Brief
Relaxation Techniques
Relaxation techniques are a direct and effective method to prevent
the negative effects of stress on our health. It can reduce tension
and arousal, replenish our body and increase energy.
You can do these techniques almost anywhere and anytime. They are
simple and take about ONE minute of your time. But they can make a
GREAT difference in how you handle stress. Try them!
Deep
Breathing
Close your mouth. Breathe in slowly and as far as you can through
your nose, without straining yourself. Breathe out slowly and as
far as you can, through your mouth, similarly without straining
yourself. Do this for one minute and stop and breathe normally.
When you breathe, breathe in from your stomach and not from your
chest.
Fingers,
Shoulders, Jaw Relax!
Sit comfortably. Take in a deep breath through your nose and hold
it for as long as you can. When you cannot hold your breath any
longer, let it all the way out, and breathe normally. As you
breathe out, focus on: Fingers loose, shoulders dropping or
sagging, and jaw hanging slack with teeth slightly apart. Just
remember: "Fingers, shoulders, jaw" as you breathe in and breathe
out and focus lightly on relaxing these 3 usually highly tensed
areas.
Muscle Tension
and Release
Tensing your muscles and then releasing them provides great
relaxation. Tense your muscles one area at a time. Starting with
your toes, take a deep breath and hold it as you curl your toes
downwards away from you for about 4 or 5 seconds, then let go all
at once. Do not ease off - let go all at once! Feel the tension
leave your body
.aaaah! Next tense your other muscle areas as
stated below:
· your thighs by squeezing the muscles in your thighs all the way
down to your knees,
· your buttocks by tightening them,
· your hands by clenching them into fists,
· your arms by drawing your forearms up toward your shoulders and
'making a muscle' with both arms,
· your jaws by opening your mouth so widely that you stretch the
muscles around the hinges of your jaw, and
· your eyes by closing your eyelids tightly shut..
Focused
Breathing
Focusing on body processes can help calm mental activity, which in
turn can result in physical relaxation. With your eyes closed,
shift your attention to the tip of your nose. As you breathe in,
become aware of the air entering your nostrils. As you breathe out,
be aware of the sensations of air passing back out. Do this several
times and continue to focus your awareness on air coming in to and
air going out from your nostrils.
Mini Mind
Vacation
We can all picture a place where we are totally relaxed. With your
eyes closed, take a moment to visualise an ideal place to relax.
You can make it any place, real or imagined. Use all of your senses
to experience this mini vacation in your mind. For example, see
yourself in comfortable clothes and feeling comfortable, hear
pleasant sounds, see beautiful scenery and colours
.aaaah
you feel
so relaxed! Take a mini-vacation at this ideal relaxation place of
yours for 15 seconds or so whenever you need to relax.
