Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-12-15
RELAX
FROM
WORK
(By Katherine Morton,

MANY physicians recommend tuniCs III
Tor nervously Frustrated women. Per-
maps you are really in need of one. /
But first try rest and wholesome, re-
Taxed living, aud see If you cannot do
without help from bottle.
Do lou know how to relax? 1t is
very hard TO tell you how. There is
a kuack about it that will come to
you suddenly some day when you are
almost tired of trying TO learn It.
The only way to acquire the knaok
is to keep trying, and await results
patiently.
Practice relaxation of the muscles.
BY the power of suggestion, mental II
rest follows physical. For instance, Il
you are troubled with insomnia, try
this method of going to sleep: Ex-
tend fully in the bed. stretching all
the limbs to their full length, that is,
as far as they will reach without any |
sense of effort. So long as you are |
making an effort to rest or to sleep,
you are defeating your own purpose.
Next, inhale and exhale slowly, peace
fully, ten times. Then, imagine that
you are sinking, that you are letting
yourself fall. without any fear, or
any effort to hold yourself up. Feel
as n you were sinking right down
through the mattress and spring and
the floor Let the whole body go
trunk, and legs, and arms, and hands
and neck. None Of these must brace
themselves. Close the eyes lightly
not with a wrinkliug of the forehead
and a clenching of the eyelids. Feel
yourself dropping, dropping.
Rests in Daytime.
The same principle is to be APP
piled to daytime rests. You must
take few minutes occasionally to
go to a perfectly quiet room and for
get the world. Practice some relax
ling exercises. Take a seat In the
easiest chair You can find. lay your
larms comfortably on the arms OF the
Ichair, then bend the head back slow
Inv. or rather let II fall back, relax
ling every muscle of the neck. Count
three. Gently close the eyes, ana
,count three more, keeping them
closed. Let tho head fall forward
upon the breast. and count In the
same way as before. and always very
slowly.
The little periods TINT you stea
for rest exercise may bo short. ane
so not enough TO allow you a iui
course of nerve gymnastics; but even
FIVE minutes is better than nothing
AT bedtime you may give yourself
three or four times as long.
If YOU have time to take only hv'
deep and restful breaths. take them
lopen a window or step out on YER
anda. Inhaling stimulates; exhalin'
relaxes. Now you can't do either one
without the other. but you can LAY
stress upon whichever you choose
LET the arms fall at the sides. slo"i!
raise them in a circle until the m
ger tins meet over the head breath
ING in until they meet. Let them iai
outward aud downward In u cirei'
much more slowly, eNhaling Tor
longer time than you were inhalins
Hold the breath exhaled as long a
Won can do so with perfect ease. the
repeat, raising the arms and so on
Before retiring you will have IN
ooDortunity to loosen the clothin
and take more extensive exercises
You are IN need Of slow. reSti'
movements instead Of brisk and bra'
I ing ones This. OF course Is on u
/. supposition that you arc In MOI
i or less exhausted condition. some
Won seem always vigorous.
Lave Windows Open.
4 Air the room Thoroughly; leave u
= window entirely or partly open. al
z stand before It. Let the arms nan
4 Iswiug the right arm slowly ou'"a.
& land upward to the right, turning =
g hodv IA the direction Of the arm
novement. Swing Il back 10 'he l'
4 as far as Il will go, turning me Do
& 20 follow It. Continue this We
+ slowly and rhythmically lo' :
wings. Then repeat with the Is
arm .,ho yi
lie fat on your back near the vi y.
laow while inhallng and eAhal, ,
eight times. Let the hands resi- ''s'
ly on the chest while brea'hins'
Rise and swing the arms asa |,
Vlboth together this time Eesp'ns
honds about a foot apart. DO MOI
a.. the fingers 70 DO stin. Ihey n''