Relax the mindTake slow, deep breaths. Or try other breathing exercises to relax. Take a warm bath, listen to soothing music, practice mindful meditation. The aim of mindfulness meditation is to focus your attention on the things that are happening right now in the present moment.
There are many benefits to keeping your brain and body relaxed. Relaxation balances out the negative mental and physical effects of stress that we all experience every day. Stress may be a universal part of life, but that doesn’t mean you should let it get you down. Take charge and control your stress by learning to relax.
This is one of the easiest ways to reduce stress because you simply focus on your breathing. Exploring relaxation can help you take care of yourself when you feel stressed or anxious. Relaxation may not make the stress or worry go away. But it can give you a mental break from those feelings and help you refocus.
In a progressive muscle relaxation method, you start by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes and then gradually work your way up to your neck and head. You can also start with the head and neck and work your way up to the toes. Tense your muscles for about five seconds and then relax for 30 seconds and repeat. With this relaxation technique, you can make mental images to take a visual journey to a peaceful, calming place or situation.
Try to involve as many senses as possible, such as smell, sight, hearing and touch. For example, if you imagine relaxing by the sea, think of the smell of salt water, the sound of the crashing waves and the warmth of the sun on your body. Mental and emotional stress can be caused by pessimism, Type A traits and other self-sabotaging thought patterns. Learn how to change the way you look at things.
This will help you when you are stressed. Creative visualisation is a mindfulness exercise developed by Shakti Gawain in her book Creative Visualization. In this technique, you mentally imagine what you want to happen in your life or how you want to feel. Stress serves an important purpose: it enables us to react quickly to threats and avoid danger.
However, prolonged stress can lead to psychological problems (e.g. anxiety and depression) or an increase in physical problems. A large body of research suggests that increased stress levels impair the ability to cope with physical illness. No one can avoid all stress, but you can work to manage it in a healthy way to increase your recovery potential. Deep breathing is a simple but effective relaxation technique that focuses on full, cleansing breaths.
By looking at your situation differently, you may be able to put it in a different perspective that causes you less stress. This holiday season alone, millions of people will turn to HelpGuide for free mental health advice and support. Guided imagery can help you reinforce a positive image of yourself, but it can be difficult for those who have intrusive thoughts or who find it hard to conjure up mental images. Biofeedback helps in learning stress reduction skills by providing information about muscle tension, heart rate and other vital signs while the person is trying to relax.
Using hand techniques such as Jin Shin Jyutsu, the Soothing Hand and reflexology can promote relaxation to combat the effects of stress. They are easy to learn, can be practiced almost anywhere and offer a quick way to lower stress levels. Life is stressful, and sometimes stress can overwhelm you, but there are steps you can take to learn to relax. The physical aspects of these exercises provide a mental focus that can distract you from racing thoughts.
With this technique, you call to mind calming scenes, places or experiences that help you relax and focus. Stress from work, family, social obligations and even exercise will exhaust you over time if you don’t take time to relax. Smith, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Roosevelt University, founding director of the university’s Mindfulness Initiative and author of numerous books on relaxation practices.
