Learn how to – Train yourselves
Relaxation time and mostly sleep is when our system can take a break and restore energy levels. However, this is not as obvious as it seems; a tense nervous system and an always hyperactive mind with high stress levels do not allow the organism to rest. Our muscles may be tight even when sleeping and our mind may keep us awake or anxious. It is only natural that lack of rest, relaxation, and stress management result in poor health.
For starters, allow yourselves enough hours of sleep. Secondly, train yourselves in both: a) how to really rest, whether this is conscious relaxation or sleep; b), how to manage your stress. Nutrition and phytotherapy/aromatherapy can play a vital role in balancing as much our physiology as our psychology. Moreover, yoga is a powerful means of stress management. Nature and natural living are also amazing in releasing stress and work with a good analyst can be defining. Do not cover and hide problems, they work underneath; always look for ways out.
Self-expression
Being in conflict with ourselves and others results in great stress. Living in accordance with our true nature and being able to express ourselves make us blossom. Self-expression is, of course, suffering greatly in a world where our movements, emotions and way of being is constantly under pressure to fit the proposed social characters of our times. However, one who discovers oneself and tries to stay as close as possible to his true being, he/she lives in peace with oneself. And being who we are, it is important to find ways to express ourselves, our physical, spiritual and mental energy through movement, speech, creation, discussion, writing or laughter. Blocked feelings, believes, and desires or aspirations that are not shared or expressed, form a fertile ground for the construction of illness.
Time with oneself / Socializing / Relationships
Time with oneself is indispensable for a person’s rest, self-care, redefinition and self-development. Living in peace with ourselves requires a certain level of self-understanding, and unfortunately we are not taught, trained or encouraged to pursue it. Self-understanding, however, and well-being are inseparable, for without it it’s impossible to seek to satisfy our real needs. Within this framework, honest and quality time with oneself plays a key role.
On the other hand, humans are social beings like many others. We need to share and communicate, to love and feel loved, to have a group identity through common goals and efforts, and to feel safe in family/friends/community support. We all know how important socializing is, however sometimes our social environment acts to our disadvantage and we need to be able to discern when this happens. Understanding ourselves and others allows for the development of positive thoughts and feelings for both. This, in turn, allows for good, healthy relationships, which define communal and therefore, personal well-being.
To sum up, happiness passes through quality time with us and others and even though learning how to achieve it in modern societies may be a lifetime’s effort, what else is it worth living for?