Simply acknowledging these sound variables rather than evaluating and analyzing is key to a relaxed state of listening. I do like some of the previous allusions in this thread to Buddhist philosophy, lessening desire allows one to see things as they really are, analyzing, comparing, evaluating comes from the wellspring of desire. Relax your mind, let the sound and music flow, you'll be a much happier audiophile.
Members over the course of the past year have alluded to this state of listening which mirrors aspects of meditation - acknowledging and letting go of passing thoughts and observations, staying within the moment and focusing on one thing at a time (breath, music, gardening, exercise, whatever it may be).
One could successfully argue that there's similarities and overlap between these approaches - meditative state vs critical listening. But the key difference which was mentioned is "simply acknowledging these sound variables rather than evaluating and analyzing [which] is key to a relaxed state of listening."
Personally, I've found posts like this of value and somewhat validating; maybe I'm not alone in my approach. So +1 @sns even if I took your statement further into the stands in left field. Listening can be more than just listening for both the audiophile and general listener.
spending too much time listening to music is detrimental to other aspects to life. Find something else for a couple days of the week. I volunteer some time to a local nonprofit. Just being away for a day or so makes you appreciate what you have.
@boxcarman +1: I've experienced this as well and something that I've become very conscious of over the years. Striking a healthy balance with other activities helps promote greater levels of gratitude when relaxing with the audio system. For myself, gardening and landscaping has been my counterbalance.