Relaxation response
by Dr. Tim Sharp
Relaxation strategies can be extremely helpful and useful. Relaxation can help you to better manage stress, tension and anxiety. It can help you get to sleep and fall asleep again if you wake during the night. Overall, it can help you manage a whole range of situations better and thereby, to enjoy life even more.
So what is relaxation? It is more than just sitting in front of the TV or having a bubble bath (although these activities can certainly be enjoyable and relaxing at times!). The relaxation we are talking about here is a relaxation that can be a powerful tool for life. Deep relaxation refers to a distinct physiological state that is the exact opposite of the way your body feels and reacts under tension and stress. It involves a series of physiological changes including:
• lowered heart rate
• lowered perspiration levels
• lowered blood pressure
• lowered muscle tension
• lowered metabolic rate
• lowered analytical thinking
The good news is that as well as being very effective, relaxation really isn’t very difficult to learn. It is simply a skill, and just like any other skill, the more you practise using it, the better you’ll get and the more effective it will be for you.
The key is to practice as often as you can, and in as many situations as you can. Even if you can only practice for a few minutes, several times a day, you’ll gradually master the skill and begin to realise the benefits. You will start feeling more relaxed all the time.
To begin with, therefore, put aside three to five minutes, a couple of times each day, and try to relax. If you don’t know how to do it just do nothing. Following are some general guidelines that apply to all types of relaxation exercises. There are many different ways to relax and general guidelines that apply to all the various relaxation techniques.
When - It is best to use the exercises before breakfast, and before going to sleep. ideally, relaxation should be done before eating. Also, developing a routine set time each day is most helpful.
Where - Find a quiet place that feels safe and where you won’t be disturbed.
Position - Any comfortable position, such as sitting in a chair with good back support or lying down.
How long - It’s ideal to gradually build up to between ten and twenty minutes, once or twice a day, plus about three to five minutes, five times each day.
Focusing - Be aware of your breathing and/or concentrate on a calming word.
Breathing techniques
Firstly you need to understand what your normal breathing rate is. To begin, count your breaths using a stopwatch or a watch with a second hand. Each breath in and out counts as one. So, on the first breath in and out, count one. On the next breath in and out, count two, and so on. Don’t try to slow your breathing down at this stage. Time yourself for a minute to see how many breaths per minute you’re taking.
The average person takes about ten to fourteen breaths per minute when at rest. If your breathing rate is more than this, then you’re breathing too quickly. Simply learning how to slow your breathing down will help you feel noticeably calmer. Next, practise this slow breathing exercise:
• take a slow deep breath in for three seconds through your nose, and then breathe out for three seconds through your mouth. Think 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. Continue doing this for about five minutes.
• count your breathing again after you complete the exercise. Ideally, you will be breathing at a slower rate. But don’t worry if you’re not. It might take time and more practice before you really start to experience the benefits. This is the slow breathing or controlled breathing technique. Practise it as often as you can through the day and try it out in as many different situations as you can. Soon, you’ll be a master of keeping calm and you’ll be in a position to explore other forms of relaxation and meditation.
Progressive muscle relaxation
This involves tensing and relaxing all the different muscle groups in your body. The idea is to tense each muscle group in succession (without straining) as you breathe in, and then to let go and relax the muscles as you breathe out. Then give yourself fifteen to twenty seconds to relax, noticing how the muscle group feels when relaxed, in contrast to how it feels when it’s tense, before moving on to the next group of muscles. Throughout the exercise, try to stay focused on your muscles. If your attention wanders, bring it back to the particular body area you’re working on.
To help you remember each of your muscle groups, you can relax your muscles in the following order:
• hands - Curl your hands into a fist, and then relax.
• lower arms - Bend your hands at the wrist, and then relax.
• upper arms - Tighten your biceps by bending your arms at the elbow, and then relax.
• shoulders - Shrug your shoulders up, and then relax.
• neck - Pull your head back as if you were going to touch your head to your back, and then relax.
• forehead and scalp - Frown and tense your eyebrows and scalp, and then relax.
• eyes - Clench your eyelids tightly shut, and then relax.
• jaw - Clench your teeth shut, and then relax.
• tongue - Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, and then relax.
• chest - Breathe in deeply to inflate your lungs, then relax.
• stomach - Push your tummy out to tighten the muscles, and then relax.
• back - Arch your back slightly, then relax.
• buttocks - Pull your buttocks together, then relax.
• thighs - Squeeze the muscles all the way down to your knees, and then relax.
• calves - Lift your toes off the ground towards your shins, and then relax.
• feet - Curl your toes down towards the floor, and then relax.
When you have worked through all the muscle groups, imagine a state of relaxation spreading throughout your entire body. Take some slow, controlled breaths while you sit for few moments, enjoying the feeling of being deeply relaxed.
Just as with the slow breathing, and in fact with all forms of relaxation and meditation, practise as often as you can. With regular practice, progressive muscle relaxation can go a long way toward helping you to better manage your stress and feel better generally.
Visual or pleasant imagery
This is another form of relaxation that builds on the controlled breathing and progressive muscle relaxation techniques. Visual imagery is most effective in creating feelings of calmness and tranquility, and it’s the form of relaxation that most resembles meditation. It can be practised anywhere, but is typically easiest to do in a quiet, peaceful location.
To begin with, review the controlled breathing technique, and/or the progressive muscle relaxation approach, and then try to visualise yourself in a peaceful scene. Imagining yourself in a pleasant setting can give you an overall feeling of relaxation that frees you from stressful thoughts. It’s important to try to visualise the scene in enough detail so that it completely absorbs your attention. When you’re absorbed in this way, your state of relaxation deepen . Start off using visual imagery. Make yourself comfortable and breathe nice and slowly.
Take a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly and thinking calming, relaxing thoughts. Picture yourself in a beautiful location, where everything is as you would ideally have it. You may be on a beach, in a rainforest, by a lake, or just at home in a nice comfortable chair. Imagine yourself as calm and relaxed. You can feel yourself as calm and relaxed. All you can hear is calming, peaceful and relaxing. The sky is blue, the water fresh, and the chair warm and soft. Use your imagination to create a tranquil and peaceful place to relax. Involve all of your senses and tell yourself that you can return to this place whenever you want to or need to relax.
Once you’ve imagined your own ideal scene, practice returning to it as often as possible (even if only for a few minutes at a time). This will help you establish the scene in your mind and make it easier to return to. After a while, you’ll be able to visualise the scene whenever you want to calm yourself and unwind.
Once mastered, this technique is one of the quickest and most effective ways to combat ongoing daily hassles so use it as much as you can and get more out of life with less stress.
Dr. Sharp is one of Australia’s leaders in the exciting new science of positive psychology and happiness. In short, he is one of this country’s leading Executive Coaches, a highly qualified consultant on matters relating to human behaviour and psychology (particularly the application of positive psychology principles within organisations and teams) and a sought after public/corporate speaker. For more information please email info@thehappinessinstitute or visit The Happiness Institute