How to Calm,Relax, and Re-Energize Yourself in Five Minutes

 by KentsOkay
C:\MM II\Documents. Pics & Paper\Transfer\yin and yang.bmp
This is how you can calm, relax, and re-energize yourself through a way of meditating that we'll call Re-Energizing.
 
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Step 1: 1

C:\MM II\Documents. Pics & Paper\Transfer\relax.jpg
Okay, what were going to do here is re-energize. Usually when you meditate, you just sit there with your eyes closed, clear your mind, and try to feel good about paying someone to teach you this. The way I'm going to teach you to re-energize yourself is similar (yeah right, carbon copy) to standard meditating, except we'll provide outside influences and train our minds to associate re-energizing with pleasure.

How we going to do this?

When you stick your arm into a fire ant mound (don't have fire ants?, give me your address, I'm moving in), your body feels pain, and if your like most people, you'll associate fire ants with pain and suffering for the rest of your life.
On the positive side, the way you clicker train animals is by rewarding them and clicking the clicker. This way they learn that the sound of clicking is good. That is what we are going to try to do, clicker train our minds with music.
"Update" There have been many interesting comments posted explaining what's going on, I recommend that you read them.
Pfarmkid says: Aug 28, 2012. 3:58 PM
Hmmm...Fire ants. yeah not sticking my hand in it. I know a few people who have been eaten alive after falling in them after wrecking tractors, what a slow painful painful death
LauraThompson says: Jul 31, 2012. 7:02 AM
I'll certainly try this. What is "endorophans"?
Zem says: Jun 11, 2010. 7:43 PM
I've actually been doing this for awhile without meaning too XD Whenever I listen to Pendulum's songs from Hold Your Colour I zone out and start bobbing to the beat. Thanks for a way to concentrate it a bit more!
bobo_the_clown says: Jun 23, 2008. 10:17 AM
Fire ants... Texas?
KentsOkay (author) in reply to bobo_the_clownJun 23, 2008. 12:05 PM
Yah we've got some of 'em here....
bobo_the_clown in reply to KentsOkayJun 28, 2008. 4:25 PM
I live in Austin.
8bit in reply to bobo_the_clownDec 30, 2008. 1:57 PM
And you say you live somewhere around here that doesn't have 'em?
jetsmiley123 in reply to 8bitAug 28, 2009. 10:14 PM
I live in Illinois, no traces of fire ants, thank god! i grew up in Texas, when i was 5, i sat right in a fire ant hill, and yes, i was completely covered in fire ants, YAY!!
caterpillar-y says: Mar 25, 2008. 3:41 AM
not bad)
I'll probably try this exercise, cuse it's simple and quick. but there's nothing more relaxing than nature.
I usually watch some nature vids, relaxwithnature.com, or listen to the nature sounds on cd and then use breath exercises. This is really rejuvenating, but it does take time.
KentsOkay (author) in reply to caterpillar-yMar 25, 2008. 10:03 AM
*shrugs* I've always found pretty females more relaxing but I'm sure flora scenes are just as relaxing...
bowmaster says: Feb 22, 2008. 8:43 PM
I am a ninja and this SUCKS DONKEY BALLS
KentsOkay (author) in reply to bowmasterFeb 23, 2008. 8:26 AM
I am a ninja Smooth man, revealing your identity to the world.
this SUCKS DONKEY BALLS WTF is that supposed to mean?

