Relaxation is a great technique for improving your mental health. Although it is good to use relaxation techniques when you are stressed, it is even better to include some relaxation in your everyday routine. Relaxation can help you to cope with stressful situations.
Relaxation techniques vary for some people and can include:
Some other things to try:
There are many breathing techniques which can be used to help create a feeling of relaxation. When feeling stressed or anxious, it can help just to take ten slow, deep breaths, breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth. If you have the time and the privacy, you can sit or lie down and close your eyes, then focus your attention on your breathing. Inhale slowly to the bottom of your longs, hold the air for a few seconds, then slowly exhale. Continue this pattern of breathing for a while, and you will notice that you start to feel peaceful and calm.
This technique involves progressively tensing and then relaxing all the different muscle groups in your body. Start with your toes and feet, tightening the muscles as much as you can without discomfort. Hold the tension for a count of five, then allow the muscles to completely relax. Now move to your lower legs and repeat the process. Continue up the body, all the way to your face and scalp, until your whole body is relaxed.
Sit or lie down somewhere comfortable and quiet and close your eyes. You might like to listen to some music as you do it, but if you do you should choose gentle music without words. Think of a beautiful, relaxing setting somewhere in nature. It might be somewhere you know where you feel peaceful and relaxed, or it night be a made up place. For example, you could try to think about a beach with soft sand, waves rolling in, the sun going down, you lying down with the wind moving through your hair. Try to use all your senses to make the scene come alive. Feel the sand running through your fingers, hear the soothing sound of the surf. Smell the salty breeze. Stay in this place for as long as you need to feel peaceful and relaxed.
Some of the information on this page was sourced from the Headroom project 2003. Department of Human Services, South Australia.
