The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-05-31
How Woman Can Train Her Nerves
to Health.

Delsarte said, Drop all useless con-
fractions before you try to express or
act. This thought, planned for dra-
matte training, has been found to be
invaluable to all arts, all living. How
and why shall be explained. AS we
watch the motion of an animal, we see |
that there is no unnecessary use of |
force. Each muscle contracts Just |
enough to accomplish the action, then
instantly drops into relaxation; each
nerve directs its relative muscles with
perfect adjustment. In man it is not
so. A muscle rarely contracts just
enough for its action, but overcontracts.
with bad results of different degrees;
the nerves directing the action, instead
of giving just the help needed, strain
in doing what the lightest touch should
have accomplished. In consequences
of this misuse, we have yearly many
cases of nervous exhaustion and ills too
numerous to name. If we should make
the tension of a sewing machine far too
great, and then set our machine run
ming at rapid rate, we should expect
it to break. But we do similar thing
when we lead life of high pressure
without using economy of our ner-
vous and muscular forces. We must
learn to drop instantly into state of
rest in order to adapt ourselves success
fully to the advantages in which we
live; in order to make them our SER
wants instead of our masters. One
often sees an overworked woman
drop asleep for a few minutes, and
wake temporarily refreshed. Experience
teaches this to many, but all can learn
it and much more. For all can learn
not only to drop instantly into state
of rest, but to carry their work by such
natural principles of low pressure that
there will be less tension to drop.
The first step toward this state of
balance faction and reaction being so
nicely adjusted) is to learn to rest more
fully when under good conditions. "a
body cannot be perfectly active until it
has the power to be perfectly passive"
Perfectly paSSiue describes a full state
of rest, in which body and mind lay
down every occupation and are open to
replenishing influences. No muscular
contraction must be retained; no men,
tai contraction must be retained. We
must lay down our worry, refrain from
nourishing any personal wound or other
burden, and be as free as flower and
tree, while we rest from everything
which belongs to our acting life. The
first technical direction we are given
for accomplishing this end is to cult
vate sense of our own weight. An
animal at rest gives up its full weight
to the ground. Every atom in its body
is let down to its full capacity. Con-
trast this with mans manner of esting.
Man often holds himself up in every
way possible while yet lying down.
We can know this only by examination
of ourselves and others. And when
the appreciation of what weight is to
the body has started, we can practice
during quiet exercise, as in walking,
sewing or writing. In these cases one
tries to let the parts of the body not in
use express their greatest weight.
Weight and contraction are directly
opposed, and physicians say half the
ills are different forms of contraction.
Letting down the full weight of the
body, then, has preventive influence.
The next step toward liberty from
nervous disorders is to cultivate habit
OF slow breathing. The average woman
draws twenty breaths during minute,
when she should draw but ten or
twelve. A breath drawn slowly will
be full, deep breath, and, combined
with the practice of weigh" and
dropping of contractions, will open the
system to freer action in every way.
After a general application has been
made of these directions, help will be
found by making them more particular
Contract the hand, slowly drawing the
fingers until they are firmly clenched
then slowly relax until the hand il
loose and wholly opened This may
be done also with the toes, the eyes
and the lips. For the purpose of in
creasing your sense of weight, think OF
your arm as very heavy, and, when the
thought has become convincing, lift
the arm slowly and very quietly from
the shoulder, letting it drop as an apple
drops from tree-do not throw i
down. The slow dropping of the head
upon the chest is an exercise which
can be safely practiced if care is taker