Please Note These Articles are meant for information purposes only and are not a substitute for Medical or Psychological treatment.

Relax with ease

Many people make the mistake of thinking that they do not have the time to relax. Others believe that relaxation is only for winding down at the end of a hard day. One of my clients believed that time spent following a relaxation procedure would impede his efficiency at work, but after a few weeks practice he felt more alert and better able to concentrate. Waiting for a stressful event to occur is not the best time to begin learning relaxation It is far better to set aside 20 minutes a day for practice. Once learnt you will be able to let go of your tension in virtually any situation. Relaxation produces a wonderful feeling of well being helping to relax tense muscles.

It can also -

• Reduce your anxiety.
• Eliminate fatigue.
• Improve physical and mental performance.
• Help you to get to sleep.
• Manage pain
• Lower your blood pressure.
• Manage irritable bowel syndrome

Progressive relaxation.

Progressive relaxation is a technique that focuses on deep muscle relaxation. It was first developed in the 1920s by Dr Edmund Jacobson and over the years has been refined and modified. This technique involves tightening different muscles groups. If you have neck or back problems you may wish to modify the procedure. Never practice while driving or when your concentration is needed elsewhere.

The procedure is as follows.

1. Sit or lie down in a quiet comfortable place. Remove contact lenses and any sharp objects such as jewellery. Uncross your arms and legs. Take in a deep breath and hold for as long as you find it comfortable. Breath out - letting all feelings of tension leave your body.

2. Clench your right fist, tighter and tighter. Notice the tension in your clenched fist, hand and arm. Now relax your fist and feel your right hand and arm go loose and limp. Notice the contrast with the tension. Repeat the procedure with your left fist and then with both fists.

3. Focus your attention on your forehead. Pull your eyebrows together as tightly as possible and hold.  Now relax and let your forehead smooth out. Notice the contrast between tension and relaxation. Repeat the procedure and notice how relaxed your forehead can become.

4. Close your eyes together as tightly as possible, feel the tension, now relax your eyes letting your eyelids droop. Keeping your eyes closed repeat the procedure. Let your eyes remain closed for the rest of the exercise.

5. Clench your jaw biting your back teeth together. Feel the tension as it spreads throughout your jaw. Now relax your jaw. Once again notice the contrast between tension and relaxation, then repeat the procedure.

6. Pull your head back as far as is comfortable. Feel the tension in your neck, hold and then roll you're head slowly to the right and then to the left. Notice the tension. Then straighten your head and bring it forward, push your chin onto your chest. Feel the tension in the back of your neck. Relax and allow your head to return to a comfortable position. Repeat the procedure and allow the relaxation to deepen.

7. Hunch your shoulders and hold for as long as is comfortable. Feel the tension. Then let your shoulders relax. Feel the relaxation spreading. Repeat the procedure and see how relaxed your shoulders can become.

8. Focus on the rhythm of your breathing. the rising and the falling of your diaphragm and chest. Notice how heavy your body is becoming. With every breath that you take feel your body relax just that little bit more.

9. Pull in your stomach muscles. Hold for as long as is comfortable, feel the tension and then relax. Repeat the procedure.

10. Tighten your buttocks and thighs. Push your heels down as hard as you can. Feel the tension Hold for as long as is comfortable and then relax. Notice the contrast between the tension and relaxation. Then repeat the procedure.

11. Point your toes in a downward direction and notice your calves getting tense. Feel the tension and hold for as long as is comfortable. Then relax. Repeating the procedure.

12. Focus your attention on the comfortable feelings in your body. From the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Notice how relaxed you have become. You can now drift of to a relaxing place in your imagination. It can be somewhere familiar to you. Or it may be an imaginary place that only exists in your mind. When you are ready open your eyes.

For best results practice progressive relaxation on a daily basis for approximately 20 minutes.

It is important to take your time and not rush through the technique. After practicing the procedure you may notice tension in parts of your body that you thought did not exist. This is not an unusual experience and is an indication that you are becoming aware of the parts of your body where you hold on to tension. With practice this will pass. You may find it beneficial to make a tape recording of the procedure or have some one talk you through it.

The brief relaxation technique.

You can benefit from learning a brief method of relaxation. This is especially helpful if you find yourself in a stressful situation that requires you to let go of tension immediately. For example, Lisa -  who was studying for her degree in economics - came to see me because she was behind in her studies and under immense stress. Lisa told me that the harder she tried to study the more stress and anxiety she would experience. She was convinced that she would fail her exams. I spent some time with Lisa looking at how she approached her studies and how her irrational thinking might be contributing towards her distress. I suggested to her that she take regular breaks from her studies and practice the brief relaxation technique. She found this very helpful and reported that it reduced her anxiety and improved her concentration.  

