Ease Up

Social studies have revealed that the more industrialized and more economically developed a country is, the more fast-paced the country will be. The USA is one of the fastest paced countries in the world. However, fast pace would cause pressures; pressures would cause stress and tension: and stress and tension would cause anxiety, worry, high-blood pressure, stomach ulcer and headache.

To be happy and healthy, we have to come out of tension. How to remove tension? To prepare for this speech, I made a study. There are numerous methods to relax. However, combined with my own experience, I believe three methods are effective to ease up.

The first method is to relax your muscles. In order to relax your mind, you should start with your muscles. Experts suggest that you should check yourself three or four times a day. Ask yourself: Am I making my work harder than it actually needs? Am I hunching up my shoulders? Are the muscles of my face tense or stiff? Do I feel strains with my eyes? Remember that tense muscles are working muscles. They produce nervous tensions and nervous fatigue!

How do you relax your muscles? Suppose you want to relax your eyes. You can close your eyes, focus your attention on your eyes and say to your eyes softly, “Let go. Let go. Stop straining, stop frowning. Let go. Let go.” Repeat that over slowly for a minute…, then you will notice that the muscles of your eyes begin to obey and relax. You can do the same thing with the muscles of your face, your neck, your shoulders, and every part of you body. After you have completely relaxed your body, your mind will also be relaxed.

The second method to easy up is to adjust your breathing. Breathe in and breathe out slowly, steadily and with rhythm. For a few minutes, just pay attention to your breath and try to ignore everything else. Then you will feel peace with your mind. Believe me, it is widely proven that slow, steady and rhythmical breathing is one of the best methods to relax and quiet your mind. It is a method that has been practiced in China and India for thousands of years.

The third method to easy up is to pray. Did I say pray? Yes. Praying is very effective to remove tension, anxiety, and worry. I am not a missionary. But many social and psychological studies have shown that praying has profound effects on your health. What is praying? Different people may have different understanding. But one thing is sure: while you pray, you speak your problems out. Speaking problems out itself is a kind of relief and it clarifies your mind. I believe one function of praying is to take your burden to God and leave it there. Think about this. Isn’t this powerful? God is in control. What are you worrying about? Praying is the tested experience of billions of believers in the world. How to pray? You can master it by going to churches or other places of worship. I believe most of you here know more about how to pray than I do.

To enjoy our life and live longer, we should ease up. When you feel tense and stressful next time, please relax your muscles, adjust your breathing and pray to God.

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This is one of my 5-7 min Toastmaster speeches.