Relaxation Strategies



Relaxation Strategies

Selected Strategies from Elizabeth Scott’s The Best Ways To Feel Better

I believe these are strategies you could use with students, teachers, counselors, yourself, or parents. I try to practice these in Practicum, often with a tape of ocean sounds. I highly recommend you become familiar with some form of relaxation. Some prefer yoga, running, or biofeedback. There is an excellent biofeedback lab on campus. The strategies that you refine, you will be able to use with your students who have test anxiety, school phobias, other anxiety issues, and teachers before high stakes testing! Of course, you as a counselor in stressful situations every day must have a stress reliever of your own.

1. Breathing Exercises

Deep breathing is an easy stress reliever that has numerous benefits for the body, including oxygenating the blood, which ‘wakes up’ the brain, relaxing muscles and quieting the mind. Breathing exercises are especially helpful because you can do them anywhere, and they work quickly so you can de-stress in a flash. The Karate Breathing Meditation is a great exercise to start with, and this basic breathing exercise can be done anywhere!

Breathing exercises are an ideal way to relieve stress in that they’re fast, simple, free, and can be performed by just about anyone. They can also be done anywhere and at virtually any time. This makes stress relief breathing exercises one of my most popular and convenient tension tamers. Here’s how basic controlled breathing works:

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: You Decide!

Here's How:

1. Sit or stand in a relaxed position.

2. Slowly inhale through your nose, counting to five in your head.

3. Let the air out from your mouth, counting to eight in your head as it leaves your lungs. Repeat several times. That’s it!

Tips:

1. As you breathe, let your abdomen expand outward, rather than raising your shoulders. This is a more relaxed and natural way to breathe, and helps your lungs fill themselves more fully with fresh air, releasing more “old” air.

2. You can do this just a few times to release tension, or for several minutes as a form of meditation.

3. If you like, you can make your throat a little tighter as you exhale so the air comes out like a whisper. This type of breathing is used in some forms of yoga, and can add additional tension relief.

What You Need:

* A few seconds or minutes.

* A minimal amount of attention.

This simple Karate meditation is fast, but powerful. It combines breathing, which has been shown to have significant effects on the mind, the body and one’s moods, with simple meditation, to help you become more physically relaxed and mentally centered. Whether you use it to prepare for physical battle or just a taxing day at the office, this quick exercise is a proven tool to help you feel relaxed, alert, and more ready for anything.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 3-10 minutes

Here's How:

1. Sit in a comfortable position. While most martial artists use the ‘seiza’ (“say zah”) position, with legs beneath the buttocks with knees directly in front, many people find this position to be uncomfortable. If this is the case, you may also sit cross-legged ('anza') or in another position that’s more comfortable for you.

2. Close your eyes, but keep your back straight, shoulders relaxed, head up, your eyes (behind your lids) focused ahead.

3. Take a deep, cleansing breath, expanding your belly and keeping your shoulders relaxed, and hold it in for the count of six. Exhale, and repeat twice more. Then breathe normally, and focus your attention on your breathing. As you breathe, inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth, still expanding your belly rather than moving your shoulders up and down.

4. If your thoughts drift toward the stresses of the day ahead or of the day behind you, gently refocus on your breathing and remain in the present moment. Feel the air move in, and feel the air move out. That’s it.

5. Continue this for as little or as long as you like, and you should notice that your body is more relaxed and your mind is more centered. Enjoy the rest of your day!

Tips:

1. As you breathe, let your abdomen expand and contract, rather than moving your shoulders up and down. This deeper breathing is more natural and similar to how babies breathe. It gives you increased lung capacity, whereas the ‘shallow breathing’ adults usually utilize doesn’t allow as much oxygenation of the blood.

2. Don't breathe too quickly or too slowly; just breathe at a natural rate, but more deeply.

3. If you find your thoughts drifting a lot at first, don't worry that you're doing it 'wrong'. Noticing that you've drifted and refocusing to your breathing is part of the practice, and something you're doing 'right'!

What You Need:

* A quiet place

* A few minutes

• A willing mind

Three-Part Breath Dirga Pranayama

From Ann Pizer,

Your Guide to Yoga.

Benefits: Focuses the attention on the present moment, calms and grounds the mind.

This pranayama exercise is often done while seated in a comfortable, cross-legged position, but it is also nice to do while lying on the back, particularly at the beginning of your practice. When you are lying down, you can really feel the breath moving through your body as it makes contact with the floor.

