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Relaxation For Your Personality Type

We’re all different. And we all relax in different ways! Lately, I’ve been having trouble getting my mind to shut up when I’m ready for bed.

Sometimes I distract myself with television; other times I try a relatively simple (but effective) visualization technique: fully visualize (using all your senses) at least one thing for each color of the rainbow. A strawberry. An orange. A banana. A handful of blueberries. Leafy green spinach. A juicy purple plum. Food is easy because it quickly engages all five senses. Not enough to shut your brain down? Try three things for each color. Some nights, I do five. Focus your brain on fully realizing each object with all your senses — sight, sound, feel, taste, and smell. Even when my mind is extra noisy, I don’t get beyond yellow.

But this might not be the best relaxation technique for you. I tend to be an imaginative person, and because I’m a writer I tend to think about the senses when creating scenes and locations. Try some of these relaxation techniques:

  • If you like soaking in the bathtub, try soaking in a hot spring. A study from the University of Maryland found that a hot spring soak can help your body lower levels of stress hormones, which reduces inflammation in muscles and joints.
  • If you like meditation and visualization, try qigong. This form of active meditation uses graceful, dance-like movements. You’ll be concentrating on repetitive motion and breathing, and your mind will clear quickly.
  • If walking is your favorite way to unwind, try a labyrinth (I’ve also seen them called mandalas). These mazelike paths aren’t actually mazes — one continuous path leads to the center and back out again. There are more than a thousand labyrinths across the United States, so you should be able to find one near you.
  • If a massage is your stress reliever of choice, try Reiki. Reiki is energy work, rather than body work — your therapist will manage the flow of energy into and around your body.