Relaxation Techniques

This tool introduces three useful physical relaxation techniques that can help you reduce muscle tension and manage the effects of the fight-or-flight response on your body. This is particularly important if you need to think clearly and perform precisely when you are under pressure.

The techniques are Deep Breathing, Progressive Muscular Relaxation and “The Relaxation Response”. 

Using These Techniques:

Deep Breathing:

Deep breathing is a simple but very effective method of relaxation. It is a core component of everything from the "take ten deep breaths" approach to calming someone down, right through to yoga relaxation and meditation. It works well in conjunction with other relaxation techniques such as Progressive Muscular Relaxation, relaxation imagery and meditation to reduce stress.

To use the technique, take a number of deep breaths and relax your body further with each breath. That's all there is to it!

Progressive Muscular Relaxation (PMR):

Progressive Muscular Relaxation is useful for relaxing your body when your muscles are tense. 

The idea behind PMR is that you tense up a group of muscles so that they are as tightly contracted as possible. Hold them in a state of extreme tension for a few seconds. Then, relax the muscles to their previous state. Finally, consciously relax the muscles even further so that you are as relaxed as possible.  

By tensing your muscles first, you will probably find that you are able to relax your muscles more than would be the case if you tried to relax your muscles directly.

Experiment with PMR by forming a fist, and clenching your hand as tight as you can for a few seconds. Then relax your hand to its previous tension, and then consciously relax it again so that it is as loose as possible. You should feel deep relaxation in your hand muscles. 

For maximum relaxation you can use PMR in conjunction with breathing techniques.
 

The “Relaxation Response”:

This is something that you can do for yourself by following these steps:

• Sit quietly and comfortably.
• Close your eyes.
• Start by relaxing the muscles of your feet and work up your body relaxing muscles.
• Focus your attention on your breathing.
• Breathe in deeply and then let your breath out. Count your breaths, and say the number of the breath as you let it out (this gives you something to do with your mind, helping you to avoid distraction).

Do this for ten or twenty minutes.

“Deep Breathing,” “Progressive Muscular Relaxation,” and the steps leading to the “Relaxation Response” are three good techniques that can help you to relax your body and manage the symptoms of the fight-or-flight response.

These are particularly helpful for handling nerves prior to an important performance, and for calming down when you are highly stressed.

 

Post Edited (Victoria) : 3/17/2007 12:14:47 PM (GMT-6)

great thread thanx...

Can thuroughly recommend meditation - think it was that which helped me turn the corner....

I never managed to make progressive muscle relaxation work though. In fact my last attempt resulted in pretty serious cramp! :)

One extra tip on the breathing - try and observe the different types of breathing where either a) your chest or (b) your stomach moves in and out and try to use the second type, so your chest remains relatively fixed, but you can feel your stomach moving as you breathe. Another thing I found useful was relaxing music and incense sticks, but maybe that's just me getting in touch with my inner hippie.

Okay...nothing like this has ever really helped me that much, but now that the Klonopin is working, I think it might. I'm going to try these religiously for a while and see how they work. Thanks for posting them.

yes this sounds all good when you are not in a flight or fight situation. it is very hard for me to calm down with these techniques. when i have an attack i am in such a state of panic that it so hard to focus on what i am suppose to do to calm myself down. how do you get yourselves to even think straight enough to get your self to do these techniques. i have yet to conquer it. any suggestion, please let me know.i tired it yesterday and could not do it. all i want to do is run. and feel like i want to pass out. HELP.....thank you all. God Bless

Michele, thanks for your help and advice. i should practice these techniques more often. makes sense, thank you.. God Bless

I do these techniques often to relaxing music, even when Im not feeling anxious. Also, If you feel anxiety coming on, do these straight away to try and calm down before leaving the anxiety to get too bad.

Great idea
I also often will just sit in the quiet and picture a place of total tranquility it helps me out ........

Since I am training in beauty therapy, I went to this complemetary therapies show on Sat with a friend. I must say it was really interesting and there was so much there to see. Besides therapies, there were healers, psychics etc. We spent all day there and it was really good. I had some healing and reiki which was very relaxing. I also had an Indian Head Massage (which i am trained in myself) and some reflexology. I had my tarot cards read - but thats another story!!! It confused me more than anything!!! I never knew there were so many complemantary therapies out there. I would never not take my meds but something along side is always an option for relaxation.

Yesterday I went on my course for Indian Head Massage and we had to practise on each other. I can't remember the last time I felt so relaxed and last night I slept like a baby!!!!

Breathing and self-talk is what helps me the most. Thanks for the thread Victoria

PHOTOGRAPHY!

I was "afraid" to go out and photograph for a long time, but today I went out and it was relaxing a lot of the time. In fact, I made a post on my blog about it (shameless self-promotion, I know).

But, yeah, if you don't have agoraphobic tendencies try photography. Or if you do have agoraphobic tendencies but you have a nice garden, again, try photography. It gives you something to learn and when you're looking through the viewfinder you're literally focusing on something totally different. Framing the shot can be therapeutic, I've found.

I used to be a pretty serious photographer but I gave it up when I started getting sick. Sometimes, though, when I was having the worst of the worst panic attacks, I'd try to pick up the camera and just shoot things around the house and it would sometimes help. Just as a distraction. I never once took even a half-way decent photo during a panic attack, but it wasn't about that.

This thread is great ! thanks for all the advices