5 Tips on Deep Relaxation and Anxiety Relief

Before we talk about what relaxation IS – let us look at examples of what relaxation IS NOT.

• Slumping in front of the television. Watching 24-7 news programs is not relaxing. The same can be said for soap operas, cop shows and reality programs such as Big Brother. Don’t get me wrong – escapist television has its place but it is not relaxation. It is the opposite of relaxation. It is stimulation.

• Reaching for a beer or alcoholic beverage. Again this is not relaxation. It may be an enjoyable experience but technically you are stimulating your body with toxins and contrary to what you think drinking also interferes with your sleep patterns. You also do not want it to become habit forming were you associate drinking alcohol as a remedy for the stresses in your life.

• Smoking. Nicotine is a stimulant like caffeine so again this practice is actually the opposite of relaxation.

The type of relaxation I am talking about goes much deeper than that. You can carry the feeling of relaxation with you in your tasks through out the day and not only that. You will be much more able to cope with the stresses and strains of modern living. Do you want to know a FACT about relaxation? I like to think of it as Focused And Calm Thoughts. Basically, if you focus all of your mind on something, calm thoughts will follow. This is the basis of most relaxation techniques. So when exploring your own techniques remember the FACT of relaxation.

So here are my tips on relaxation – each method helps focus the mind and helps produce calm thoughts. What methods can you think of that would provide you with deep relaxation?

1. Meditation
This is the deepest form of relaxation and follows closely my FACT about relaxation. Don’t let all the spiritual mysticism surrounding this put you off. Read my article on “Meditation for Restless people” to try a method that I find works for me.

2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation.
This is an excellent relaxation technique. Basically you tense and untense different muscle groups at a time and notice the difference between tension and relaxation in the muscle. Again it follows the FACT about relaxation and you can find plenty of compact disc guides or instructions on the net.

3. Yoga
Yoga is another excellent method to promote relaxation. The great thing about yoga is that it works on the mind and the body. The physical exercises and stretches releases muscle tension and the yoga meditation really relaxes the mind. I can’t count the times I have fallen asleep in my yoga class :-).

4. Prayer.
This is a similar method to point 1 and really is for people who are interested in their spiritual growth as well as deep relaxation. Did you know for example, that the Roman Catholic Rosary prayer is a form of meditation? You are too busy focusing your attention on the different prayers to have time to worry about all the stresses in your life. If you have faith, prayer can be the deepest form of meditation transforming the deepest aspects of your being. So whatever your spiritual beliefs - spending time with your “higher power” instills a deep form of relaxation and calm.

5. Deep Abdominal Breathing.
When you are stressed or panicked you quickly start breathing with shallow breaths. The opposite of this is deep abdominal breathing. Lie flat on your back with one hand resting on your lower abdomen. Slowly breathe in making sure you breathe deeply so your hand resting on your abdomen rises. Breathe in to the count of 5 seconds, hold for 3 seconds and then breathe out on 5 seconds. You will find after a few rounds of doing this that a feeling of deep calm will be felt.

Whatever form of deep relaxation you prefer, try and practice it once or maybe twice a day.

Good Luck!
Allen