Stress Relaxation Techniques

Just about any negative feelings can bring on stress. Sadness, frustration, anger, guilt, fear, etc. It raises your blood pressure, can make you anxious or nervous, and can cause muscle tension. Prolonged or significant levels of stress can be very unhealthy, even though some level of stress is actually good for you. Learning some stress relaxation techniques can provide people who are prone to stress with long term health benefits and short term relief. The first step is to recognize when you are stressed. You are under stress if your breathing is more shallow, your muscles are tense and your heart rate has quickened. Elevated stress levels are indicated by all these symptoms. When stress kicks in, we don't listen to others as effectively, we don't think as effectively, our ability to communicate is diminished and we are less in touch with our emotions.

BREATHING TO REDUCE STRESS. Simple breathing is actually the most fundamental of all the stress relaxation techniques available to you. Regaining control starts with the breath. Try this now:

Take a deep slow breath to the count of 8, in through your nose and down into your abdomen. Let your hand rest lightly on your belly to feel the flow of air in and out of your body. As air fills your lungs, pay attention to your abdomen expanding. Now pause. Again counting slowly to eight, expel as much air out through your mouth as possible. Now pause again. Complete this deep, slow in/out breath 5 more times and then just sit peacefully for a minute. Feel better?

As often as you can, try to practice this technique. When you are on the go, you'll find that it only takes a couple of deep breaths when you begin to feel stress to restore your sense of calm and put that stress in check.

VISUALIZATION TO REDUCE STRESS. Professional athletes use visualization as a training tool, and it can also be used effectively as a stress relaxation technique. Creating a mental image of what you want to happen is the fundamental idea behind visualization. An athlete might use visualization to create a mental image of a winning performance. Making a presentation with calm confidence in front of a large crowd could be a visualization exercise when this technique is used for stress relaxation. Visualization does require practice, and for that you'll need about 20 minutes in a quiet location. Using your new breathing exercise, take a few minutes to get comfortably and relax. With your eyes closed, create a positive image in your mind. For example, envision yourself confident and poised, facing a stressful situation. Try to include a lot of detail in your mental image. If you are side tracked or distracted, don't worry about it. If your visualization is not totally positive -- if you experience stress or negative thoughts -- then open your eyes and start over, beginning with a couple of deep calming breaths. Always end with a positive image. This stress relaxation technique gets easier the more you repeat it.

Situations that you learn to visualize in your mind, are familiar to you when you come across them in reality, and because you have visualized a positive outcome, you can experience the real situation with a sense of calm confidence. Practicing either first thing in the morning or at the very end of the day when you are half asleep may help your practice be more effective. When your mind is drifting into or out of sleep it is actually at its most receptive -- more so than when you are wide away and your conscious mind is fully alert.

You will be well armed to face down and conquer the stressors in your life when you put visualization and deep breathing techniques together. Both of these stress relaxation techniques will allow you to regain control with frequent repetition.

Come visit us at www.findyourquietmind.com for more tips and advice on maintaining a calm, relaxed and quiet mind.