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Ask Us!Relax....
Contemplating and reassessing goals on a periodic basis is a chance to halt negative patterns, review value systems, and reinforce positive directions. It is an opportunity to fine-tune your lifestyle.
When demands pour over us from all directions, it is important to take time to reflect and plan. Creating a daily schedule helps us manage our time in accordance with our values and goals. Sleep and exercise need to be included within this daily schedule and so does time for relaxation.
What is Relaxation?
Relaxation time is categorized separately from exercise, play, and sleep. It is a deliberate time when demands and expectations are put on hold. A time when the body and mind are quieted down in a systematic manner.
By relieving stress, effective relaxation lowers the level of harmful stress hormones that inhibit immune function and interfere with our natural healing processes. Effective relaxation has also been found to decrease heart rate and blood pressure. Focused relaxation needs to last only 10-20 minutes, with 10-minute daily sessions being a good way to begin getting into the routine.
Relaxation Techniques
The following are some quick, anytime relaxation techniques:
- Take 10 long, slow, deep inhalations. Think about filling the bottom of your lungs first, then the center of your lungs, and lastly the top clear up to your shoulders. Hold that inhalation for the count of five; then exhale slowly and thoroughly, taking longer exhaling than inhaling. If feeling especially tense in the moment, start with an exhalation before you begin the slow, deep breathing. Try these long, slow breaths whenever you are feeling stressed, and then begin all your relaxation with this technique.
- Practice this relaxation exercise. Progressive muscular relaxation starts from the feet and moves to the top of the head. Tighten all the muscles systemically up your body; then relax all of those muscles. This exercise is proof of the basic physiological rule that maximum relaxation follows maximum contraction. This technique can be expanded into 10-15 minutes of tensing and relaxing.
- Take a mental vacation. Sometimes called imaging, this technique is another effective way of relaxing. Be as vivid as you can. If your image is being on a beach, see all the sights around you, smell the ocean air, feel the oceanís breeze, and hear the wave and gulls. Close your eyes and experience the moment, knowing you can return whenever you want. The more details you use, the more real it will feel - and the more relaxed you will become.
- Meditate. Meditation is another form of relaxation that helps clear stressful thoughts from your head. Start by closing your eyes and focusing on one peaceful word or image. When other thoughts enter your head, let them go, and return to the one word or image you have selected.
Relaxation techniques erase the slate of shoulds and doníts and allow for the luxury of a peaceful break. Relaxation breaks are more successful when done in a comfortable, private, quiet place. Like everything else, practice is essential for the realization of the benefits of regularly scheduled relaxation times.
Aids to relaxation can be found by enhancing the environment with pleasant smells and sounds. Hydro, aroma, massage, and music therapies are highly effective at adding to relaxation and reducing stress. Yogaís posturing and breathing, and Tai Chiís movement and focus have also been found to be beneficial in relaxation and relieving the bodyís negative effects of stress.
Experiment. Find what you like and what works best for you. Whether you specialize in one particular relaxation technique or incorporate a variety, the important thing is scheduling those relaxation minutes into every day.
If you would like information on yoga or Tai Chi classes in your area, a good resource is your local YWCA or YMCA. It is always a good idea to ask if you can preview a class before you decide to enroll. Chat with the instructor before you commit any time or money.
The chances of goals and dreams becoming reality are enhanced when we actively engage in pursuing optimal health. Effective stress management through relaxation is one of many important avenues in this pursuit.
About the Author:
Kathy A. Barney, B.A., R.N., M.A., was Stress Management Coordinator for Indiana State University Student Health Services / Promotion from 1997-2000.