I can't tell which is more hilarious, your claims of being a ninja, or your random use of words.
bowmaster in reply to KentsOkayFeb 23, 2008. 10:47 AM
I would prepare my last will if I was you.
KentsOkay (author) in reply to bowmasterFeb 23, 2008. 3:11 PM
*sarcasm in voice* Oh please great Spaghedeity save me from this terror! Seriously man, I have felt more threatened by earthworms.
w00ty32 says: Dec 3, 2007. 3:50 PM
Have you actually stuck your hand in a fire ant mound?!?!?!?!? im sorry, but how old were you when you di it? oh, and omaha has no fire ants. at least, not enough to notice. oh, and ill have to try this.
KentsOkay (author) in reply to w00ty32Dec 4, 2007. 5:17 AM
Only time on purpose was at age 7.
w00ty32 in reply to KentsOkayDec 4, 2007. 12:09 PM
ok, good, cuz i was imagining A 20-sumthin guy finding some huge mound, the shove his arm in it. that would be kinda sad.... but i can see like tripping and putting you hand on one as you fall to stop yourself
littlesamurai says: Apr 26, 2007. 4:10 PM
thios is really cool, kinda like whenever i hear "bring me to life" which was me and my ex girlfriends song, makes me happy and relaxed because i was like taht with her. but also unhappy because she dumped me and it took a long while to get over her, sorry ranting a bit
Nabil in reply to littlesamuraiNov 16, 2007. 7:45 PM
for things like that I keep the song I like for myself... Sharing them is tempting, but dangerous...
master-of-chaos says: Aug 6, 2007. 2:48 PM
personally, i find Dropkick Murphy's re-energizing oh well
KentsOkay (author) in reply to master-of-chaosOct 7, 2007. 3:51 PM
Well duh you are the master-of-chaos lol
master-of-chaos in reply to KentsOkayOct 8, 2007. 3:33 PM
good point
lemonie says: Apr 26, 2007. 2:04 PM
Nice different Instructable. I find that loud and agressive music can also be energising... However, do try The Orb's Little Fluffy Clouds. It would help to explain how this works in a bit more detail, in simple terms this would be (temporarily) banishing stresses, concerns etc? W/ref conditioned behaviour (clicker training) - is this part of the method, i.e. do you condition yourself to re-energise in association with e.g. chocolate or Enya? (And for one of the most commonly mis-spelled words, it's 'necessary'.) L
gnanmorder in reply to lemonieJul 21, 2007. 7:54 PM
I've got one that energises me but annoys everyone else, called numby tumby. It comes within 2 DB of the brown note and very close to a dog whistle, alternating tones in stereo.
gnanmorder in reply to gnanmorderJul 21, 2007. 10:13 PM
Sorry about my first comment I was half asleep. It's Hz not DB. I'll post the file when i can find a decent fileserver.
Punkguyta in reply to gnanmorderJul 25, 2007. 7:41 PM
linky!!!!
lemonie in reply to gnanmorderJul 21, 2007. 8:00 PM
Can you post that or a link to it, as I'd be interested to hear it. L
KentsOkay (author) in reply to lemonieApr 26, 2007. 3:36 PM
Kinda both really. I just don't have a large enough database to be able to determine the exact effects of this activity. I only have the results from one person, myself.
WayneBuckhanan says: May 1, 2007. 5:07 PM
This technique is called anchoring in NLP. You are associating an internal state with an external stimulus. Any one of the five modalities (visual, auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, gustatory) can be used individually much as Vendigroth suggested (kinesthetic sensation of thumb and finger). The more stimuli you use to trigger your anchor the more likely it is that you'll get your desired state back. I'm impressed. You have auditory (MP3), visual (bouncing ball), kinesthetic (sitting in the same comfy chair), plus olfactory/gustatory (the smell and taste of your drink). You could more explicitly separate creating your desired state with re-accessing that state, then you wouldn't need the chair/music/drink to relax (unless you wanted to use them). PM if you want more info.
KentsOkay (author) in reply to WayneBuckhananMay 2, 2007. 6:15 AM
Boy am I glad I didn't enter a knex gun. I never realized there was so much to what I thought was so simple. Thanks for the info. rocketscientist2015
Vendigroth says: Apr 29, 2007. 2:02 PM
this works by training the mind to associate a stimulus with an effect, like the clicker thing you mentioned.
If you do it the long way as documented in the instructable, you train your mind to associate the feeling of being relaxed with the music, then, the next time you hear the music *Click* here comes the happy feeling. Instead of using the music as the trigger, why not get to the happy state and press your thumb and middle finger together on your right hand. If you get it right, you'll use that as your trigger.
A lot more portable, i think ;)
KentsOkay (author) in reply to VendigrothApr 29, 2007. 2:34 PM
Hmm, good idea, I'll give it a try.
T3h_Muffinator says: Apr 26, 2007. 3:51 PM
Hooray! Post a link in the "kill yourself via lack of sleep" thread, and post a link to the thread on here!
Robotrix says: Apr 26, 2007. 12:28 PM
As long as the end goal is achieved placebos are better! Which would you rather: sugar pills that trick you into feeling better, or altering your body chemistry with side effects? Obviously, most problems can't be solved with placebos, but if they work then they are the best solution, imo.
LarrySDonald says: Apr 26, 2007. 11:05 AM
It isn't a bad idea. I've used this from time to time with other things. I stumbled on this effect as a child when I once woke up before my alarm went off and decided to read for a while before heading off to school. When the alarm went off, I instantly felt extremely tired (it had a very distinctive sound). My brain had an ingrained association between this sound and the feeling of being tired, as it ought since that's when it always sounds - when I'm tired. I tried linking other sounds to other emotions, playing short sniplets or looking at symbols consistently when happy or energetic and avoiding them otherwise, "loading" them over time with that emotion. It does erode though, as you are essentially "borrowing" energy/joy from another source - the brain will at a similar pace disassociate the symbol and emotion after reenforcement stops. It can act as a handy "buffer" though.
dorxincandeland says: Apr 26, 2007. 9:16 AM
I find that taking a poo works really well too.
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