You're working on a project, totally concentrated and someone walks in and says, without provocation, "You need to relax". You look up from your feverish typing and wonder, "What are they talking about? I am relaxed." Or, you're making an impassioned comment about a news report or incident you are witnessing on the television and your spouse or partner or even teenager says, "Honey/Mom, you need to chill out. Breathe why don't you!" And you look perplexed, because last time you checked, you were relaxed, not tense at all, or were you really? Many of us find ourselves so tense, so wound up, we're not even aware of the picture we paint from the outside looking in. To you , you are calm cool and collected, to the world you represent a bundle of pinched nerves, frayed and ready to pop like an over blown balloon or too wound up rubber band. Here are a couple exercises for you to use to unwind, to chill out, to just relax....

• Sit quietly for five minutes, with your eyes closed. Allow no thoughts to enter your mind. You'll find five minutes is a long time to do absolutely nothing. Do not meditate. Simply sit quietly with no thoughts. Silence the chatter of your mind. Now, listen for the furthest sound you can hear. If outside, try and hear the sounds from several blocks away. If in an office, try and hear the sounds from the office furthest away from yours. Once you can isolate that sound, then listen for sounds around you. If outdoors, listen for the song of the bird, the lawnmower across the street. If in an office, listen for the sounds of your co-workers in the cubicle or office next to yours. Once you isolate those sounds, now listen for the sounds with-in you; the flow of your blood coursing through your veins. The sound of your heart beating with-in you, the sound of your own breathing. While doing all of this concentrated listening, remember to breathe deeply, in through the nose and out through the mouth. This exercise will take no more than fifteen minutes, but will refresh you for days to come. You will feel truly "relaxed".

• Give yourself a great big hug. I'm serious. When was the last time you hugged you? Think about it. Most of us, when we give or get a hug, have our butts stuck out two feet behind us, afraid to get too close for fear of breaking the "too close" rule. We superficially pat each other on the back. That's no real hug. I'm talking about hugging yourself like grandma would have and did. Stand in a mirror so that you can witness the joy and happiness on your face when you hug yourself. Linger in that hug. Embrace yourself as you would your child or most cherished love one. You can't walk away from this exercise without being relaxed.

Please enjoy this next installment of The ORACLE Presents Ten Pages of Nothing But The Truth, VOL I, Truth #8 RELAX

Relax into the G-d with-in, into and

with your inner core and with those you consider

family and friends. It could have been done in one

day, but even G-d took seven.

Take the time to rest, to recline, to address each

situation with calm. Yeah right! However the

energy, good or evil, heightened or laid back, your

approach dictates the outcome. Relax into a

comfort with your choices and then forget about it.

Every morning you wake up and every night before

you  lay it down, you can’t take back or do over

what just happened. So just relax in the moments

of life and breathe.