Stress can affect one’s mind and body and increase the tension in your muscles. Relaxation is a process that helps to reduce these effects by promoting stress management. It is necessary to be able to learn how to relax in order to alleviate stress symptoms and lead a better quality of life. While you can get yourself to relax naturally, some medical intervention may be needed to help you master these relaxation techniques. This is what is referred to as relaxation therapy which involves various techniques curated to help one learn to relax voluntarily through mind refocusing and body awareness. Here, we go through some of the relaxation techniques involved and some of the ways you can benefit from relaxation therapy.
Relaxation Therapy Techniques
Autogenic Relaxation
The working of this technique is borrowed from the meaning of the word autogenic which means to come from within. As such, visual imagery and body awareness is usually the focus of this technique. This means that you introduce suggestions in your mind that will help reduce tension. You can think of a peaceful scenario while paying attention to your body sensations such as breathing and heart rate.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
In the progressive muscle relaxation technique, the goal is to become more aware of your physical sensations. This is so as to help you master the difference between muscle tension and muscle relaxation. For this to be achieved, you get to focus on slowly tensing and relaxing your muscles, one group at a time. You can begin with the toes and progressively move up to your neck and vice versa.
Visualization
The visualization relaxation technique involves the forming of mental images. These images should take you on a mental journey to a place that is calming for you. While at it, you should try as much as possible to use your senses such as smell, touch and so on so as to really take in the surrounding.
Benefits of Relaxation Therapy
Lowers Blood Pressure
Stress is not good for your body in many ways including your blood pressure. When you get worked up, it is likely that your blood pressure will spike. If this becomes a constant situation, your blood pressure may rise to dangerous levels. Relaxation therapy is therefore good as it will help you reach a level of relaxation. This will prompt the body to slow down its functions including the heart rate. In turn, your blood pressure also lowers.
Improves Concentration
If stress is left to accumulate, it may affect your everyday life. More so, it may begin to overpower you and cloud your ability to concentrate. Without focus, it can be difficult to efficiently accomplish even the simple everyday tasks. Through relaxation therapy, you can learn to shift your focus from stressful situations to calmer ones. This will help to clear your mind and improve your concentration.
Reduce Anger and Frustration
Stressful situations can lead to becoming angry and frustrated. This is not a pleasant state to be in. If you are unable to control your stress levels, you will end up being frustrated most of the time. This will affect the quality of your life and even how you relate with others. To avoid this, some relaxation therapy will be beneficial.