Everyone knows that stress is bad for us and that it has all
kinds of negative effects on health. In fact, it has been estimated that 80% of
modern diseases can be linked to stress and that stress-related complaints
account for a significant portion of G.P consultations. More and more people are
seeking ways to manage their stress and you may have found that setting time
aside to sit down and ‘do nothing’ does not actually lead to you feeling relaxed
as you still have thoughts and worries whirring in your head.
A non-drug
method of achieving relaxation, which is widely advocated by healthcare
professionals, is relaxation training. The aim of relaxation training is for the
individuals to be able to learn techniques so that when they are relaxing they
are able to achieve both a relaxed body, with muscles free from tension and also
peaceful thoughts, so that the mind too is relaxed.
Relaxation training can
work as a preventative measure (to protect the body from stress related
damage),
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a coping strategy (to be employed in times of stress and thus reduce the effect
of stress) and as a treatment for stress related illnesses such as high blood
pressure, tension headaches,
moncler
outlet usa, Irritable Bowel syndrome and much more.
Relaxation training refers to learning
formal techniques. These usually take two forms, physical and psychological. The
physical techniques work directly on the body and aim to educate the individual
to recognise and reduce muscle tension. The techniques differ and may involve
stretching, tensing and releasing individual muscle groups,
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learning to breathe in a way that encourages relaxation, moving body parts out
of defensive tense positioning into relaxed positioning, reviewing each muscle
group in the body, identifying any tension and then releasing it,
moncler, practising the posture of a
relaxed person. Psychological techniques focus on relaxing the mind.
Psychological techniques vary and may involve visualisation, meditation, guided
goal directed visualisation, self-awareness, autogenic training and imagery.
Since the body and mind are interconnected, techniques which encourage physical
relaxation, also work on the mind and techniques which encourage peaceful
thoughts, also result in the body being more relaxed.
Once you have
learnt such techniques they are a life-long skill and can be applied both
formally to achieve a deep state of relaxation and “on the spot’ when you need
to quickly release tension as you go about your daily life,
moncler outlet. Relaxation training
is taught by various healthcare professionals, such as physiotherapists,
occupational therapists, nurses, social workers and sports professionals such as
exercise coaches. With a good relaxation book,
replica uggs, it is also possible to
teach yourself techniques. Like most things worth doing, learning to relax takes
commitment and practice and it will only be effective if you practice it
regularly and build it into your routine.
For now, why not try the
following simple technique, known as peripheral vision. It’s quick and simple to
learn and is very effective at activating the part of the nervous system, which
is responsible for helping us feel calm.
Get comfortable in a chair and
find a spot on the wall, straight in front of you and slightly above eye level.
Throughout this process just keep focusing on the spot. Just continue to look at
that same point, perhaps in soft focus, after a while begin to broaden out your
field of vision, wider and wider until your really paying attention to what you
can see out of the corners of your eyes. Keeping your eyes on the spot, extend
your awareness all around you, become aware of all the other things in the room
that you can see by using your imagination. Perhaps, imagine a tennis ball
hovering just behind the back of your head. What else can you see behind your
head? You may have noticed that your breathing has slowed down and that the
muscles of your face have relaxed.
Keep practising this technique; it may
help to play some relaxing music at the same time. You will notice that is
impossible to feel tense or worried whilst you are in peripheral
vision.