"Just relax and don't worry about it."
Anyone who has ever experienced excessive stress can
tell you that those words are easier said than done. The ability to
relax when under pressure is not a naturally occurring process. It
requires education and skills development. The good thing is, once
you've learned how to relax, you will never forget.
Relaxation means to let go and bring relief to our
physical selves. It is a skill that allows us to release tension,
expectation and the accumulated stress of daily living. Unlike
recreation, it is a process of passivity that can increase the
enjoyment of our pastime activities.
The regular practice and mastery of basic relaxation
skills is essential to learning the more advanced states of relaxation,
as well as techniques of meditation. To achieve an effective state of
relaxation, a person must maintain a conscious awareness of their body,
mind and emotions. This awareness extends beyond superficial
acknowledgment and into active recognition of each related part.
Consider a time when you felt very tense. Whatever
the situation, try to recall some of the thoughts you had and how you
felt both physically and emotionally. Ask yourself how you behaved and
what your reactions were to those around you and to your environment.
Making note of these things will help you learn to identify triggers
and become more aware of the self-talk that goes on in your head during
times of increased stress.
Learning how we react to stress does not mean we
will never again feel or experience those same reactions. It will,
however, allow us to use the awareness as an early warning system. When
the National Weather System issues a warning, we pay attention and
respond immediately. We should do no less when our own built-in warning
system attempts to inform us of an impending personal storm.
The time to learn and practice relaxation skills is
now. It is imperative to practice them on a regular basis, not waiting
until our warning systems do go off. Once this happens, practice ends
and skills begin. Do you want to wait until the storm comes before you
know what to do? The time to prepare is now.
There are many benefits of relaxation to consider
other than that of helping us prepare for stressful times. These
benefits include:
- Pain Relief
- Increased Longevity
- Reduction of Fatigue and Insomnia
- Prevention of Cumulative Stress Effects on the Body
- Increased Energy Level and Productivity
- Improved Memory and Concentration
- Improvement in Self Confidence and Awareness of Feelings
- Improved Reaction Time
- Reduction of the Symptoms of Asthma
- A Decreased Use of Alcohol, Cigarettes and Other Addictive Substances
- Increased Compassion and Ability to Love
The above-mentioned benefits are just a few examples
of how relaxation can help. When you consider the means by which
relaxation produces these benefits, you will begin to understand just
how dynamic its regular practice really is. In other words, the
benefits that can be gained are extensive in relation to our overall
health, healing and daily functioning.
There are several methods of relaxation that can be
learned. Some of the better-known techniques are Progressive Muscle
Relaxation, Autogenic Training, Biofeedback, Visualization and Guided
Imagery.