1. Come to lie down on the back with the eyes closed, relaxing the face and the body.

2. Begin by observing the natural inhalation and exhalation of your breath without changing anything. If you find yourself distracted by the mind thinking, try not to engage in the thoughts. Just notice them and then let them go and bring your attention back to the inhales and the exhales.

3. Then begin to inhale deeply through the nose.

4. On each inhale, fill the belly up with your breath. Expand the belly with air like a balloon.

5. On each exhale, expel all the air out from the belly through your nose. Draw the navel back towards your spine to make sure that the belly is empty of air.

6. Repeat this deep belly breathing for about five breaths.

7. On the next inhale, fill the belly up with air as described above. Then when the belly is full, draw in a little more breath and let that air expand into the rib cage causing the ribs to widen apart.

8. On the exhale, let the air go first from the rib cage, letting the ribs slide closer together, and them from the belly, drawing the navel back towards the spine.

9. Repeat this deep breathing into the belly and rib cage for about five breaths.

10. On the next inhale, fill the belly and rib cage up with air as described above. Then draw in just a little more air and let it fill the upper chest, all the way up to the collarbones causing the area around the heart (which is called the heart center in yoga), expand and rise.

11. On the exhale, let the breath go first from the upper chest, letting the heart center sink back down, then from the rib cage, letting the ribs slide closer together, and finally from the belly, drawing the navel back towards the spine.

12. You are practicing three-part breath! Continue at your own pace, eventually coming to let the three parts of the breath happen smoothly without pausing.

13. Continue for about ten breaths.

RELAXATION for THE REST OF US

by Brendan Lloyd

If you have tried relaxation techniques and been unsuccessful, but still feel the need to do something, then don't lose hope. There are different ways to achieve the same thing.

Our lives are full of demands at all different levels. All demands effect us. Some to a mild degree and some not so mild. We respond to the demands, but what happens when we can't turn off our internal response to the demand? Well, it stays on. As a result, you might start to experience general symptoms such as anxiety, depression, negative mood states including anger or irritability, or stomach cramps and headaches. This is what a researcher by the name of Zimbardo and colleagues call "non-specific and unexplainable general arousal." Relaxation is the process of turning-off the response to demand.

Most relaxation exercises involve slowing down your breathing. The slow breathing increasing the partial pressures of carbon dioxide (CO2) in your blood. This then changes the chemistry of your body and has a flow-on effect that generally calms the nervous system.

The problem with the 'breathing-down' style of relaxation is that it irritates some people. Some people find it difficult to concentrate. Other people are very sensitive to increases of CO2 in their blood and get panicky. So, for some people the 'breathing-down' style is not a pleasant experience. It could be said that, if relaxation is not pleasant, then it's not really relaxation. An alternative method is to cause decreases in the amount of CO2 in your blood. I call this a 'breathing up' style of relaxation.

This is how to relax by breathing-up:

* Lie in a comfortable position allowing you to breathe freely and deeply through your mouth. If you prefer, tilt your head back slightly.

* Place your finger tips in the little pits under each collar-bone. Inhale smoothly and fully to feel your finger tips move.

Each out breath must be an act of relaxation. You must be very conscious of this fact and focus on this aspect. Breathing fully is a challenge, at first it might be difficult to do it smoothly. Don't worry if you find it difficult at first, keep practicing. You will know when you are doing it right because each out breath will take you deeper and deeper into the relaxation-experience.

TAKE CARE ALL THE SAME. I'm not suggesting that what I am telling you is at all dangerous, but take notice of the changes happening to your body. Especially look for the physical signs of hyperventilation. Your body will give you feedback in the form of tetany. This is usually first noticed as tingling in the hands, or stiffening of the fingers, or pains in the wrists, or tingling in the lips, or tightening in the throat. If tetany progresses further it can be an unexpected or even a terrifying experience. Your hands can lock up like a claw, and your mouth, tongue, and face can become twisted and contorted. People who do rebirthing go to this point quite often. They use the pain and the altered nature of the experience to act-out some past trauma. I'm suggesting that you don't do that. It is entirely unnecessary for our purposes here.

