Spa Corner: Relaxation Takes Practice

By Sara Daly

Being positive is stress relieving in that it puts life in perspective and you realize all you are grateful for.

Have you ever wondered how to relax?

There are times when relaxing is a difficult thing to accomplish. Sure, on the beach in Negril, relaxing is easy. But the week of your wedding, not so easy. At the spa, we are amazed at the number of times we have heard bridesmaids tell their brides, “Just relax!” The brides look at them with an anxious expression of, “I would if I knew how!”

Relax is a verb which means to spend time resting or doing things for pleasure; a relief from the effort and stress of everyday life. Using this definition as a framework, let’s explore how to do this the week leading up to your wedding.
Schedule time for rest. Make sure you are not up late at night doing tasks that you can easily do in the daytime. Try to maintain your sleep schedule and stick to it. Being refreshed the next morning will help you accomplish more the next day. Lavender is a great essential oil that can aid in sleep and relaxation.

The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it. 
~Attributed to both Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris

Delegate. Do the wedding planning that is pleasurable to you. If you don’t enjoy tying ribbons around favors, there is someone else who welcomes that job. Delegate the pieces that feel uncomfortable, or that do not need your direct attention. Someone you trust who enjoys this job will do it better and quicker. Do not take on more tasks than you can handle. Be reasonable with yourself.

Learn breathing techniques. There are many techniques to try, but most of them focus on lying down, taking deep inspirations, and full expirations. Breathing deeply helps to oxygenate your body, stretches muscles, and slows your heart rate. Try this: lie flat on your back. Place one hand on your chest and the other one on your abdomen. Watch your hands. You want to see both of them moving. Often the hand on your chest is the only one moving, which means you are breathing too shallow. Practice making the hand on your abdomen rise while you breathe through your mouth.
Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two deep breaths.  ~Etty Hillesum

Visualization. Proven to get results, visualize relaxing situations. Imagine yourself on a raft floating in a pool, the beach chair in the sun, the hammock under the trees. Use visualization to focus on positive situations. If you are concerned about your wedding cake tasting good, envision the smile on the groom’s face as he takes his first bite.
Get a massage. Massage focuses on all the qualities you need to relax: lying flat, deep breathing, visualization, mediation, and it increases endorphins in your body. Muscles hold tension. See your licensed massage practitioner to give you the massage that your body needs at the moment.

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward.  ~Spanish Proverb

Stay Positive. Your positive attitude will be infectious. Your friends will want to be around you, and your energy will state that nothing can go wrong. Being positive is stress relieving in that it puts life in perspective and you realize all you are grateful for. Gratitude for friends, family, your spouse-to-be, and the chance to have this one-of-a-kind wedding will make the potentially stressful situations less difficult.

Unplug. Limit your communication via phone and computer and decide what moments you need to take calls. Purposefully leave the phone in the car when you have your bridesmaids’ brunch. Spas required your phone be turned off so you can enjoy your day. Delegate a friend as your contact person so you can relax. This is hard to do, so it is recommended that you practice being unplugged.

Exercise. A well-known stress reliever, exercise promotes well-being on a mental and physical level. Hormones called endorphins are produced which are often called feel good hormones. Exercise can be as simple as a walk. Yoga is a fantastic stress reliever as it incorporates many of the above including visualization, breathing, and exercise.
Tension is who you think you should be.  Relaxation is who you are.  ~Chinese Proverb

Smile and Laugh. Be silly. Plan activities that will make you laugh with your friends. Go to a comedy club, watch a movie, and look at old college photos. Laughter is the best medicine when stress is looming. You will remember the moments of your wedding when you were laughing and smiling.

Laughter is an instant vacation.  ~Milton Berle

Do you feel relaxed just reading this article? Good work. Take a nice deep breath. You are on your way to the stress-free wedding of your dreams!

See the Spring 2010 SPA CORNER by Sara Daley from the Spring 2010 Vermont Bride Magazine

Sara Daly is a Physical Therapist, Massage Therapist, and Certified Manual Lymph Drainage Therapist. She is President of Waterfalls Day Spa in Middlebury, Vermont and Waterfalls at Basin Harbor Club on Lake Champlain. She is a frequent contributor to Vermont Bride Magazine and was featured in the September/October 2009 edition of Massage

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