You can also benefit from learning a brief method of relaxation. This is especially helpful if you find yourself in a stressful situation that requires you to let go of tension immediately. . You can also practice the technique for a couple of minutes every two to three hours to keep distress at bay.  All you need to do is:

1. Sit in a comfortable chair.

2. Relax and close your eyes.

3. Focus on the rhythm of your breathing.

4. Let your whole body become lose and limp.

5. Imagine a relaxing scene.

Many of my clients find this simple process very helpful in stressful working environments where taking regular breaks can sometimes prove difficult. This is equally true if you are a homemaker with demanding young children to take care of.

Picture your stress away.

You can use your mind to help you relax by creating pleasant images in your imagination.

This is called visualisation and can involve all of your senses. For example if you were to imagine yourself on a beach you could picture the sand, feel the warmth of the sun, hear the sound of the sea and smell the salt air. Imagery can also be used to create and recreate emotions.

For instance you could imagine a past experience when you felt very calm and relaxed.

Tom, another client of mine, told me how he used the power of visualisation to create his own imaginary safe place. Whenever he felt that stress was getting the better of him he would go to this place to "recharge his emotional battery". After going to his safe place for five to ten minutes he felt revitalised. This is how it is done:

1. Sit in a comfortable chair.

2. Close your eyes

3. Focus on the rhythm of your breathing.

4. In your mind paint a picture of a comfortable relaxing place.

5. Allow yourself to feel relaxed and safe in this place. Think of it, as somewhere you can just be yourself and let go of all your troubles.

6. Go to your safe place whenever you feel the need. You can use it as a place to resolve problems. To think things through or to just switch off,  the more you practice the easier it will become.

Breathe your stress away.

When we feel under threat our breathing rate increases in preparation for fight or flight, but if this response is inappropriate we can feel anxious and short of breath.

In order to achieve a good quality of relaxation, you need to learn how to breathe correctly. This may surprise you; after all you have been breathing since you were born. Many people who experience stress and anxiety are breathing in a shallow way from their chest. People who are relaxed are breathing slowly and deeply from their abdomen. One of the most effective ways of switching of stress and anxiety is to practice deep breathing. Here is the process:

1. Sit down in a comfortable place.

2. Tune into the rhythm of your breathing.

3. Put your hand on your stomach.  As you breathe try and feel your stomach moving up and down. The aim is to breathe from your stomach instead of from your chest 

4. When this has been achieved slow the rate of your breathing down.

At first you may find it difficult to breathe from your stomach .To get a comfortable rhythm you may find it helpful to say the word relax as you breathe out. One of my clients would imagine all her stress leaving in a black cloud. As you keep practicing you will find your body becoming more relaxed.

Scan your stress away.

A fast and effective way to check for stress is to use a technique called scanning. The idea is to mentally scan through your body from the top of your head to the tips of your toes to discover where you are holding tension. Whether you are driving to work or waiting in a supermarket checkout, scanning is easy to practice. . The basic idea is to direct your attention throughout your body, find your tension then let it go.

This is how it is done:

1. Spend a few moments focusing on the rhythm of your breathing.

2. Breath in and mentally scan an area of your body for tension.

3. Breathe out relaxing the tense area.

4. Move on to the next area of your body repeating the process.

Scan your body at regular intervals throughout the day. You can remind yourself to do this by putting notes in your diary or around your home.

Relax with self- hypnosis.

Self-hypnosis is a straightforward, effective and non-mystical way of relaxing the mind and body. In a deeply relaxed state you can repeat to yourself autosuggestions that "I will feel calm and relaxed" in situations were you would normally feel distress.

Self hypnosis involves the following.

1. Make yourself comfortable, sitting or lying down.

2. Without moving your head, slowly roll your eyes up as high as you can.

3. Take a slow deep abdominal breath, hold momentarily and as you exhale close your eyes relaxing the muscles around the eyes.

4. Continue to breathe slowly and naturally as you allow the relaxed feeling to spread from the top of your head all the way down to the tips of your toes, letting go of any feelings of physical tension.

5. To deepen this state of relaxation count backwards from 5 down to 1, counting on each inhalation and as you exhale mentally repeat a word such as relax or peace or another word that has meaning to you.

6. When you feel completely relaxed Give your self auto-suggestions such as "I can remain calm and relaxed in this situation"

7. End the self-hypnosis by counting up from 1 to 5 opening your eyes at the count of five.

When working with self-hypnosis it is important to keep your autosuggestions realistic and positive. Refrain from using suggestions such as  "I will try and relax" or "I must relax" The first implies a struggle and the second is a demand that may lead to more stress. Practice self- hypnosis unhurriedly 2 to 3 times a day. The whole self hypnosis exercise will take about five minutes to practice.

All of the above relaxation techniques can help reduce distress. Unlike alcohol and drugs the only side effects are an increased feeling of well being. However the techniques become more effective if you also work at changing your irrational thoughts. Keep practicing and build on each success.  Persevere and above all do not be put off by setbacks.