Hello, friend! Today we are going to continue the 10-part series on the seven areas of living magically. As you hopefully know from other editions there are seven areas, but three of them are doubles. We’ll talk about those separately, so that makes a total of 10 topics, one for each episode. So, today we are going to talk about relaxation magic. Dropping stress with relaxation magic is one of the most important things to getting all the other areas of life where you want them to be.
Make sure to read about brain magic before moving on to relaxation magic!
The first topic we talked about was brain magic and how to live magically with the brain. If you haven’t learned about that one yet, make sure to go back. It’s important, and there’s a reason it’s the first!
We have already done multiple overviews of the seven areas of living magically. We’re still going to recap because having the reminder every single week will help to keep your mind focused on all the important areas.
The seven areas of living magically are:
- Nutrition (fueling intentionally to serve the body, mind, and life)
- Physical movement (which can be exercise or natural body movements)
- Relaxation & sleep (they go together, and stress relief is a huge theme here)
- Relationships (including family, friends, partner, kids, self, and anyone else in life)
- Brain & energy (this can be mental/emotional health, cognitive function, and it gets a bit woo with energy)
- Environment (including the physical environments at home, work, and other places, along with any emotional and energetic environments like being surrounded by negativity vs. positivity)
- Purpose & beliefs (this can be a meaningful career, volunteering, family or community roles, and a set of core values or beliefs that may or may not be spiritual in nature)
You probably noticed that relaxation is a double topic with sleep. They really do go together. We’ll talk about that more in a future edition where we cover sleep. Right now, we’ll start with relaxation magic. Make sure to keep listening because I talk about a special, free gift toward the end.
Before we talk about relaxation magic we need to talk about stress. Why? Relaxation is the opposite of stress, so it’s all connected.
Stress and Relaxation Magic
Stress is a big deal. The American Psychological Association reported on a 2022 study about stress in the United States. About 76% of Americans, in the month prior to completing the study survey, felt their stress impacted their health. Scientifically we know that stress does have a lot of negative impacts on health. This says that more than three out of four people have stress levels high enough for that to happen and be noticed by them. About 27% said that they can’t function the majority of days because of their stress. Let that sink in. More than one in four Americans can’t function most days. Stress is that evil force in this story.
I felt a lot of things when reading this information. Not one of those feelings was surprise because I see it every single day. I see it professionally among clients and colleagues, I see it among friends, and regularly feel the pressure creep in personally. There are so many challenges right now. Also, we have some influence on how we respond. We have some control over how external things impact us and our families.
Stress vs. Stressful Events and Situations
Stress is the most common culprit standing between brain magic and thriving in all other areas of living magically. Sometimes that stress looks like other things in disguise. For example, we may think we don’t have enough time or energy to do what we need to do to improve our health, career, relationships, and everything else. That’s the stress talking. You would be amazed at what you could figure out, do, and improve if all the stress were gone. Relaxation magic lowers stress levels so we can think clearly. From there, we can move forward in the direction we want to go.
Stressful events and situations are things that are more likely to lead to stress, but they don’t have to. They are very real things that happen around us. Stress is how our bodies and minds respond to those stressful events and situations. Relaxation magic is the opposite of a stressful situation or event. It has the power to reduce stress and reverse the stress spiral.
Relaxation Magic has the power to reduce stress and reverse the stress spiral.
Our stress levels go up and down based on a combination of what happens, how we think, and what we do. We can’t control all of what happens, no matter how much we may want to. However, we can control what we think and what we do. Relaxation magic is all about learning how to respond to stressful events and situations in ways that benefit us, our families, and the world.
Stress and Sleep – Relaxation Magic for Both!
Stress prevents quality, restful sleep. Not getting enough quality, restful sleep leads to more stress. Sleep is required for productivity and living well. Yes, it’s possible to power through on too little sleep temporarily. However, it’s not sustainable to lead an optimal life. This is why relaxation and sleep are so connected. Relaxation magic, like brain magic, is a foundation for everything else.
How To Start Relaxation Magic
I have a free relaxation recording available on the homepage of my website (click HERE). If you enter your name and email address, a link to that recording will be sent directly to your inbox. You will be able to listen to it whenever you feel the stress piling up. After that stress is decreased, you can get relaxed at the earlier stages of stress so that it doesn’t spiral out of control.
Most people have pretty high-stress levels, even if those high levels feel normal. That’s why a simple pause and deep breath may help a little, but it’s not going to be that magic solution. Generally, humans in modern society need more to reverse the stress spiral. That’s why I’m giving away a free, really good, roughly 20-minute deep relaxation. It’s about 16 minutes of guided relaxation and then 4 more of the music so you can relax on your own a little longer. If you feel like you only have 10 minutes, for example, great, start there and build up.
2-Minute Relaxation Magic Reset
I’m also going to provide a 2-minute reset relaxation. That one is for those tiny pockets of time when you really need it. You know what I’m talking about. You are feeling overwhelmed and the thought of carving out 15-20 minutes, or even 10, it leads to higher levels of stress. I’ve got your back. This 2-minute relaxation reset is designed to be that quick fix to get you by until you can carve out more time. However, I do want you to try the longer version first. That’s because the short version won’t work until after you have done the longer version at least once. So, I’m not sending you the 2-minute reset on day 1. It will be emailed to you later if you provide your information for the other free recording.
You can do this. I’m here to help. Let’s get this stress spiral turned around. I’m so excited for you to benefit from all the wonderful effects of relaxation magic and everything that comes after.
What Happens After Relaxation Magic?
The next part of the 10-part series on the seven areas of living magically is sleep magic. However, something else is needed before we get into that. One of the biggest and most common challenges I hear about living magically is time. People find it really hard to have enough time for sleep, exercise, and all the other things. This is part of the problem.
So, I’m throwing in a bonus about time magic. This is especially important for parents without the support that would be ideal for them to really thrive. It’s not impossible to thrive without that dreamy support, we just need a little time magic. I’m going to talk it all out with you next time. Then, we can get into everything you need to know to sleep well and long enough, and then fuel and move your body optimally. It builds from there, and adds up to living magically!
Now what?
Please share this content with anyone you feel would benefit. I want to help as many people as possible to Live Magically. Comments on blog posts and videos, and reviews on podcast episodes, help to get this message out to those who need it. So, if you leave a comment or review, I have a special gift for you. Email a screenshot of your comment or review to ashley@olivinewellnes.com and I will email you back with a PDF guide to help you Live Magically.
Here’s what YOU can do:
- SHARE Live Magically videos, podcasts, and blogs
- COMMENT below and on the video & REVIEW the podcast
- FREE gift – email ashley@olivinewellness.com
- FOLLOW on social media – Facebook and Instagram
- FREE “Drop the Stress & THRIVE” recording
- Join the community HERE
Do you have a question for me, or would you like some help with a challenge?
Let me know what’s on your mind or what you’re facing. I use your messages and feedback to come up with content to share so you may get a response by way of blog post, video, and podcast (keeping your identity 100% anonymous, of course)!
Make sure to join the community HERE to get a free recording of “Drop the Stress & THRIVE” sent right to your email inbox. This is the perfect resource to help you as you start to Live Magically.
Thank you so much for being part of my community and have a magical day!
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