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Effective Relaxation Techniques to Reduce Stress And Anxiety




Why Relaxation Techniques Work

Relaxation techniques - meditation
Photo: Tosaporn Boonyarangkul

You cannot avoid stress in life. The capacity to fight stress is also within us. Under stressful situations fight or flight response is activated in your body and mind. Normally, it goes on its own. But, if it persists for longer periods, it is harmful for both the body and the mind. Harmful effects if stress can sometimes be quite serious.

Practicing relaxation techniques help you to maintain mental, physical, and emotional health by evoking Relaxation Response which is deeply relaxing and energizing. Its effects are an anti-dote to stress response.

When you are deeply relaxed-

  • your breathing is slow and deep,
  • blood pressure is lowered,
  • need for oxygen is reduced,
  • muscular tensions and pains are relieved,
  • heart rate gets slowed down,
  • improves immune system.

Relaxation techniques not only decrease stress levels; they improve the quality of life by giving you a mental clarity that helps you in taking quick decisions and improving your efficiency to deal with problems, and giving you more energy and reducing negative emotions like anger and frustration.

If practiced persistently, the relaxation exercises are known to reduce symptoms or improve outcome in the following conditions, though it is not meant by this that they are a substitute for the medical treatment – Pain, irritable bowels, pain, premenstrual syndrome, anxiety, sleeplessness or insomnia, psoriasis, diabetes, fibromyalgia, high blood pressure, tension headaches, hyperactivity in children as in ADHD.

Selecting A Relaxation Technique

There are a number of techniques to help you reach deep relaxation. Following are those which have widely studies and are known for their effectiveness in reducing stress and inducing relaxation response-

  • Deep breathing, Pranayama
  • Progressive Muscle Relaxation,
  • Meditation,
  • Visualization and guided imagery,
  • Yoga, and,
  • Tai Chi.

Other effective methods for relaxation are – Exercise, hypnosis and massage.

Any relaxation exercise will energize and refresh you: what really matters is persistence and regularity. You choose the one that suits your lifestyle and personal liking.

Possibly, when you are just starting out, the first few sessions may not take you to a deep level of relaxation response. But when you practice it consistently, you will learn to relax really deeply. Ten to twenty minutes are enough to relax you, but if you want significant reduction in stress levels, it is better to dedicate 30 minutes to an hour for one session.

Once you are familiar with the relaxation response and how it feels, you will find it easy to practice your preferred relaxation exercise and learn to reduce stress levels the moment you find your muscles getting tensed up. I suggest that you choose a relaxation technique, practice it sufficiently and become proficient in it. Then make use of it as and when you find it necessary. You will find it very empowering!

Finding Help: Relaxation CDs, DVDs and MP3s

You may find that it is difficult for you to practice relaxation exercise due to constraints of your circumstances. Or, you may find it hard to reach relaxing states on your own, or you may not be in a mood to initiate self suggestions that are required in certain relaxation techniques. If such is the case, you can take the help of pre-prepared relaxation CDs: choose the ones that have been prepared by renowned professionals.

You may find listening to them very relaxing and rejuvenating, and convenient for you. For a list of very effective Relaxing CDs and instantly downloadable MP3s, visit the section on relaxation CDs, DVDs and MP3s.



Further Reading

Relaxation CD and Downloads: Experience Deep Calm & Relaxation

6 Simple steps to activate the Relaxation Response

Stress And Anxiety Relief With Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

5 Simple Relaxation Techniques For De-Stressing

Reduce Stress With Guided Imagery

Meditation: Stress Relief Through Awareness

Deep Breathing For Stress Relief

Relieving Stress By Exercise

Practice Self Hypnosis for Stress and Anxiety Relief

Stress Relief Tips & Techniques: Top 10 Stress Relievers

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