The issue is simple: You're overwhelmed every day, and the stress is reaching into every little corner of your life. Take charge of it and regain some inner peace by following these four steps toward reaching a state of complete relaxation.

The benefits of relaxation are widely documented, but they beg repeating nonetheless. Relaxation can lower stress levels throughout your body, especially in your heart and your mind, leading to better overall health, more energy and a better ability to concentrate and to cope with emotional issues.

As a species, we don't relax nearly enough. And when we do, it's often plagued with external problems. To that end, the following four-step plan is a versatile one that can be applied at home, at work or almost anywhere you might find yourself.

Keep this in mind: The ability to relax is a learned skill. It requires practice and patience.

step 1
Commit to relaxation
The first of the four steps to complete relaxation is probably the most important. Set aside 20 to 30 minutes with a single, specific purpose in mind: to relax. Once you've done it and felt the benefits, this commitment becomes easier and easier to make.

You might feel a tendency toward cutting this relaxation time short, and while this is expected early on, ask yourself: Where's the purpose in that? This exercise relates directly to your personal health and happiness -- something you should never cut short.

So, whether you're in the office, on the bus or at home, get yourself into a comfortable position. Naturally, you have more liberty at home to loosen any tight-fitting clothing and be more comfortable, but the demands in life don't always allow for this. Thus, cater your position to the locale and really let yourself go for that period of time. It doesn't take long; it just takes commitment and the desire to better yourself and your life.

step 2
Mental focus
Now that you've made a commitment for those 20 to 30 minutes and are in a relaxed position, you're going to start to wind down your mind and whittle away all the bullsh*t you've dealt with by using an object, a sound or an appropriate mental image to focus on. In short, you're going to meditate, or more specifically, engage in "concentration meditation," common to myriad forms of spiritual insight.

The point of focus should be something soothing and personal -- such as a ring, a sound or a hum (think of the pranava mantra in Hindu, "Aum," which is a sacred syllable meaning in literal terms, "yes") or a mental picture of yourself last summer on the beach in Mexico. Sustain that attention on your point of focus for at least three minutes.

Now, other things are bound to enter your mind; when you realize other thoughts are popping up, don't sweat it or get frustrated -- simply dismiss them and return to the point of focus.

step 3
Deep breathing
Having corralled any manic thoughts or feelings and having set your mind at ease, turn your attention and concentration to your breathing. Deep breathing exercises are ubiquitous in virtually every relaxation method, and for good reason: Stress causes us to take shorter and quicker breaths, reducing the flow of oxygen to the brain and body, and tightening up your entire torso. Deep breathing gives it all back to you.

Maintain a slow, measured rate by counting for five seconds as you inhale through your nose. When exhaling, do it slowly and thoroughly, again counting through five seconds. Consolidate all your attention on the in-and-out movement of your chest and abdomen. If necessary, keep one hand on your stomach just below your rib cage to feel the movement and rhythm of your breath.

Keep your focus converged on deep breathing for three to five minutes.

step 4
Muscle relaxation
The last step is the longest. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) involves tensing up a group of muscles until they're tightly contracted, then releasing them. You'll move from group to group across your body like you're mowing the lawn, holding each for 10 seconds before releasing.

If necessary, you can begin with your fists -- perhaps flexing them is more familiar to you than flexing the muscles in your face, or your toes. However, if you start with your fists, move in a sensible direction. Next, flex your arms; then your shoulders and back; then move to your neck, jaw and eyes. Then skip to your abdomen, then groin (think of the Kegel exercises here) before moving through your quads, calves and feet.

Throughout these muscle tenses and releases, be sure to maintain that deep, controlled breathing -- it's essential. By the time you reach the final muscle group (in whichever order you go), you should achieve an astounding level of relaxation. And, as mentioned in the introduction, this is a learned skill. The more you do it, the better you'll get -- and the healthier and happier you'll be.

问题很简单：你每天都感到不知所措，压抑充斥在你生活的任何一个小角落。通过以下4个步骤克服这些压抑并且索回一些心里空间，达到完全放松的状态。

放松的益处已被广泛的证明，尽管如此，仍然需要反复实践。放松可以将压力驱逐出你的体外，尤其是你的心理压力和思想压力，彻底恢复健康，充满活力并且能够集中精力去处理一些情感事务。

例如，我们没有足够放松。当我们放松时，总是被一些客观的事情所打断。解决这个问题，以下4个步骤行之有效，无论你是在家里，还是工作中，甚至是任何一个地方。

要这样想：放松的能力是一种学习技巧。它需要实践和耐心。

第一步

做放松的承诺

彻底放松4步骤的第一步是最重要的。独处20-30分钟，大脑里要有一个明确的目的：放松。一旦你这样做了并且感到有效的时候，这种强迫性的承诺就会越来越容易做到。

正当这中方法正像预期的那样生效时你可能会感到这种放松时间会有越来越短的趋势，自问，这样做的目的在哪？这中练习直接关系到你的健康和身心愉悦-----你不应该缩短这个练习时间。

因此，无论你是在办公室，在公交车上还是在家里，让自己处在一个舒适的位置。自然，在家里你可以相对自由地换掉紧身的衣裤，会更加舒适一点，但是生活要求有时候并不允许这样。因此，要找到合适的时间和场所。不会花费很长的时间，它仅仅需要你做一下承诺来改善一下你的身体和生活。

第二步

精力集中

现在你已经为20-30分钟的放松时间做了承诺并且已经处于放松位置，现在要精神放松下来，把所有的你用过的物品，听到的声音或者看到的画面都缩小成一个焦点。简言之，就是你在冥想沉思，或者更明确地说：陷入高度沉思状态，就像招了魂一样。

这个注意力集中点可以是抽象的和具体的，像一枚戒指，一声嗡响或者是脑海里你去年在墨西哥海滩上的一个画面。你注意的焦点要持续至少3分钟.

第三步

深呼吸

把所有狂热的想法和感觉都收起来，让思想放松，把注意力和焦点转移到你的呼吸上来。深呼吸运动普遍存在于任何一个放松方法，最好的理由是：压力和紧张导致我们的呼吸越来越短促，降低了氧在血液体内的流动，紧绷了你的整个躯体。深呼吸改变了你的这种状况。

通过数5秒钟的时间过程来吸气保持一种慢速的有节奏的呼吸速度。呼气时，也要通过5秒钟慢慢的彻底的把气呼出体外。把你所有的注意力都集中到胸和腹部的这个呼吸动作上来。如果需要，你可一将一只手放在你的胸廓以下感受整个呼吸运动的节奏。

让你的注意力集中到深呼吸运动中3-5分钟的时间。

第四步

肌肉放松

最后一个步骤是时间最长的。连续的肌肉放松包括拉紧一组肌肉是他们处于收缩状态，然后放松。你要让你的身体肌肉一组一组的进行，就像你在收割草坪，每10分钟放松一次。

如果必要，你可以先伸缩你的拳头，可能与你的脸部肌肉或者鼻子相比，你更熟悉拳头的关节。但是，如果你从拳头开始，你要有一个明确的顺序来运动，接着，伸缩你的胳膊，然后是你的肩部和背部，接着要转动你的脖子，颌骨和眼睛，然后越过腹部，运动你的腹股沟，小腿和双脚。

做这些肌肉组织的拉紧和收缩的时候，要保持和控制深呼吸---这是基本的。当你完成最后肌肉组放松的时候（无论你以何种顺序），你的放松水平已经达到了令人惊愕的程度。就像前面介绍时说的那样：这是一种学习技巧。做得越多，你的放松状态也就越好---你就会身体越健康，心情越愉悦。