If you want to remain alert but at the same time slow down your system and its processes, you can try some kind of active relaxation. What do I mean by “active relaxation”? I mean having a serene influence over yourself which is at the same time a form of exercise. In this way you will be able to remain fully engaged in what you are doing at a slower pace.
All too often relaxation is taken to mean “switching off”. As if you have periods of rushing about mindlessly and then a period of lobotomy slumped in front of the T.V. In fact, this kind of thing can leave you “wired and tired” as I’ve heard it been called. This may be alright for some, but all too often this is when we are liable to feel irritated and anxious.
Instead, what I recommend is a form of slow practice which compliment the fast paced demands of life. Exercises which prepare you for living intensely. In this way relaxation becomes preparation for work, and an essential part of it. All too often people don’t enjoy their relaxation because they are too conscious of their need to be ready for the demands life throws at them. And their work becomes a heavy burden which stops them enjoying life. This eventually leads to stagnation rather than improvement. What you have to realise then is that relaxation can be productive, a passive form of work.
When you slow down and concentrate on something, like reading, you get more and more conscious of the skills involved and attain greater insight. In this way you are attuning yourself to a slower pace of life whilst training your faculties to perceive new knowledge. I often find that if I come in from a hard day at work I am too wired to read properly. It takes me some time to slow down enough to be able to concentrate and process the information properly. At first I skip words, and don’t take anything in. But after a while I am able to engage with the text. At first it’s tempting to just throw the book down, but this is all part of the exercise of willpower over myself.
Whilst we are often required to rush around in state of high alert, we quickly realise this is bad for us when we get home and try to unwind. What was good for us an hour earlier suddenly becomes a problem, an irritation. Whilst you need to be alert to react quickly and be on the ball, when you’ve got no goal required of this anymore there’s a sense of frustration after the excitement is all over with. What you’re left with is a battle against yourself which requires a different strategy. But don’t get caught unawares.
What I do is play some music with waterfall sounds, and bird songs, etc.1, and take some time to slow down and synchronize my breathing to a slower tempo. You can even do this to combat some of the ill effects of down time, such as the constant interruptions of social media. Just play some of this music in the background whilst your on there, or go outside. These sounds can have a brilliant effect on our state of mind. Using this exercise, your attention is drawn towards harmonious sounds so you remain alert, and can turn your energies towards something requiring concentration. You will feel relaxed and attentive to the slightest sound, but distracted. This compliments the intensive and often chaotic phase of the day, and it’s something I do often.
The important thing is to maintain your attention on something meaningful. What that is will depend on you. If you play an instrument, try playing the C chord. Place particular emphasis on the C-E-G notes. You will find this has a relaxing and at the same time invigorating effect over you. You feel energized yet relaxed.
Martial arts is known for deception and distraction. For example, an enemy will often appear weak when they are really attempting to manipulate you. This is how the enemy works. In the same way, it is impossible to rid yourself of certain unwanted impulses and states, but you can learn to channel them and manipulate them for the better. The technique of distraction is a method to do this on yourself.
If you are unable to concentrate properly, or are stressed and anxious about something, turn your attention towards something else. In other words, distract yourself with something pleasant. For example, towards listening to relaxing music, sitting outside in the woods, breathing exercises, or a relaxing location in your mind. Of course, all the better if you overlap these methods, and any others you can think of that work on the different senses in the same way. In other words, if your breathing can be synchronised to what you are hearing and seeing, the relaxing effect can be greatly enhanced. Remaining attentive yet relaxed allows you do divert and channel your energies from the slightest sign of their appearance so that you don’t get pent up. This is impossible from a position of being switched off or simply being pacified by drugs.
If you try to overcome states of stress and tension head on, it will usually end in failure. It is impossible to rid yourself of certain impulses and states, but you can learn to channel them and manipulate them for the better. And to turn them to your advantage. The key is to see relaxing phases as an opportunity to enhance your life’s work. What that work is can be your ideal goal to imagine in your mind.
If you are thinking about a problem that happened during the day, often the best thing to do is visualize yourself saying to the person politely “Sorry I haven’t got time at the moment, I’m busy working, I’ll see you tomorrow”. This will often demonstrate to the unconscious side of yourself (which is always active and ready to spring problems on you) that you are engaged with work. This is usually enough to convince it it’s wasting its time. Because it is difficult for it to fit into a space which is already full of positive thoughts. It knows it’s a waste of time. But if instead there’s a void, then it can take the opening. This is one of the true lessons of martial arts.
References
1 A good example of this is Takashi Kokubo, Forest Healing.