Did you know that August 15th is National Relaxation Day? Neither did I. It’s a day that encourages you to kick back and relax. You are supposed to take a day off from anything that causes stress. Everyone has stress; we all have busy schedules. The people who get on that last one good nerve cause stress. Stress is all around us, and no matter how hard we try to avoid it, stress finds us.
Job searching highlights the list of many people I know. From hearing the words that you have been let go to not hearing anything about
Put down the job search tools and relax.
the résumé you sent or interview you went on, job searching is stressful. All that added to the stress you already have in your life. It can be overwhelming.
Learning to manage stress is essential for us today. Stress is the cause of many health issues. Long term stress can result in depression. Today there are many options for us to manage stress. But the one that I find highly effective is guided imagery.
Guided imagery is a step by step program of guiding your thoughts to a relaxed state. By closing your eyes and controlling your breathing, you picture a safe place that is pleasant to you including all five senses. It is relying on the brain controlling what the body feels, regardless if it’s real at the moment. The relaxed state is achieved when you can hear, smell, taste, feel, and see a place that makes you feel safe and secure. The location can either be real or fictitious as long it brings you happiness.
There are programs offering guided imagery on cd’s and mp3’s. It can be used for not only reducing stressbut also for helping you to reach goals, encourage healing, and reducing pain. Click here for a sample guided imagery session conducted by Dr. Lynn Joseph, author of The Job-Loss Recovery Program®. In it, Dr. Joseph will guide to you to feelings of relaxation, and all you have to do is get in a comfortable position, close your eyes and follow her directions. When you finish, you will feel less stressed and more confident about your job search.
On Thursday, August 15, I will be encouraging my clients to take the day off from job searching. To take a break from the stress and recharge their job search batteries. They can sit back, relax and eat lemon meringue pie. August 15th also happens to be Lemon Meringue Pie Day.
