Improving the Quality of Your Life Through Relaxation

Stressful events, such as a break-up of an important relationship or divorce can make it much more difficult for you to relax. Learning some relaxation techniques may help you in more ways than you may think. Relaxation techniques are not only used for stress management, but also for pain management, anxiety attacks, sleeping difficulties, general well-being, managing anger, depression, and health reasons, such as headache, heart health, and elevated blood pressure. This article will teach you three relaxation techniques that may improve the quality of your life.

Breathing exercises are a great way to decrease stress, anxiety, and pain. One breathing exercise you may want to try involves deep breathing. In order to do deep breathing, you want to breathe though your stomach, not your chest. If you ever took singing lessons, chances are, you already know how to breathe through your stomach. If not, rest your hand on your stomach, so that you can feel whether or not your stomach rises or falls as your breathe. Take a long, slow, deep breath in. Then exhale in a similar fashion, slowly. This exercise is especially good to use when you feel anxious or feel as if you may have an anxiety attack, as the deep breathing will relax you and relieve tension. It is recommended to practice this technique several times before you actually use it in a situation where you feel anxious. Spend a few minutes daily deep breathing to master the skill.

Another breathing exercise, known as the “Four Square” may also be helpful. This exercise is also simple. Inhale for two seconds. Hold your in breath for two seconds. Exhale for two seconds. Hold your out breath for two second. The entire sequence of events takes a total of eight seconds. Repeat this cycle several times, until you feel more relaxed and less anxious. Similar to the deep breathing, you should practice the four square daily in order to master the technique.

Another relaxation technique that is becoming better known is self-hypnosis. It has been shown that this technique has been effective in improving mild anxiety, headaches, chronic muscle tension, chronic pain that is mild in nature, self-esteem, and chronic fatigue. Additionally, dramatic decreases in stress and increases in relaxation may be noticed after a mere two days of using self-hypnosis.

In order to have the ability to self-hypnotize, you must first learn the power of suggestion. Try an imagination exercise in order to see the power of suggestion at play. Close your eyes. Sit with your arms at 90-degree angles, so that your hands and knees are parallel to each other. The palms of your hands should face upwards. Now imagine that someone places a book in the palms of your hands. Imagine another book being placed in your hands, and another, and another. The weight of the books is beginning to weigh down your arms. As the weight of the books increase, the heavier the books feel in your hands, and thus, the more your arms are weighed down. Now open your eyes. Are your arms still at 90-degree angles? Most people find that this and other imagination exercises make their arms move at least slightly from the starting position.

Next, you need to write your own personal self-induction script. While every self-induction script is unique to each individual and each individual’s situation, there is a common structure that may help you in writing your unique script. When self-hypnotizing, you want to sit in a comfortable chair that offers support for your back, neck, and arms, if possible. You will need to sit with your legs and arms in an uncrossed position.

In self-hypnosis, you will be going to your special place in your mind in order to relax. Your special place should be someplace where you feel completely relaxed, peaceful, safe, and comfortable. Your special place might be your grandmother’s house, a park, a waterfall, the woods, or anywhere else you feel completely at peace and safe.

Next, you will want to create a key phrase. You will repeat your key phrase to yourself several times while you are in your special place. Your key phrase should be the opposite of your problem or situation. So, if your problem is being anxious during your teacher evaluation session, your key phrase might be “peace now” or “totally relaxed."

In order to get to your special place, close your eyes. Take some deep breaths, as you do in deep breathing. Inhale and exhale slowly. Relax every muscle in your body. Next, imagine a staircase. You are standing at the top of this staircase, and with each step you take down, you will become more and more relaxed. Count backwards from ten until you reach zero, where you will be completely relaxed and at peace. Once you have reached your special place, you should be able to see, smell, and hear the details of the scene. It is a good idea to practice imagining your special place before you actually go there in a self-hypnotizing session. So, if your special place is your grandmother’s house, you should be able to hear your grandmother’s voice, smell the cookies baking, and see the artwork she has on her refrigerator.

Once you are in your special place, repeat your key phrase several times. Spend some time feel relaxed in your special place. Once you are ready, start at the bottom of the staircase and slowly climb the steps to alertness and awareness. With each step you climb, you should become more and more alert. Practicing self-hypnosis on a regular basis should give you the ability to say your key phrase to yourself and immediately go into a state of self-hypnosis, relaxation, and peace.

While stressful events can affect your mental and physical health, relaxation techniques can help you reach a state of improved well-being. Using self-hypnosis, deep breathing, and the four square technique should bring more tranquility to your life.

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