Relaxation Exercises
From WikiBody - The Owner's Manual For Your Body
Hectic schedules, interpersonal conflicts, and impending deadlines all conspire to stress us out. While stress is a normal reaction to the pressures of modern life, it is not necessarily healthy. Chronic stress often results in an array of physical and mental ailments including cardiovascular disease, weight gain, high blood pressure, headaches, depression, and anxiety.
Fortunately, there are relaxation techniques you can use to reduce your aggrivation and increase you calm. The three types of relaxation exercises covered in this article are: autogenic relaxation, progressive muscle relaxation, and visualization.
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[edit] Autogenic Relaxation
Autogenic relaxation is an excellent way to shift your focus away from a stress producing situation. When you feel your anxiety level rising, repeating a single positive word or phrase in your mind while taking slow, controlled breaths, will slow your heart rate, lower your blood pressure, and make you feel less homicidal next time someone cuts you off in traffic.
Take a moment to prepare a phrase like, "my mind is calm and alert," and use it next time you are stuck in traffic or getting yelled at by your regional manager.
[edit] Progressive Muscle Relaxation
It's hard to be stressed out when your muscles are relaxed. That why progressive muscle relaxation prescribes relieving tension one muscle group at a time.
Because the end goal of this technique is to fully relax all of your muscles, it is often best to lay down when engaging in it. Once you are comfortable, start by tensing your toes and the muscles in your feet for 5 to 30 seconds, and then relax them. Then tense you calf muscles, and relax them.
Work you way up the rest of your body, tensing and relaxing each muscle group. By the time you reach the muscles in your face and head, you will feel more serene and ready to face the challenges that lie ahead.
Progressive muscle relaxation is an especially useful technique for falling asleep when stressful thoughts are keeping you awake.
[edit] Visualization
This is the classic method of "going to your happy place." During visualization, you imagine a peaceful scene or situation. Sunbathing in Waikiki. Or strolling through a flower-laden meadow. Just find your personal Cloud 9 and mentally transport yourself there.
For best results, you should do more than just picture your happy place. You should imagine how the scene would activate your other senses. If you are visualizing a beach setting: What does the sun feel like on your face? What does the ocean air smell like? How does the sand sound as it compresses under your feet?
You can use visualization escape from the office or screaming children for a few moments, and return with a clear mind and serene thoughts.
