Relaxing
Dear Patient,
“But I have a hard time relaxing.”
Sometimes I hear this from a patient when I finish placing the needles and tell them I’ll be back in an hour. A look of panic will rush across their face as they think, “What on earth am I supposed to do for the next hour—just LIE HERE and be still??”
“Just rest,” I’ll say.
I know it’s hard, love. But maybe when we say we have a hard time relaxing, what we really mean is we have a hard time being alone with our thoughts. That’s what relaxation is, right? Letting go of the constant movement, turning down the noise. Except when we turn down the noise…it’s just us.
One thing we can try is a reimagining of why relaxation is so challenging. Instead of “I have a hard time relaxing,” we could say “I worry that if I stop thinking about all the things on my to-do list, I’ll forget about something important,” or “I’m afraid if I stop moving I won’t have the energy to start again,”or “I’m afraid I’ll be out of the loop,” or “silence is scary.”
When you name the discomfort for what it really is, you might find it a little easier to relax. Try this for a few minutes at your next acupuncture session, or when you come home from work, or when you’re doing something else that’s supposed to be relaxing. Because relaxing is actually pretty great.
Love and gratitude,
Your Acupuncturist