Stress Management: Relaxing Your Mind and Body
Introduction
Take a deep breath. Hold it for a
moment, and then exhale. Feel more relaxed? Breathing exercises are one way to
relax. Here you will learn about different ways to relax your mind and body.
Being relaxed can help ease stress. It can also relieve anxiety, depression,
and sleep problems.
- To relax means to calm the mind, the body, or
both.
- Relaxing can quiet your mind and make you feel peaceful and
calm. Your body also reacts when you relax. For example, your muscles may be
less tense and more flexible.
- There are different ways to relax.
You may find one or more ways help to calm you down and feel at peace.
Many
methods of relaxation work on both the mind and the body at the same time.
Other ways to relax focus on just one or the other.
- Relaxing the mind means to quiet your thoughts
so that you feel calm and peaceful. This can help you feel better and think
more clearly than when you are stressed or anxious.
- Relaxing the
body depends on where you are holding your tension. When people are stressed,
their muscles often become tight. Learning how to relax your muscles, such as
through
progressive muscle relaxation, is one way to relax
your body. Breathing deeply is another way.
Test Your Knowledge
Progressive muscle relaxation is one way to relax the
body.
-
True
This answer is correct.
Your muscles may get tight when you are
stressed. Progressive muscle relaxation is one way to relax your body and
relieve muscle tension.
-
False
This answer is incorrect.
Your muscles may get tight when you are
stressed. Progressive muscle relaxation is one way to relax your body and
relieve muscle tension.
-
Continue to Why?
Relaxing your mind and body can make you
feel calm and peaceful. It can help relieve stress as well as anxiety,
depression, and sleep problems.
Stress is a physical or
emotional response to life's changes and challenges. When you are under stress
or feel anxious, your body reacts as if it is under attack. This is called the
fight-or-flight stress response. Your body releases hormones that speed up your
heart rate and breathing and make your muscles tense. Stress also affects your
emotions, making you feel moody, tense, upset, or depressed. Over time, stress
can affect your health in other ways too. For example, stress has been linked
to high blood pressure, headaches, and low back pain.
When you are able to relax your mind and
body, your body makes less of the hormones that create stress. The feelings
of stress ease, and you return to a state of calm, both physically and
mentally.
Test Your Knowledge
Relaxing your mind and body can have a positive effect
on your health.
-
True
This answer is correct.
As you relax, your body makes less of the
hormones that create stress. So your heart rate slows, and your muscle tension
eases. Relaxing may even lower your blood pressure.
-
False
This answer is incorrect.
As you relax, your body makes less
of the hormones that create stress. So your heart rate slows, and your muscle tension
eases. Relaxing may even lower your blood pressure.
-
Continue to How?
There are lots
of ways to relax. Some ways are designed to relax your mind and some to relax
your body. But because of the way the mind and body are connected, many
relaxation methods work on both the mind and the body.
You may
want to try one or more of the following relaxation tips to see what works best
for you.
Relaxing the mind
- Take slow, deep breaths. Or try other breathing
exercises for relaxation.
Stress Management: Breathing Exercises for Relaxation
- Soak in a warm bath.
- Listen to
soothing music.
- Practice mindful meditation. The goal of mindful
meditation is to focus your attention on things that are happening right now in
the present moment. For example, listen to your body. Is your breathing fast,
slow, deep, or shallow? Do you hear noises, such as traffic, or do you hear
only silence? The idea is just to note what is happening without trying to
change it.
- Stress Management: Doing Meditation
- Write. Some people feel more relaxed after they
write about their feelings. One way is to keep a journal.
- Use
guided imagery. With guided imagery, you imagine yourself in a certain setting
that helps you feel calm and relaxed. You can use audiotapes, scripts, or a
teacher to guide you through the process.
- Stress Management: Doing Guided Imagery to Relax
Relaxing the body
- Do yoga. You can get books and videos to do at
home or take a yoga class.
- Stress Management: Practicing Yoga to Relax
- Try progressive muscle relaxation. This process
involves tensing and relaxing each muscle group. Progressive muscle relaxation
can reduce anxiety and muscle tension. If you have trouble falling asleep, this
method may also help with your sleep problems. When you relax your muscles,
your body gets the signal that it is okay to fall asleep.
- Stress Management: Doing Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Take a walk or do some other activity. Making
time to do things you enjoy can also help you relax.
- Get a massage
or have someone give you a back rub.
- Have a warm drink that doesn't
have alcohol or caffeine in it, such as herbal tea or warm milk.
Test Your Knowledge
When you work to relax your mind, you may also relax
your body.
-
True
This answer is correct.
Because of the way the mind and body are
connected, some things you do to relax your mind may also work to relax your
body. For example, doing slow, deep breathing can help relax your mind and
body. Progressive muscle relaxation not only relaxes the muscles, but also may
reduce anxiety and calm your mind so you can sleep.
-
False
This answer is incorrect.
Because of the way the mind and body are
connected, some things you do to relax your mind may also work to relax your
body. For example, doing slow, deep breathing can help relax your mind and
body. Progressive muscle relaxation not only relaxes the muscles, but also may
reduce anxiety and calm your mind so you can sleep.
-
Continue to Where?
Now that you have read this
information, you are ready to relax your mind and body. You may try one or more
of the relaxation methods we've mentioned. Use the ones that have the best
results for you.
If you would like more information on how to relax your
mind and body, the following resource is available:
Organization
|
National Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine (NCCAM), National Institutes of Health
|
| 9000 Rockville Pike |
| Bethesda, MD 20892 |
| Phone: |
1-888-644-6226 |
| Fax: |
1-866-464-3616 toll-free |
| TDD: |
1-866-464-3615 toll-free |
| Email: |
info@nccam.nih.gov |
| Web Address: |
www.nccam.nih.gov |
| |
|
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
(NCCAM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) explores complementary and
alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science, trains
complementary and alternative medicine researchers, and gives out authoritative
information.
|
|
Return to topic:
References
Other Works Consulted
- Anspaugh DJ, et al. (2009). Coping with and managing stress. In Wellness: Concepts and Applications, 7th ed., pp. 312–329. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Freeman L (2009). Relaxation therapy. In Mosby's Complementary and Alternative Medicine: A Research-Based Approach, 3rd ed., pp. 129–157. St. Louis: Mosby Elsevier.
Credits
|
By
|
Healthwise Staff |
|
Primary Medical Reviewer
|
Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine |
|
Specialist Medical Reviewer
|
Steven Locke, MD - Psychiatry |
|
Last Revised
|
May 15, 2012 |
Last Revised:
May 15, 2012