Relax

Why we need to Relax more

Relaxing in the mountains of Mai Chu, Vietnam

Martial Artists are always trying to push the envelope in the pursuit of developing our mind, body, and spirit. In America as well as many other industrialized countries we have been groomed into overworking ourselves and idolizing this unhealthy work ethic. Yes, hard work breeds success but there must be a yin and yang to everything we do. There will always be outliers who need less sleep or rest than the majority of us, but even they require time to recharge.

I have searched for a long time to find my own meaning of life, which I can share another time and realized we often think clearer in retrospect so why not take the advice from someone thinking back on their lifetime. I came across many articles and interviews of people on their deathbed or in hospice care who all shared a similar message which was that they wish they had spent more time doing the things they had enjoyed in life. Of course, they had lived during a different time period than us today and in many professional settings, we are expected to put in more hours than our counterparts from a century ago. As someone who has spent time within the startup and tech industry, I am no exception and have worked far too many 120 hour weeks for months on end. Similarly, there have been many times where I have found myself injured, or showing symptoms of exhaustion or aggravation due to overtraining. I have always had a hardworking personality and have lived by the motto, if you aren’t giving it your 100% there isn’t any point to doing it at all, however, I recognize now in my adult years that there are times where relaxation is needed. Currently, I’m recovering from a number of injuries and need to hold back while training for fear of re-injuring myself. I often recognize myself getting too excited and caught up in my training and begin to put more and more effort into it, realizing only when there’s pain somewhere reminding me that I’m injured. I have seen similar things in other older martial artists, who despite suffering an injury continued to portray their macho status and train regardless of their health only to regret it in their later years.

Take time each and every day for yourself to meditate, do yoga, and just relax your mind. You’ll often find yourself more centered, able to think clearer and more focused when you do. Take care of your body, mind, and spirit and it will serve you well.