In today’s society we are all so busy being busy, that we often forget to relax and unwind. This can lead to a number of issues down the track – such as anxiety, stress and burnout. Relaxation skills can be a great way to unwind and reduce the risk of these issues.
What are Relaxation Skills?
Relaxation is the intentional letting go of tension. This tension can be physical tension in the muscles or it can be mental or psychological tension. During relaxation, the nerves in the muscles change the types of signals that they send to the brain. These different signals bring about a sense of calmness both physically and emotionally. Muscle relaxation has a huge effect on the nervous system and therefore, can be seen as a treatment of both physical and psychological stress.
Why use Relaxation Skills?
When you have been under extended periods of stress or when you have no break from work or other stressful situations, you seldom allow your high levels of muscle tension to decrease. The tension then ends up staying with you for longer periods. Eventually you become so used to being tense that this becomes your new base-line or ‘normal’ state of being. Often you won’t even realise that you are tense or stressed! But it can begin to affect you day to day life.
When it gets to this stage it can be really difficult to shift this tension without professional help.
Three Key Features of Relaxation Skills?
- Recognising Tension
- RELAX!!
- Practice
Recognising Tension
The following questions may be helpful to initiate your recognition of your tension:
- Where do you feel tension?
- Do you notice tension in your face and jaw?
- Do you clench your fists?
- Are your neck and shoulders tense?
- What other parts of your body do you feel tense?
- Are there parts of your body where tension goes unnoticed until you feel pain?
- What are the characteristics of the tension?
- Do your muscles feel stretched and sore?
- Do you muscles feel hard and contracted?
- Do you muscles fee fatigued?
- Does there appear to be effort involved in maintaining normal posture?
- Which events within yourself lead to increased tension?
- Anger?
- Thinking about you difficulties?
- Changes in breathing or heart rate?
- Loneliness?
- Boredom?
- Impatience?
- Which external events lead to increased tension?
- The way people speak to you?
- Loud noises?
- Having to wait in ques or traffic?
- Being watched while working?
- Your relationship?
RELAX!
If you follow the steps below you may be well on your way to learn how to relax. This exercise should take about 15-20 minutes. However, if you only have 5 minutes to spare, then 5 minutes is better than nothing!
- Find a quiet and relaxing space:
Choose a comfortable chair in a place that is free from noise and interruptions (make sure you turn off your phone).
- Clear your mind:
Try to clear your mind of all worries or disturbing thoughts. If these worries or thoughts drift back into your mind while you are relaxing, do not worry, and just gently push them out of your mind again. Let your mind be calm and clear.
- Practice the slow breathing method:
Breathe in for 3 seconds and breathe out for 3 seconds, thinking the word ‘relax’ every time you breathe out. Let your breathing flow smoothly. Imagine the tension flowing out of your body each time you breathe out.
- Relax your muscles:
For each of the muscle groups in your body, tense the muscle for 7-10 seconds then relax for 10 seconds. Relax you muscles in the following order.
- Hands – curl hands into fists, then relax.
- Lower Arms – bend you hand down at the wrist, as though you were trying to touch the underside of your arm, then relax.
- Upper Arms – tighten your biceps by bending your arm at the elbow, then relax.
- Shoulders – lift your shoulders up as if trying to cover your ears with them, then relax.
- Neck – stretch your neck gently to the left, then forward, then to the right, then to the back in a slow rolling motion, then relax.
- Forehead and Scalp – raise your eyebrows, then relax.
- Eyes – screw up your eyes, then relax.
- Jaw – clench your teeth (just tighten the muscles), then relax.
- Tongue – press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then relax.
- Chest – breathe in deeply to inflate your lungs, then breathe out, then relax.
- Stomach – push your tummy out to tighten the muscle, then relax.
- Upper Back – pull your shoulders forward with your arms at your side, then relax.
- Lower Back – while sitting, lean you head and upper back forward, rolling your back into a smooth arc, thus tensing your lower back, then relax.
- Buttocks – tighten your buttocks, then relax.
- Thighs – while sitting, push your feet firmly into the floor, then relax.
- Calves – lift your toes off the ground towards your shins, then relax.
- Feet – gently curl your toes down so that they are pressing into the floor, then relax.
- Enjoy the feeling of relaxation
Take some slow breaths while you sit still for a few minutes enjoying the feeling of relaxation.
Practice
Practice once or twice every day for at least 8 weeks. The more you practice the easier this will become.
However, if the above amount feels too much perhaps, during the day, try relaxing specific muscles whenever you notice that they are tense.
Hunt, C.J., Andrews, G. & Sumich, H.J. (1995).