Relaxation - Mind Over Body

Athletes use imagery to boost their performance and to help overcome injuries, and it works. Well, you can use imagery to help develop just about every aspect of your health. It takes regular practice every day, just like anything else you want to improve. 

Here are a couple of suggestions: 
1. If you have a headache (or any other pain), close your eyes and see in your mind pain, melting away and dripping out of your body through your fingertips or your feet. 

2. If you have a respiratory infection, imagine your immune system cells are like birds of prey, swooping down on viruses and bacteria which are like field mice in the woods.

The great thing about imagery is that there is no right way to do it. You have to experiment to find out what works for you. If birds of prey and field mice don't work for you, try Air Force bombers wiping out enemy missile sites. 

Remember that after relaxing, a good night sleep is very important too. Eight hours of sleep is not the best guideline for the amount of sleep you need. There is no guideline for the amount of sleep you need. Some people need less than average, a few are fine on much less, and some people need more than average, and a few need much more. 

If you would not be able to get up on time every morning unless you set the alarm, you are not getting enough sleep. if you need to get up at your usual time for work, the only good solutions are either to go to bed earlier, or find a way to nap during the day. And the older you get the less sleep you will need. True or False? This is false, too. There is a slight decline in some people, but more often the total stays roughly the same. Older people tend to wake up more frequently during the night, get less deep sleep, and nap more during the day.