RELAXATION TECHNIQUES: RELIEVE STRESS AND ANXIETY
Every day we accumulate a lot of stress and anxiety that prevent us from living peacefully. Being able to counter all this tension is not easy, especially because we can never give us time for ourselves!
Being able to relax is essential to face with more strength and energy the daily challenges and commitments! You don’t need expensive wellness centres or special holidays, but just a few simple gestures to do at home, day after day, to regain a good mental and physical balance and get rid of stress! Ready to know our tips on do-it-yourself relaxation techniques? Read on!
What are relaxation techniques
Relaxation techniques are voluntary actions to regulate and manage states of anxiety and stress. These techniques are intended to relieve the individual from tension and restore his/her psychophysiological balance. In the West it is only in the last decades that relaxation techniques have made room because it has been accepted the idea that the organism is a complex system constituted by the interaction of mind and body.
Our tips
What are our recommended relaxation techniques? The best way to purify the mind from negative thoughts and relax the body from all the accumulated tension is to think for a while to yourself! Give yourself moments of peace by doing what you love, without thinking of anyone else. Read a book, listen to your favourite music, give yourself a long skincare routine…
A very common and super effective method to meditate and relax comfortably at home is music. There are many perfect relaxing sounds to fight stress, each with its own characteristic. Classical music, for example, is among the most popular when it comes to anti-stress remedy. Some instruments, especially the piano, are loved for its ability to instil tranquillity and serenity
When you can, turn off your phone and get away, even if only for a few hours, from what surrounds you, maybe taking advantage of a nice hot bath. The water has a great relaxing power! There is nothing more calming than a nice shower or a hot bath, which loosens not only the psychological and mental tension, but also the physical one! A good anti-stress technique consists in supporting the jet of hot water behind the back of the neck and shoulders, that is the areas where nervous tension accumulates most, which will go away thanks to the massage of water.
The ideal time to relax is in the evening, just before bedtime. However, after learning to listen to your body, it becomes easier and you can do it at any time, to regain energy at work or to calm down after a long fight.
Dim the lights, turn off the TV, search for conditions of maximum tranquillity… Lay down on the ground on your backs, your hands at your sides, your eyes closed. Surrender and let the body spontaneously find the position of least tension. Let gravity guide your movements and that a progressive muscle relaxation happens. The joints will have to melt and move gently as if driven by the wind. Perform deep breaths, focusing on your abdomen, try to inflate it like a balloon during each inhalation and then slowly empty it during exhalation. Just relax…
Now concentrate on the face, keep your eyes closed without squeezing, let your eyelids gently lower. In a few moments you retrace in your mind all day. Collect your energies and transmit them to your forehead. Imagine someone gently pulling your hair down. The forehead follows the movement of the scalp, the skin of the face becomes ductile, the lips open, the jaw opens gently. The more time passes, the more tensions disappear. Your muscles become like butter, your skin an ice cream that melts in the sun, the hair seems to detach from your body. Abandon…
Now the relaxation is total, the mind is in a quiet phase, the half-closed eyes are lost in the void. Peace and tranquillity reign in the room, your relaxation is such that you do not see and feel anything. Stay in this state for a few minutes and if you feel the need, falling asleep.
When you decide to return to reality, try slowly to regain control of the musculature. Try to rebuild your body slowly, lifting skin and muscles from the ground. The inhalations get deeper, the exhalations get shorter. Gradually regain control of your relaxed muscles, small shivers run down your back as a testimony to the energy that starts to flow again.
Rise slowly and open your eyes at the last moment. You feel satisfied, relaxed, a sense of tranquillity surrounds you, tensions have disappeared and above all you are aware that you have given back the right serenity to your spirit.
Have you ever tried these relaxation techniques or do you have personal and special methods? Do you give yourself moments of relaxation to remove stress and tension? Tell us all in the comments! Prolon.