The suggestion is that you initially pace your breathing to bring on the tetany. Then pace your breathing back to a level where you remain aware of the tetany. After a while you should begin to notice the tingling and warmth in your gut. The gut feeling might even come as a flush. You might feel it all over your body. Once that happens just lie back and enjoy. At that point you should be able to use the gut feeling as feedback. Notice the things you can do to hold it or increase it. This whole process should take about 10-minutes, 20-minutes as a maximum. You could practice this technique 10-minutes once a day until the breathing is free. Then after that, about ten to twenty minutes a week should be of noticeable benefit.

People who experience panic attacks or who suffer from chronic lung disease are advised to use this technique under supervision at first. This is because people who suffer Panic Disorder, when they experience tetany for the first time, often think incorrectly that they are about to die. People with chronic lung disease sometimes need high levels of CO2 in their blood to remind them to breathe. Even if neither of these conditions apply to you, take care all the same, follow the instructions and discuss this approach with your physician if you have concerns or any type of problematic health condition. I wish you good health.

References:

Alpher, V. S. and Blanton, R. L. (1991).

Motivational processes and behavioral inhibitions in breath holding.

The Journal of Psychology. Vol. 125, No. 1, 71-81.

Benson, H. (1983).

The relaxation response: its subjective and objective historical precedents and physiology.

TINS, July.

Benson, H., and Klipper, M. Z. (1988).

The relaxation response.

Glasgow: Colins.Lazarus, A. A., and Mayne, T. J. (1990).

Relaxation: Some limitations, side effects, and proposed solutions.

Psychotherapy. Vol. 27, No. 2, 261-266.

Papp, L. A., Klein, D. F., and Gorman, J. M. (1993).

Carbon dioxide hypersensitivity, hyperventilation, and panic disorder.

American Journal of Psychiatry. Vol. 150, No. 8, 1149-1157.

Rubin, B. K. (1983).

Cognitive, Affective, and Physiological Outcomes of Rebirthing.

Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, UMI Dissertation Services.

Selye, H. (1984).

The stress of life.

New York: McGraw-Hill.

Zimbardo, P. G., LaBerge, S., and Butler, L. D. (1993).

Psychophysiological consequences of unexplained arousal: A posthypnotic suggestion paradigm.

Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Vol. 102, No. 3, 466-473.

2. Meditation

Meditation builds on deep breathing, and takes it a step further. When you meditate, your brain enters an area of functioning that’s similar to sleep, but carries some added benefits you can’t achieve as well in any other state, including the release of certain hormones that promote health. Also, the mental focus on nothingness keeps your mind from working overtime and increasing your stress level. Here's an article on different types of meditation to help you get started.

3. Guided Imagery

It takes slightly more time to practice guided imagery, but this is a great way to leave your stress behind for a while and relax your body. Some find it easier to practice than meditation, as lots of us find it more doable to focus on ‘something’ than on ‘nothing’. You can play natural sounds in the background as you practice, to promote a more immersive experience.

Guided Imagery’s Effects on the Body: Guided imagery has been found to provide significant stress reduction benefits including physically relaxing the body quickly and efficiently, and even helping participants get in touch with deeper levels of wisdom that they hold on a subconscious level that would help them better manage their lives in ways that would reduce stress. The studies demonstrating the health benefits of imagery are so numerous that many hospitals are incorporating imagery as an option to help with treatment.

What’s Involved: With the help of an imagery tape, a professional helper, or just one’s imagination, those who practice guided imagery will get into a deeply relaxed state and envision, with great detail relating to all senses, a relaxing scene. They may also imagine a wise ‘guide’ with them, answering their questions and asking them questions that they must ponder to get to a better place in their lives. (This ‘guide’ is a representation of their subconscious mind that they aren’t generally able to access.)

What Are the Pros?: Imagery can provide relaxation, insights and wisdom. With practice, it can be done just about anywhere, and for free.

What Are the Cons?: Like self-hypnosis, it can take some practice to master autonomous guided imagery, and working with a professional therapist or even tapes can be somewhat costly.

How Does It Compare To Other Stress Reduction Methods?: For the benefits it provides, it’s an excellent stress management option. It can be easier than exercise or even yoga for those with physical limitations. It has no risk of side effects like some medical and herbal therapies. Using it for simple relaxation is easy and can be done by just about anyone, but accessing an internal ‘guide’ takes more practice than other methods like progressive muscle relaxation or breathing exercises. It’s similar to self-hypnosis in that you’re getting into a deep state of relaxation and dealing with your subconscious mind. However, with self-hypnosis, you’re more often implanting ideas into your subconscious mind, whereas imagery focuses more on extracting ideas from it.

