Relax...Sit back

As I was walking in to the Union here at school, I just so happened to be in the vicinity of the "MindBody Connection" - this relaxation and wellbeing center. They've had this service available to students for quite some time but I had never been, although I'd always wanted to.

What I found, soon after entering the room, was that this place was heaven on earth. A true diamond in the rough.

There are a few stations in which you can utilize to reduce stress:

1. Massage Chair: In my opinion, one of Gods great gifts to earth. And this wasn't one of those cheap ones you find at CVS. This one was incredibly state of the art. I found extreme solace when experiencing the leg and calf massager. Needless to say, I stayed in the chair for about an half an hour

2. Wii: Apparently, students can play Wii on the huge screen from 3-5PM. I was too early to experience this, but I'll definitely be back when the clock hits three (one of these days [if not today])

3. Heart Monitor: According to the guy who was moderating this center, this Heart Monitor specializes in optimizing neurological performance by mapping out patterns in ones heart rate. There's a clip that you put on your ear lobe that connects to the computer via USB and it records the heart rate of the user.

Once the user is plug'd in, so to speak, he is then givin a challenge. There are three categories in which the program places your heart rate: Low, Medium (I think) and High (note: there is a different nomanclature for "High" but I forgot it).

In essence, when the program detects that you are nervous or anxious, you're heart rate pattern is placed in the low. The more relaxed you are (obviously translating in your pulse) the higher your score becomes.

There are a few techniques that I was told to do to reach the "High" level:

A. Focus on your heartbeat
B. Focus on your breathing and try different ways of doing so
C. Think of something or someone you especially appreciate.

My verdict? I think I'll be back to this place. From the chair to the heart monitor, I feel as though, it's extremely effective in disabling the trite, trivial and unresolvable aspects of the day that truly trigger and maintain anxiety and stress. Even now while typing this, I am truly relaxed (although my surrounds are ever so active.

As for my results of the heart monitor? I "passed with flying" colors as the moderator said. He definitely saw that in the very beginning my heart rate suggested that I was nervous (which was very true, for it seemed like a test) but eventually I relaxed, gained and maintained maximum mental efficiency.

So as the terminator would say: "I'll be back."