Relaxation exercises

There have been many versions of relaxation exercises devised over the years, from back in the 1990’s when it was trendy to conduct Stress Management sessions (often based on the manual Teaching People to Unwind).

 It seems to me that we now have three main types of simple relaxation exercises – those based on physical relaxation, those aimed at mental relaxation and those targeting breathing. There are, of course, more complex exercises based on mindfulness and yoga etc.

Physical relaxation exercises

These are mostly about progressive muscular relaxation, where muscles throughout the body are tensed and relaxed in turn, and are based on the theory that when we are stressed we tend to tense muscles somewhere in our bodies.

A script is provided in the link below:

http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/docs/ACF3C8D.pdf

However, I suspect there are now more enticing ways to relax muscles, for instance massages and spa baths.

Mental relaxation exercises

There are a multitude of versions of these, ranging from short calm down versions to lengthy deep and more complex versions. I have found that it is best to choose one that is useful and meaningful to the individual who will use it, and one that will fit into their lifestyle. Some require the reading of a lengthy script and thus need to be done with another person or an audio aid. Others are easy to remember and can be carried in the mind to use when needed.

 The main caution I have found with mental relaxation exercises is that those that take people to an imaginary place of relaxation and then leave them to enjoy that place tend not to work for those who have a lot on their minds, as they leave minds free to wander back to thoughts of fears and anxieties. Whereas exercises that encourage the concentration of thoughts on particular words or images can give us time out from these troubling thoughts.

The current basic formula for creative visualisation exercises is to imagine a place where we feel safe and relaxed and then use our senses to bring to mind how it looks, smells and tastes, and the sounds we can hear. This can also be done by concentrating on a pleasant object (e.g. a leaf or a flower).

Of course, it does not help to be too realistic with these images. For instance my experiences viewing beautiful waterfalls would include: annoying flies and biting insects, encountering snakes along the way, knowing that I have to navigate back up 409 steps (requiring lots of puff stops, otherwise known as photo opportunities), landing in an undignified heap on a slippery board walk, becoming saturated in a rain deluge and hauling myself over huge evil black boulders (with no defined track) at Jim Jim Falls, amongst other things. However, the waterfalls were all lovely.

Targeting breathing

Slowing down breathing and breathing more deeply are also ways to relax.

Controlled breathing technique

1. Breathe in (without taking a deep breath) and hold your breath for a count of 5.
2. When you get to 5, gently breathe out saying to yourself “relax” or “calm”
3. Then just breathe in and out slowly, through your nose, counting 3 with each breath in, and 3 with each breath out.
4. Breathe this way for about 10 breaths, and then start the cycle again by holding your breath and counting to 5 (step 1)
5. Continue this controlled breathing cycle until all the symptoms of over-breathing have gone

From “Taking care of yourself and your family” John Ashfield 11^th edition published for Beyond Blue by Peacock Publications 2010.

www.bloomtools.com/files/53/TakingCareofYourselfandYourFamily.pdf

This can be made much more fun by doing it whilst blowing bubbles through a bubble wand. The deep breaths in make a lot more air for blowing, and the slow breathing out creates larger and more numerous bubbles. And, if it is done with others, there is the added bonus of laughter, which is also known to be a great for relaxation!

My favourite relaxation exercise

 Based on Betty Erickson's Self-hypnosis script:

http://www.ericksonian.info/Self%20Hypnosis.pdf

This is a really easy to remember exercise once it has been tried a few times, but it is also very effective as it uses three senses and will help you to focus on the here and now.  If you are having trouble sleeping at night you can do this exercise with your eyes closed and for the things you can see, just keep repeating “I can see the darkness before my eyes”.

Look around where you are and name 5 things you can see, but don’t dwell on any of them. If you can’t see five different things it is OK to name the same things more than once.

Now listen and name 5 things you can hear. Once again, don’t dwell on any of the sounds, and name the same thing more than once if you can’t hear 5 different things.

Now name 5 things you can feel (e.g. a breeze on your face, your feet on the floor, your heart beating, your clothes on your body etc). And again, don’t dwell on any and name the same things more than once if you need

Now do the same again, but with 4 things i.e. Name 4 things you can see. Name 4 things you can hear. Name 4 things you can feel.

And now with 3 things i.e. Name 3 things you can see; name 3 things you can hear; name 3 things you can feel.

And 2 things i.e. Name 2 things you can see; name 2 things you can hear; name 2 things you can feel.

And 1 thing i.e. Name 1 thing you can see; name 1 thing you can hear; name 1 thing you can feel.

P.S I find that I need to be in a safe and pleasant environment in order for this to work, and if I combine it with walking outside in the fresh air, then it is more beneficial. It did not work for me when I was lying in Emergency in a state of hypertension, as there was  nothing soothing for me in this environment.