Patient Handout: Relaxation Techniques
July 1, 2003
In today’s world, stress is everywhere: in the commute to work, on the job, and in our personal relationships. That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are many simple and inexpensive ways to effectively reduce the stress in your life.
The effects of stress on the human body
Left unchecked, stress can have significant effects on your overall health and well-being. Stress can impair your immune system, making you more susceptible to infections, and can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Pre-existing health concerns, like asthma or gastrointestinal problems, can be exacerbated by stress.
Stress can be divided into two different types: acute (for example, you’re late for work) or chronic (coping with the death of a loved one, divorce, or a difficult job). Both types are associated with considerable impairment (see Table 1). In addition, stress may manifest as a physical, perceptual, emotional, or behavioral reaction (see Table 2).
| Table 1 | |
| Effects of acute and chronic stress | |
| Acute stress can cause: Chronic stress can cause: | |
| • Uneasiness and concern | • Anxiety and panic attacks |
| • Sadness or a heightened sense of energy | • Depression or melancholia |
| • Loss of appetite | • Anorexia or overeating |
| • Alertness | • Irritability |
| • Suppression of the immune system | • Lowered resistance to infections |
| • Increased metabolism and use of body fats | • Diabetes or hypertension |
| • Infertility | • Absence of menstruation or loss of sex drive |
| Source: MayoClinic.com. Accessed June 17, 2002. | |
| Table 2 |
| Recognize your bodies signals of stress: |
|
Physical |
|
• Frequent headaches, migraines, numbness in extremities, unusual amount of blinking or yawning, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, nervous tics, teeth clenching, nausea, vomiting, sighing |
|
Perceptual |
|
• Losing perspective, repeated forgetfulness, misperceptions, inattentiveness, distractibility |
Emotional |
|
• Losing temper, irritability (either everything or nothing bothers you), depression, crying |
|
Behavioral |
|
• Nervous habits, sudden changes in diet, accident prone, increased use of alcohol, caffeine, tobacco, or sugar |
|
Source: Christensen A. The American Yoga Association’s Beginner’s Manual. New York: Simon & Schuster; 1987. |
Taking control of your response to stress
The first step in taking control of your stress levels involves identifying your stressors and your body’s response to them. When you can recognize that you are stressed, you can use one of several relaxation techniques to reduce your stress levels (see Table 3).
| Table 3 |
| Stress relief strategies: |
| • Take a deep breath |
|
• Stretch during the day, especially if you sit at a desk or talk on the phone |
|
• Take a time out and divert your attention for 5 minutes: walk around the block, look out the window |
|
• Listen to a 10-minute relaxation tape |
|
• Listen to soothing music |
|
• Appreciate something beautiful |
|
• Do something physical |
|
• Pick a small task and finish it |
|
• Take a moment to pray for someone less fortunate than you |
|
• Watch fish swim in an aquarium |
|
• Scan your body for tension and consciously release it |
|
• Have a cup of caffeine-free, calming tea |
|
• Leave 15 minutes early for your next appointment and take your time getting there |
|
• Call a friend and hear some good news |
|
• Repeat a prayer and put things in perspective |
|
Source: Cedars-Sinai Integrative Medicine Medical Group |
Controlled breathing exercises also can be used to modify your response to stress.
First exercise: Be aware of your breath. As often as possible, bring your attention to your breath. Are you holding your breath? Are you breathing deeply? Try to imagine that your breathing cycle starts with exhaling not inhaling. Put cues around your environment to remind you to breathe. Notes or colored dots work well, just be sure to change them every three days or so, otherwise you will stop noticing them.
Second exercise: Diaphragmatic breathing. Get into a comfortable position. If you are sitting, place both feet on the floor and use a chair with good back support. If you lie down, place a pillow under your head and behind your knees. Try not to fall asleep unless you are using this exercise to relax before bed.
Place your hands on your abdomen. As you breathe in, push your abdomen out. Once you’ve reached full expansion, release your breath and let your abdomen relax naturally. Exhale through your mouth with a gentle sigh. Let your next exhalation follow naturally from the last breath.
Clear your mind and only focus on your breathing. If your attention wanders, try counting or saying inhale/exhale to yourself in your mind.
Third exercise: Meditation breathing. Follow the instructions for diaphragmatic breathing.
Focus your attention on the flow of your breath. Feel it enter your nostrils, roll into your body, and release from your lungs with expiration. Use all your senses to track your breath and do not use your mind for thinking. Try to focus your attention on the action in the moment. This type of practice is called mindfulness.
Use the in and out flow of your breath to focus your attention and send a message to yourself. You might say a word that is important to you, for example, calm, peace, or love. You could imagine breathing in peace with your inspiration and releasing tension with your exhalation.
Fourth exercise: Releasing breath. Get into a comfortable position and scan your body for tension. Take a deep breath in and with exhalation, release tension from that part of your body.
To increase the effect of this breathing technique, combine it with progressive muscle relaxation. This technique assumes that a muscle will relax more completely if it has been tensed first.
Once you are breathing comfortably, begin at the top, tensing your face or shoulders or making your hands into fists with your inspiration. Hold your tension and your breath for several seconds and then release your breath through your mouth, allowing the muscle you just tensed to go loose and limp. Continue one area at a time until you have gone through your whole body.
[If you find yourself feeling dizzy or a little numb on your hands and feet while practice these exercises, just breathe less deeply for a few minutes.]
Resources
The National Institute of Mental Health: www.nimh.nih.gov, (301) 443-4513.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: www.nccam.nih.gov, (301) 644-6226.
Center for Mind-Body Medicine: www.cmbm.org, (202) 966-7338.
Patient Handout: Relaxation Techniques. Altern Med Alert 2003;6(7 Suppl):S1-S2.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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