I think the seductive appeal of self-help, religion, therapy, etc. is to find the Holy Grail: a panacea for life. A panacea is defined as A remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all.

Oftentimes I get excited by a new life-change idea, and 99 times out of 100 I have to remind myself, "Phil, such-and-such system is not a panacea!"

But I think relaxation is. Because 99% of the problems in your life can be aided with more relaxation.

Relaxation's opposite in anxiety, which is a fight-or-flight response. When you're in fight-or-flight, you're mind is focused. When you're focused, you're willfully blind to everything else. This then, becomes a good way to miss the real problems and solutions.

Often when I query my intuition or God about what I should be doing, the response is 9 times out of 10, "relax." If I follow the imperative and calm down, I'll find myself led automatically to a better way.

I think this is largely why Buddhist practices like meditation have endured for so many millennia. Because they work!

Check out this book. It has a 5-Star rating from Amazon. Frequently cited as the best introduction to meditation: