Relaxation techniques to help you reduce stress
If stress is impacting your enjoyment of life, you might find learning relaxation techniques can help. Here are some relaxation exercises to incorporate into your life.
Read moreIf stress is impacting your enjoyment of life, you might find learning relaxation techniques can help. Here are some relaxation exercises to incorporate into your life.
Throughout the day, you probably face many stressful situations. Whether it’s sitting in traffic, work pressures or getting bad news, stress can make your heart pound, your skin sweat, and your breathing become shallower.
Stress isn’t always bad – some people may need a certain amount of it to accomplish their goals. But when stress impacts your enjoyment of life or leads to mental health issues like anxiety or depression, it’s important to find healthy ways to manage it.
One way is to learn relaxation techniques to manage stress.
A Harvard Medical School cardiologist coined the term ‘the relaxation response’ in 1970[1]. The relaxation response is the opposite of the stress response and is a state of profound rest.
This relaxation response has many benefits. Scientists have found relaxation may help lower the heart rate and blood pressure. It may also help ease the symptoms associated with many conditions, including hypertension, arthritis, and insomnia[2].
There are many calming techniques you can incorporate into your day-to-day life to help achieve this relaxation response. It might be a little hard at first, but if you practise regularly, it will become easier.
This calming technique may be helpful to release tension. Please note that it may not be effective if you’ve had recent surgery or if you have intense pain in certain areas of your body – see your GP for advice.
Follow the steps below:
This calming technique is like the body scan however, instead of just being aware of the body parts, you tense, then relax each muscle group.
Start similarly to the body scan – find a quiet place and get comfortable in a seated or lying position. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. When you get to each muscle group, tense the muscles for a few seconds, then relax. Repeat this a few times to help your muscles relax deeper each time.
Please note, if you have any injuries or pain problems, consult your doctor before trying this exercise.
Some ideas you can do for the different muscle groups are:
Try to practise your relaxation exercises every day, so it becomes a habit. The more you practise, the easier it will be to achieve relaxation and lower your stress.
It might also be helpful to do relaxation exercises when you’re in a moment of stress or when you’re finding it difficult to sleep.
If you’re still feeling stressed after regularly doing relaxation exercises, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Sometimes talking to your GP or a health professional will give you more ideas about how to reduce stress in your life.
MensLine Australia has professional counsellors available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help you with your stresses and concerns.
Call us on 1300 78 99 78 or access online counselling.
[1] https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/six-relaxation-techniques-to-reduce-stress
[2] https://www.apa.org/monitor/2008/10/relaxation
If stress is impacting your enjoyment of life, you might find learning relaxation techniques can help. Here are some relaxation exercises to incorporate into your life.
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