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Taoism pursues a spiritual state of emptiness, stillness, and non-action. Therefore, in terms of health preservation, Taoism also attaches great importance to the role of psychology.
Laozi wrote in Tao Te Ching: "Can you concentrate your vital energy to achieve gentleness, like an infant?" This means that in the process of specially mobilizing essence and energy, the body should be soft and gentle, as completely relaxed as an infant. This is a requirement for psychological adjustment. Then, Laozi further pointed out: "When the gates of heaven open and close, can you be as yielding as a female? When you understand all things thoroughly, can you appear ignorant?" This aims to explain that the opening and closing of the sense organs should be as soft and calm as a female; even though the heart knows everything, it should seem to know nothing. This is also a regulation of the psychological state.
Taoism holds that "the unity of mind and body, and concentrating vital energy to achieve gentleness" is a basic psychological state for health preservation. This state requires the body to always pay attention to relaxation and arrange work and rest reasonably.
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A relaxed psychological state is extremely important for health preservation. When the body's muscles are in a relaxed state, the meridians are not easily compressed by the muscles, thus maintaining a relatively unobstructed state. The resistance to the operation of essence and energy is small, the operation of essence and energy will be active, vitality will be vigorous, and people will be healthy and long-lived.
However, modern society is a society of high competition, high rhythm, and high pressure, which invisibly increases people's physical and mental burdens. According to many patients in psychological clinics, they often feel stressed and their minds are "stretched tight" all day, unable to relax. Psychological experts say that patients' pressure mostly comes from their inner selves, such as when their expectations of themselves exceed their own abilities, leading to being overwhelmed. If people are in a state of dual internal and external pressure for a long time, they often show a series of psychological symptoms, such as being unable to relax mentally, irritability, and poor tolerance, which eventually lead to various psychological disorders and affect physical and mental health.
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Therefore, once there is psychological pressure, one should, as Laozi said, "concentrate vital energy to achieve gentleness, like an infant?" Try to make one's body and mind in a completely relaxed state. The specific methods can be referred to as follows:
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Music relaxation
It plays a soothing role through the vibration of sound waves. At the same time, music is like a chemical catalyst, which can change the body's endocrine and make the psychology and physiology completely relaxed. However, when listening to music, one should also make a choice. When excited and restless, it is advisable to listen to quiet music; when depressed and sorrowful, listen to some cheerful music; when feeling depressed, it is advisable to listen to passionate music; when nervous, listen to classical music with a relaxed, smooth, and beautiful melody. Moreover, when listening to music for relaxation, one should try to avoid external interference and maintain continuous appreciation. -
Changing the concept of cognition
Give positive or neutral explanations to things. When feeling pressure, cognition can give it a positive or neutral interpretation, either regarding it as good news or as something irrelevant to oneself. Whether something constitutes pressure mainly depends on inner feelings. Therefore, one should resolve pressure from the depths of the heart, adjust expectations, downplay the relationship between interests, and be easily satisfied. -
Facing reality and doing what one can
Proceed from one's actual work situation, set one's work goals, and not be overambitious, unrealistic, always looking at the next better thing, or eager for quick success. -
Adjusting the comparison object
It is advisable to compare downward. Social competition is fierce, and psychological pressure is great. In terms of life, treatment, and status, it is advisable to compare with people who are worse off than oneself. In this way, it is easy to balance the psychology and obtain a relative sense of satisfaction. On the contrary, the psychology is prone to imbalance and a sense of relative deprivation. -
Separating work and rest
Do a good job in the transition between work and rest, separate work time and rest time. Don't think about work on weekends or before going to bed. Take a good rest when it's time to rest. -
Being open-minded and self-relieving
In life, when encountering unsatisfactory things, don't brood over them or get angry easily. Instead, treat others kindly and be magnanimous. When frustrated, don't be at a loss, but learn to relieve yourself. -
Balancing work and rest, and maintaining moderation in tension and relaxation
In addition to intense work, properly participate in some cultural and sports activities, such as listening to music, watching TV, dancing, practicing yoga, qigong, tai chi, etc., which can effectively eliminate work fatigue and relieve pressure.
