5 Relaxation Techniques To Beat Stress

Learning relaxation techniques can help our body to restore to its natural state when you’re feeling stressed and a certain amount of stress may be necessary in life. Many times, it helps us develop our creativity, respond quickly to problems that come our way, or do our best to achieve goals.

The problem arises when it reaches levels that disrupt the healthy balance of our nervous system. It is in these cases when it can affect our health and even our personal relationships. Therefore, we need to develop ways to overcome stress.

For many, relaxing means doing nothing while watching television. But it takes more than that. It is necessary to activate the natural relaxation response that our body has, through techniques or practices created for that purpose.

Learning to relax your body and your mind can be more effective than simply relying on distraction or resilience.

Here are some of the best relaxation techniques for stress.

Deep Breathing

Breathing widely and slowly has positive effects on our nervous system. Deep breathing allows you to breathe in more oxygen, which helps reduce tension and feelings of anxiety. You can do it anywhere and anytime; for example, in your home or office.

1. Posture: To do this, sit comfortably with your back straight, placing one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
2. Inhalation: Inhale deeply through your nose and feel the hand on your stomach rise.
3. Exhale: Then slowly exhale through your mouth, expelling as much air as you can and contracting your abdominal muscles.

Meditation

According to studies, practicing about 30 minutes of meditation a day can reduce the symptoms of anxiety and even depression. The goal of this technique is to achieve a state of mental serenity. Meditation can be done at home, finding a quiet place and accompanying yourself with soft music.

To meditate, here are following recommendations:

1. Posture: Sit on the floor with your back straight, breathing deeply.
2. Gaze: With your eyes open, fix your gaze on one point.
3. Mind: Let your thoughts pass without holding or judging them.
4. Positivism: Then start creating positive images of yourself.
5. Close your eyes: Finish by closing your eyes and creating complete silence for a few moments.

Exercise

It may seem that exercise is the opposite of relaxation, but a good workout can actually make you feel more relaxed afterward for a few reasons.

• First, doing working out can be a good way to release stress and blow off steam.
• Second, the endorphins released during the workout we do can aid relaxation quite nicely.

Additionally, exercise can get you into a state of flow where it’s difficult to stay stressed — your body has to move toward relaxation as your stress response begins to reverse.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation and Body Scan

Progressive muscle relaxation consists of systematically tensing and relaxing different groups of muscles. This will help us detect the effects that cause tension and relaxation by feeling them independently in each part of the body. As we relax the muscles, the same happens with the mind.

You can do it following a certain order, for example:

• Begin with the feet and work your way up to the face.
• On the other hand, the body scan technique is similar, but instead of tensing and relaxing the muscles, you should only focus on the sensations of each part of the body.

Display

It is a variant of traditional meditation. It consists of imagining in the most vivid way possible a scenario in which you can feel at peace (such as an open field), and with complete freedom to let go of tension or anxiety. As in the previous techniques, it is important to do it in a quiet place.

Relaxation techniques can be many, and some of them are very simple, so you can practice them anywhere and taking only a few minutes of your time. Sometimes it is enough to just sit in the correct posture and breathe slowly and deeply.

Other times, a 15-minute walk can go a long way, as can listening to relaxing music or looking for situations that make you laugh. Massages are also useful to relax muscles and release hormones such as dopamine, which contribute to our well-being.