Article
With all the stressful
situations we face in our day to day lives, it’s good to have knowledge of
relaxation responses to these stressors. This will help you avoid negative
effects of stress like insomnia, high blood pressure, headaches, fatigue etc.
Jumia Travel shares 7 relaxation techniques to help you achieve this. You can
sample several of them to see the one(s) that work(s) best for you.
Breathing
exercises
In this exercise, you take
long, slow, deep breaths (also known as abdominal or belly breathing). As you
breathe, disengage your mind from distracting and troubling thoughts and
sensations, says Julie Corliss, Executive Editor of Harvard Heart Letter. You
should let your breath flow as deep down into your belly as possible (without
forcing it), and breathe out without pausing or holding your breath, just let
it flow out gently.
Breathe in through your
nose and breathe out through your mouth. Breathe in gently and regularly, and
try counting from one to five in the process. It’s ok if you can’t; if counting
is distracting you just focus on the exercise without counting. Try doing it
for three to five minutes. However, this technique might not be appropriate for
those with respiratory ailments or heart failure.
Progressive
muscle relaxation
After a few minutes of
breathing exercises, you follow up with progressive muscle relaxation. Here,
you focus on one part of your body or a group of muscles per time, and mentally
release any physical tension you feel there. Basically, you scan your body to
identify physically tense areas, and consciously relax those areas (one after
the other) to help ease tension. You can lie on your back or sit with your feet
to the floor while doing this, start the body scan from your toes to your
scalp, noticing how your body feels and relaxing at every point.
Guided
imagery
Here, you remember
soothing scenes, memories, places or experiences to help you relax and ease
tension. If you have intrusive thoughts or find it difficult to conjure up
mental images, you can find and download free apps or online videos of calming
and soothing scenes and imagery. You only have to ensure you personally find
these scenes calming and soothing.
Talk
to someone
Talk to your loved ones,
as reaching out to those in your social circle is one of the best ways to
handle stress and tension. Share your burdens with them, and in the process get
fresh and helpful perspectives on the things weighing you down.
Listen
to soothing music
Research shows that
listening to soothing music can actually lower your blood pressure, heart rate
and anxiety. Create a playlist of calm and soothing music (consider adding some
classical music to that playlist), listen to them and allow your mind focus on
the different melodies, instruments or even on the singer’s voice.
Move
around
Exercise helps the brain
release feel-good chemicals and this gives the body a chance to deal with
stress and ease tension. Quick walks around short distances, leisurely walks
around your area or environment, walking up and down a flight of stairs, or
doing some stretching exercises are enough to help you deal with stress and
ease tension.
Repetitive
Prayer
Yes prayer, especially for
those who find religion and spirituality meaningful. Harvard Health Letter
advises the use of this technique as a relaxation response to potential
stressors. Here, you silently repeat a short prayer or a phrase from a prayer
while practicing breathing exercises.
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