4. Visualizations

Building on guided imagery, you can also imagine yourself achieving goals like becoming healthier and more relaxed, doing well at tasks, and handling conflict in better ways. Also, visualizing yourself doing well on tasks you’re trying to master actually functions like physical practice, so you can improve your performance through visualizations as well!

Definition: This is an effective tension-reducing technique where the participant closes their eyes, relaxes physically, and basically daydreams a relaxing scenario with great detail. Taking this ‘mental vacation’ helps give a break from the stressful events of the day, helps further reduce tension in the body, and can reverse the body’s stress response, encouraging relaxation and health.

Also Known As: Sometimes referred to as Guided Imagery

5. Self-hypnosis

Self-hypnosis incorporates some of the features of guided imagery and visualizations, with the added benefit of enabling you to communicate directly you’re your subconscious mind to enhance your abilities, more easily give up bad habits, feel less pain, more effectively develop healthier habits, and even find answers to questions that may not be clear to your waking mind! It takes some practice and training, but is well worth it. Learn more about using hypnosis to manage stress in your life.

6. Exercise (editorial comment: obviously, not one that I adhere to myself, but Ken is quite faithful)!

Many people exercise to control weight and get in better physical condition to become more healthy or physically attractive, but exercise and stress management are also closely linked. Exercise provides a distraction from stressful situations, as well as an outlet for frustrations, and gives you a lift via endorphins as well. This article can tell you more about the stress management benefits of exercise, and help you get more active in your daily life.

7. Progressive Muscle Relaxation

By tensing and relaxing all the muscle groups in your body, you can relieve tension and feel much more relaxed in minutes, with no special training or equipment. Start by tensing all the muscles in your face, holding a tight grimace ten seconds, then completely relaxing for ten seconds. Repeat this with your neck, followed by your shoulders, etc. You can do this anywhere, and as you practice, you will find you can relax more quickly and easily, reducing tension as quickly as it starts!

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is a great technique for reducing overall body tension. As you practice tensing and relaxing all the muscle groups in your body, you can move to a shortened procedure, Deep Muscle Relaxation where you rapidly relax your whole body. As you reduce the tension you carry in your body, your whole being will feel less stress and you will enjoy increased physical and emotional health. Here’s how to get started:

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 5 Minutes

Here's How:

1. After finding a quiet place and several free minutes to practice, sit or lie down and make yourself comfortable.

2. Begin by tensing all the muscles in your face. Make a tight grimace, close your eyes as tightly as possible, clench your teeth, even move your ears up if you can. Hold this for the count of eight as you inhale.

3. Now exhale and relax completely. Let your face go completely lax, as though you were sleeping. Feel the tension seep from your facial muscles, and enjoy the feeling.

4. Next, completely tense your neck and shoulders, again inhaling and counting to eight. Then exhale and relax.

5. Continue down your body, repeating the procedure with the following muscle groups:

* chest

* abdomen

* entire right arm

* right forearm and hand (making a fist)

* right hand

* entire left arm

* left forearm and hand (again, making a fist)

* left hand

* buttocks

* entire right leg

* lower right leg and foot

* right foot

* entire left leg

* lower left leg and foot

* left foot

6. for the shortened version, which includes just four main muscle groups:

* face

* neck, shoulders and arms

* abdomen and chest

* buttocks, legs and feet

Quickly focusing on each group one after the other, you can relax your body like ‘liquid relaxation’ poured on your head and it flowed down and completely covered you. You can use this technique to quickly de-stress any time.

What You Need:

* A comfortable place.

* Some privacy.

• A few minutes.

8. Music

Music therapy has shown numerous health benefits for people with conditions ranging from mild (like stress) to severe (like cancer). When dealing with stress, the right music can actually lower your blood pressure, relax your body and calm your mind. Here are some suggestions of different types of music to listen to, and how to use music in your daily life for effective stress management.

9. Yoga

Yoga is one of the oldest self-improvement practices around, dating back over 5 thousand years! It combines the practices of several other stress management techniques such as breathing, meditation, imagery and movement, giving you a lot of benefit for the amount of time and energy required. Learn more about how to manage stress with yoga.

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