to rest and to "primp". (Every woman ought to take some time out in the course of the
day to primp and look pretty. My own guess is that when a woman knows she looks
pretty, she has little use for "nerves".)
- Finally-avoid tension and fatigue. Relax! Relax! Nothing will make you look old sooner
than tension and fatigue. Nothing will work such havoc with your freshness and looks!
My assistant sat for an hour in the Boston Thought Control Class, while Professor Paul
E. Johnson, the director, went over many of the principles we have already discussed in
the previous chapter-the rules for relaxing. At the end of ten minutes of these relaxing
exercises, which my assistant did with the others, she was almost asleep sitting upright
in her chair! Why is such stress laid on this physical relaxing? Because the clinic knows-
as other doctors know-that if you're going to get the worry-kinks out of people, they've
got to relax!
Yes, you, as a housewife, have got to relax! You have one great advantage-you can lie
down whenever you want to, and you can lie on the floor! Strangely enough, a good
hard floor is better to relax on than an inner-spring bed. It gives more resistance. It is
good for the spine.
All right, then, here are some exercises you can do in your home. Try them for a week-
and see what you do for your looks and disposition!
a. Lie flat on the floor whenever you feel tired. Stretch as tall as you can. Roll around if
you want to. Do it twice a day.
- Close your eyes. You might try saying, as Professor Johnson recommended,
something like this: ' 'The sun is shining overhead. The sky is blue and sparkling. Nature
is calm and in control of the world-and I, as nature's child, am in tune with the Universe."
Or-better still-pray!
c. If you cannot lie down, because the roast is in the oven and you can't spare the time,
then you can achieve almost the same effect sitting down in a chair. A hard, upright
chair is the best for relaxing. Sit upright in the chair like a seated Egyptian statue, and let
your hands rest, palms down, on the tops of your thighs.
d. Now, slowly tense the toes-then let them relax. Tense the muscles in your legs-and
let them relax. Do this slowly upward, with all the muscles of your body, until you get to
the neck. Then let your head roll around heavily, as though it were a football. Keep
saying to your muscles (as in the previous chapter): "Let go ... let go ..."
e. Quiet your nerves with slow, steady breathing. Breathe from deep down. The yogis of
India were right: rhythmical breathing is one of the best methods ever discovered for
soothing the nerves.
f. Think of the wrinkles and frowns in your face, and smooth them all out. Loosen up the
worry-creases you feel between your brows, and at the sides of your mouth. Do this
twice a day, and maybe you won't have to go to a beauty parlour to get a massage.
Maybe the lines will disappear from the inside out!
Chapter 26: Four Good Working Habits That Will Help Prevent Fatigue And Worry
Good Working Habit No. 1: Clear Your Desk of All Papers Except Those Relating to the
Immediate Problem at Hand.