Article V - Ways to Relax

“Doctor, I am working six days a week from seven am to seven pm but now I am losing concentration and have lost my energy!” discloses Ahmed a young thirty year old industrialist. He had been successful to increase his family fortunes from one sick unit to a conglomerate of profitable industries. He has worked very hard but he is finding it difficult to carry on. “What I could do in an hour? Now it takes me a day to do!” confessed a forty year old banker. He got his MBA from LUMS and had a very bright start. He is set for a very promising career. He put his hear and soul in his job and won laurels for his bank. But, for the last four months, had been noting a decrease in concentration and his output. Jamil a bureaucrat by profession started to feel pain in his chest and right arm, mostly at the end of day. He had a very difficult job and was under tremendous stress. He was a perfectionist and that made the matters worse. He would be sitting late in his office and would take a bundle of files home almost daily. He had a thorough medical checkup but was declared physically fit.

All these patients had two things in common – over wok and stress. They had all been working very hard and were still not past their middle age but ‘burnt out’. These are manifestations of tension and over wok. These are markers of lack of any relaxation strategies. All out lives we have been urged to work very hard – to give more than hundred percent. We heard similar lectures from our school and college teachers and later from our bosses. It was repetition of same story that we heard from our mother and father. So naturally we have learnt how to work hard, but no body at any stage, even casually mentioned that after all the hard work one needs to unwind and relax. Every ascent is followed by a descent and after hard work the body and mind has to be rewarded by some rest.

In the west they know the importance of relaxation. They have learnt how many hours a body can work hard and how much relaxation is required. They work hard forty hours a week and then for two days they are like kings. It takes at least forty eight hours to unwind and relax to be able to put a hard work the next week. Other than the weekends every one has also devised a way to relax after work. Some people walk, others hit gold balls in gold course, some splash water in swimming pool, other go to pub and some go riding and skiing.

Working abroad, you no longer have to ‘beg to state that I have an urgent piece of work’ or kill an aunt or grand mother to request leave. In our country leave is not considered a right, rather is a luxury and at the discretion of the boss. Abroad, holidays mean ‘holidays’ – any job that you join, first of all you declare that you will be off at such and such time. Holidays are neither to attend Janaza and nor to participate in Mehndi and Shaadi. Holidays are meant to relax, take your family away and just relax. Perhaps its more of recharging of batteries. Holidays are your right and no body can deny you that. A hospital has to find locum but your holidays cannot be cancelled.

In our stressful daily routine how can we relax? Surely taking tranquilizers cannot be the answer to our daily problems. We have to find ways to relax. Just as every one has his own way of working, every one has to devise his own way of relaxing. And this is as important and as cost effective as working hard. The relationship between hard work and relaxation has to be appreciated. In all daily time tables there should be clearly demarcated time for relaxation.

What are different ways to relax that can be adopted and practiced in our society? Exercise and walking are two very effective and time tested ways of relaxation. Many people use it for analysis and planning; others detract their mind and offer ‘tasbeehat’ during walk. Playing games and specially games like golf, tennis and squash can be rewarding. During a game one’s mind is detracted from all worldly problems and it revolves around one ball! One can learn relaxation exercises and practice them with great results. These offer very effective relief in a short time. Many people practice these in their offices without leaving their chairs.

But perhaps the best and most effective way is to offer prayers with utmost concentration. Nothing can be better than that! On the one hand five times a day one detracts one’s mind from worldly strife to the ‘real’, and on the other hand one gets a lot of inspiration from it. One feels closer to God and is reassured that He is the One who takes care of everything. One also realizes how humble a human being is! One can only work hard but the result is decided by Him. What could be better than to supplicate Him and have faith in Him. Most successful people find prayers as an ultimate form of relaxation and after every prayer they find themselves charged up for the next assignment.

There is no single remedy for this problem. One may select any method of relaxation but it has to be done ‘as soon as possible’. Once its defined, one has to follow it religiously and incorporate it in daily routine. By this body can be rewarded regularly and it will have a positive impact on productivity. One has to choose between ‘longer hours’ and ‘long years’. To chose for long productive years one has to work hard and even harder to relax!

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Ref: Heal Thy Heart written by Prof: Dr. Muhammad Hafizullah