Physician, Heal Thyself
Author: Leigh Melander

Through words, through music, and pretty much any tool I can conjure up, I try to incite people to reach towards what they want in their lives, inviting them to relax into their own dreams and happiness. And I try to do that in my own life as well, both because I want to live that way and because I believe in the power of teaching by example.

When I was invited to join this rich online community and write an article on stress and relaxation, I was delighted. Here was a phenomenal opportunity to reach a whole new audience and spread the word about living a creative, nurturing life.

Excited, I sat down in front of my computer to write this first article, ready to pour forth exquisitely shaped pearls of wisdom. I wanted each to be more superbly resonant than the last; each inflamed with the power to enrich people’s lives so they would be inspired to change themselves and the world around them.

And I sat. Staring at the cursor on my computer, with not a single pearl floating to the surface. And then it hit me. Stress. That big bugaboo that I’ve spent the last several years talking to people about. That tug in my gut. You know the one. Get it done. Be brilliant. Be fast. Be perfect. Be efficient. And then your brain shuts down.

The irony of this wasn’t lost on me. So much for teaching by example.

I sat for a while longer, caught in the "I can’t" spin of stress, until the antics of my two dogs forced me to pay attention to them. Begrudgingly, (I had important things to do, and I didn’t really have the time to walk them) I got up and took them down the path along the river behind my house, sitting on the bank as they leapt into the water and chased each other like idiots.

As I watched them, the tension began to flow out of my shoulders and I
realized that they had provided me the answer. They weren’t worried about deadlines or impressing people. They were merely playing. Joyful and exuberant, they dared me to sit slumped in my dark cloud.

Of course, I couldn’t do it. I splashed my way into the river with them, tossing a stick for them until all three of us were exhausted. Wet and happy, we wandered home and I sat down at my computer again.

And for the moment, anyway, I’ve healed myself. As I reflect upon this, I remember several things that I know about stress.

First, it is insidious. Stress is a sneaky little guy. Just when we think we’ve got it licked, it rears its nasty little spiky head and bites us again. It takes an ongoing commitment to not let it get the upper hand in our lives, no matter how much we think we’ve got it figured out. We must learn by remembering.

Second, much of the stress in our lives is self-inflicted, at least to some degree, by our own expectations. Writing an article about a subject I’m fascinated by shouldn’t be onerous, and yet I quickly made it so. I got caught in the need to be brilliant beyond all others’ expectations.

Which brings me to the third, and most important lesson that my dogs taught me. It’s not about being perfect, but about being joyful. They incited me to be playful in the way that I hope to incite others. When we are playing, there is no room in our hearts or heads to be stressed.

May your day be exceedingly joyful today.

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I welcome your questions, comments and ideas about how you bring relaxation into your life. Please feel free to email me at relaxlyra@aol.com.








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Leigh Melander is a performing artist, writer and the creator of the multi-media Lyra System of Relaxation? The Lyra System of Relaxation?an intriguing, new multi-media system designed to give users the tools to creatively infuse their lives with relaxation. She is doing doctoral work in mythology and psychology and appears around the country performing on the harp and doing relaxation workshops.

You can buy the Lyra System of Relaxation here at http://relaxlyra.com

The Lyra System of Relaxation?is a unique combination of enchanting harp music, a magnificently mesmerizing video, a book that will provoke both new ways of thinking and laughter, and a playbook that gives you permission to steal your kid’s crayons and draw pictures while you yodel at the top of your lungs.

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