Relaxation Techniques

You may not notice it, but everyday stress—no matter how little—can be taking its toll on your body. Whether it’s minor things like the occasional zit or serious emotional breakdowns, there’s no denying that everyone feels the pressures of modern life. That’s why it’s important to unwind once in a while. It’s surprising; however, that many people don’t know how to relax, at least not the right way.

So how do you relax, exactly? Simple things like spending time alone or visiting your favorite park can help, but it doesn’t work for everyone, and the effects are usually temporary. For long-term stress relief, doctors have come up with several relaxation techniques that can help you unwind in a healthy, systematic manner. Here are a few things you can try.

Autogenic relaxation

Autogenic means it originates from inside your body; autogenic relaxation means loosening up from within. You do this by feeling and visualizing parts of your body while in a prescribed position, such as sitting or lying down. You also repeat words or observations to yourself, such as “my hands are relaxed” or “My breathing is regular.” This is done in a trance-like state, which you can induce by counting to ten and exit by counting in reverse. Each session lasts 15 minutes and is done about three times a day.

This method works by balancing the flight-or-fight (sympathetic) and rest-and-digest (parasympathetic) parts of your nervous system. It relieves problems like indigestion, heart palpitations, and breathing problems, which occur when stress throws the two parts out of sync.

Progressive muscle relaxation

This is a more physical form of relaxation, focusing on your muscles instead of your nerves. It is done by alternately tensing and loosening each muscle group for 10 to 15 seconds each. You should focus on the feel of your muscles and the gradual shift from tension to relaxation. You can go through all the muscle groups in one session or skip the parts that don’t feel tired. Do this once a day; as you get used to the rhythm, you will learn to control your own impulses and loosen up whenever you feel physically tense.

Progressive relaxation works well on people with ulcers, insomnia, and high blood pressure. The reasons are unclear, but doctors believe that the process helps regulate your involuntary muscles. This means that involuntary movements such as digestion, heartbeat, and tension are kept in harmony, restoring bodily functions to their normal, unstressed state.

Biofeedback

Biofeedback involves monitoring vital functions such as pulse, blood pressure, and sweating, and constantly feeding the numbers back to you. This makes you more aware of how your body works, so you can control the processes that used to be involuntary. For example, if you notice that your heart rate rises when you’re overworked, you can restore your normal pulse by easing off the load. There’s a separate instrument to measure each function, so it’s not advisable to do a full-body biofeedback. Your doctor will usually identify problem areas and have you monitor them.

This is more a form of alternative medicine than a relaxation technique. However, for many people, a kind of mental relaxation results from knowing what’s going on with their bodies and that they can control it. Biofeedback is especially effective when stress is causing physical discomforts such as migraines, asthma and muscle twitching.

Meditation

This age-old technique works by putting you in a higher state of consciousness, making you more aware of your surroundings. There are many forms of meditation; the one we’re most familiar with is the yogic kind, which is usually accompanied by controlled breathing and a number of relaxing positions. In meditation, you focus on a single object and enter a sort of trance, where you are conscious of your mind and body and are thus able to control them.

In the West, stress meditation is almost always part of a yoga session. This works well because you are relaxing both your mind and body. This is ideal for people whose stress is aggravated by poor physical fitness, or vice versa. As you get the hang of meditation, it gets easier for you to achieve that relaxed state and control your how you react to stress.