By: George Zgourides
Applied relaxation is now considered an established and powerful therapy for stress, anxiety, phobias, and panic. In many cases, applied relaxation can be just as effective as therapy and even medications for reducing stress, and can bring about significant improvements in nearly everyone who practices it on a regular basis.
The “gold standard” of applied relaxation is known as progressive muscle relaxation, a procedure that involves the sequential contracting and relaxing of all major muscle groups in your body. The goal is to help you achieve a feeling of physical and mental calm. You start with your forehead and facial muscles - tensing these groups for a few seconds and then relaxing them. You move down your body from your neck and shoulders to your shoulder blades, upper back, arms, hands, lower back, legs, and finally your feet. By the time you’ve finished an entire sequence, you should be enjoying a general sense of well-being.
Deep breathing exercises are another easy way to relax your body. Most of us tend to fill only the upper part of our lungs when we breathe. Notice how an infant’s abdomen rises and falls with each breath. Now that’s true deep breathing!
By using deep breathing exercises, you can quickly relax and potentially improve your circulation, better oxygenate your blood, strengthen your lungs, relieve tension, and improve your mental alertness. Try this short deep breathing exercise:
1) Sit or lie down in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed for several minutes.
2) Recall some good, positive feelings.
3) Close your mouth and relax all of your muscles.
4) Slowly and deeply inhale through your nose (not your mouth) to a count of six or eight. As you do this, consciously push out your abdomen.
5) Hold your breath to a count of four.
6) Slowly breath out through your mouth (not your nose) to a count of six or eight.
7) Continue to repeat this “inhale-hold-exhale” cycle until you achieve maximum relaxation.
Another of my favorites involves rapid relaxation, in which you use anxiety-triggering thoughts as a cue to bring on an immediate state of relaxation. When you find your anxiety or stress levels rising, take a couple of deep breaths, say the word “relax,” and exhale. The idea is to perform rapid relaxation while mentally scanning your body for tension and trying to relax all of your muscles as much as possible.
Setting aside time to relax and “center” yourself, while not always easy in our modern world, can be of great value when it comes to managing your stress and anxiety levels.
