Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation Techniques Related Information:

Learning how to relax can often help as part of an effective stress management plan. This type or relaxation does not entail sitting in front of the TV with a pizza and hoping that a little comfort eating and denial will alleviate your stress. This is true relaxation that is designed to work effectively both in a physiological and psychological sense.

The great thing about relaxation exercises is that you can do them on a daily basis, and performing them before you go in to a potentially stressful situation, such as a job interview or exam, could really help. You can also use them to help you wind down after a busy day or to prepare yourself for the day to come.

Deep breathing is an important factor is stress reduction as it helps us to focus and reduces the heart rate. Through deep breathing we can achieve a sense of calmness, which can really help to relieve tensions and stress. Below is a deep breathing exercise that you can use on a daily basis:

  • Sit down in a comfortable position
  • Closing your eyes, try and focus on your breathing and clear your mind
  • Take long, deep breaths, holding in the air as long as you can and then slowly exhaling
  • Start focusing your mind on how relaxed you feel, whilst continuing with the deep breathing
  • Continue to focus on your breathing and on your relaxed mind for a while
  • Stand up when you feel ready, and you can continue with your tasks

Mental relaxation exercises are great for helping us to clear out minds of racing thoughts and feel far more focussed and relaxed. Again, the exercise below is one that can be used daily to help with stress reduction:

  • Sit or lie down in a comfortable position
  • Close your eyes, clear your mind and start to imagine something really relaxing, such as scenery (a beach, a lakeside, a beautiful garden)
  • With your eyes still closed and your breathing still regulated, imagine yourself within this scenery, perhaps lying on the beach or strolling in the garden
  • Try and focus all of your thoughts on really experiencing the place you are in, including sounds, smells and tastes.
  • Let yourself relax in this place, and let the beauty and scenery relax you within your mind
  • When you feel totally calm and relaxed in your special place, you can open your eyes and return to your daily life

Part of relaxing the mind is to relax the body, and muscle relaxation techniques can help to achieve this. Many parts of our body suffer due to the fast pace of everyday life, and tensions can cause havoc with our muscles. This exercise will help to relax the muscles and soothe the mind.

  • Sit or lie in a comfortable position
  • Make sure that you are not wearing restrictive clothing, and uncross your arms and legs
  • Closing your eyes, focus your mind on to your body
  • Clench your toes and feet, and then relax them, making sure that you focus on the tension running out of them as you unclench them
  • Move on to the calves, clenching the muscles to create tension and then relaxing them, whilst letting your mind focus on the tension running out as you unclench them
  • Do the same with the buttocks, keeping them clenched for as long as you can before relaxing them
  • Then move on to the abdomen, the chest, and the arms and shoulders.
  • Next tense your hands and finger by clenching them, and again focus as you unclench them and the tension seeps out
  • Move on to the back, working on the upper back first and then the lower.
  • You can then tense the muscles of the face, still focussing as you relax them again
  • Finally, tense the whole body in one go, hold for as long as possible and then relax.