much nailed it on a personal level and (obviously everyone is going to be slightly different but) I think I can give some tips so that you can all start living a life with a little (or a lot) less stress. I am going to put a few things in bullet points.
1. Preparation
If you aren't ready to take a break for any reason then you aren't really going to be able to have one; you're just going to be somewhere else and still burnt out. Regardless of if you are employed or self employed, I would suggest picking some time out as early as possible as to when you are going to take a holiday; try and think about work that you're going to have in the pipeline when you come back feeling all refreshed and also choose a time when you are able to afford having some real disposable income. If employed, this doesn't have to be down to when it fits in conveniently with everyone else as if you're in a contracted (salaried) employment, you have earned your holiday - you earn a percentage of this liberty every moment you work. Don't let guilt trips by the boss or your colleagues distract you from that - you've earned it, it's yours: you spend it how you like, your contract says so and if you can't redeem it how you've agreed to be able to do so at the time you signed up, then someone is in breach of contract. Check the wording of your contract and maintain respect of that contract so that if you find yourself unfairly dismissed, a simple employment tribunal is going to see you being able to afford an even longer holiday at your ex employers expense! Jobs are rife, the unemployment issue is a lie supported both by politicians (not currently in power) and lazy people that just don't want to do anything. If you can't find work, you make work for yourself; we can all do something... people value your input and time somewhere even if it's helping your neighbours out in the garden or walking someone's dog so they can have a holiday, I'm sure you can think of loads - the list is endless.
2. Breathe
When you clock off for the last time before your holiday, take a deep breath and remove all the issues that were causing you to get closer to burnout. These could be family, work (for me it's a social discomfort that I feel from being around stressed out people) but whatever first comes into your head as a worry, you have to reprogram yourself to ignore. The issue will likely still be there when you come back but if it isn't then there is a weight off of your mind whatever it is. As you reprogram yourself to go into holiday mode, take note of the things that wind you up so that you can implement new ways over the next few days/weeks to avoid coming into close contact with those things.
3. Relax
The point was you needed to relax, if you've followed steps one and two correctly then you should be able to do so. If anything arises from step two that you really have no choice but to deal with, someone will let you know, and if this happens, try and delegate the responsibility to someone else or outsource it to a trusted friend if possible - remember that if someone helps you out, you shouldn't fob them off when they ask for your help. Your relaxation is likely the number one priority at the moment, maybe you only get a couple of weeks a year so it's an important ingredient for your coping mechanism and efficiency in the future. Your relaxation is your job right now - remember this. Switch off the things that frustrate you and DON'T plan too much now - go with the flow, eat when you're hungry, go to the places you want to go when you want to go etc. If you end up doing nothing, then what's the problem with that?
4. Maintenance
Now you're relaxed, you need to take a few steps to keep this maintained. Avoid media as much as possible; less of the selfies (mine are for irony ;) ) and less of the telling everyone else what you're doing be that for an ego boost or well, an ego boost. Don't be on Facebook or Twitter all the time, it doesn't matter what people think of you and you don't need to make them jealous that you've achieved tranquility whilst they are having a crap time. If you do choose to do this in the form of any electronic banter or on any media feed then do so only to people that like to see you having a good time and your reciprocated kindness could be to point them in the direction of this blog because then hopefully they will be able to achieve the same relaxation you have. I would like to see more of my friends enjoying a real break, to me that is success and I'm perhaps in a minority of people that genuinely like to see people having a good time. I have a philosophy that we are all responsible for our own happiness and so the objectives and material achievements of others have no baring upon my own happiness because there can be no negative effect upon my own psyche (the variables are neither critically or logically relative). I do see it all the time in social media and so, if you have ever seen something by me that makes you feel negatively towards me in any way, I will take this moment to tell you that unfortunately if this is this case I'm sorry to have to tell you that you are doing it all wrong (or at least thinking about it illogically) - please find harmony with yourself; that would be beneficial for all of us.
5. Avoidance
Although touched upon in point four, avoidance is a great way to disengage. you don't have to be responsible for other problems when you're taking a break. Only engage in the issues that you care about. Avoid the TV, turn off the news - instead listen to your favourite music. The world will still be at war and in poverty when you return so give yourself some time to think if you are going to action anything to improve that: if so then use this time to work out how you are going to help, if not use this time to not be injected with fear of which you will not offer any will or charity to - why sacrifice your emotions to things that you won't change? If there is a local issue that causes alarm, then you'll still find out about it regardless of if you've turned on the news or not, people still use talking as one method of communication between one another - this can be easily forgotten with so much staring at screens.
6. Maintenance
You've returned and no that isn't a typo, even when you return from your break, it's a good idea to maintain a relaxed attitude as much as possible. The issue arises mostly from point five; as you consume more fear and helplessness because of the terrible things that you aren't currently offering a solution to then you will begin to feel your energy drain from you once again... it's inevitable so whilst you have a clear mind, think about returning to step one so that you can do it all over again. The alternative is to do something that appeases your soul when it comes to step five and so reduces the rate at which your energy depletes. Either is an acceptable option, just work out which is most convenient for you and makes you happiest.
Ok so my next post is already on the horizon as there are a few that I've written in my spare time anyway (I enjoy it). This break gave me a chance to recognise the way of life that I like to have and on reflection, I have a pretty good time anyway so I'm going to go with it and see where it takes me - it got me this far. I don't really feel I want to use my time or abilities to reflect upon stupid subjects anymore (such as politics) although I recognise that even subjects I would prefer to avoid will interfere somewhat with all the other things that truly matter in life (which I will be talking about). I'm going to be writing more blogs of which some may even turn into documentaries. My audience is likely to be an enlightened group of people looking to engage in making the world a better place and to gain more satisfaction within their own lives and achievements. I have no real qualifications to give this advice other than I'm living a life which I like to live - in reflection I don't think any qualification exists that trumps such a philosophy but nonetheless it's all a recipe for improvement whichever way you look at it.
I'm going to be discussing and critically analysing things that the mainstream media feed into our minds all of the time that we should be skeptical about. This means that I will be looking at (and hopefully opening debate towards) truth and lies, imagery, theism and atheism, finances, fears and conspiracies and many other ingredients of life to bring independent debate to the forefront. I particularly want to discuss what separates the illusions from our reality. I will approach these subjects without bias, as I feel I have always done previously, and I will critically analyse them down to the founding semantics so as to see how any imagery (or media) contributes towards the human race (either positively or negatively). This is amongst the day job which currently consists of two websites and a documentary to edit so if you like what I write about, please send contributions to my Paypal (you can find details on my webpage or by messaging me); the more sponsors I get whilst blogging means the more time I can give to writing more great posts.
Please debate in the comments section on what you feel you would like to look at. There are links to my other posts in the sidebar, some more meaningful than others but hopefully some can spark debate. Please feel free to share links to your RELEVANT blogs but use common sense before clicking on links that were not contributed by myself that you find in the comments section.
Happy Holidays!
Not on holiday? - go to step 6.
© Ash Knight 2015 - All Rights Reserved - copying of this post "How To Relax" is permitted only when referenced to the copyright owner (Ash Knight) and back-linked to the original source address (#AKnightsTales / Blogger); contributions and sponsors welcomed.
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