It is hard to avoid stress today. Stress can cause havoc on our bodies, emotions and mind. All stress begins with fatigue. Thus, the simplest solution to handling stress during a miserable day is to relax.
Sometimes it is hard to just relax. Many people think they can relax while watching television. However, television could be loud. It is loaded with a lot of disturbing images and a lot of commercials. I will tell you, there are better ways to relax.
The Need to Relax
Watching television is not a recommended method of relaxation by experts. Though television brings some form of momentary escape from what is causing the stress, you will soon find yourself feelings fatigue and guilty after the moment of procrastination. The commercials, ads, sounds, and images are always there.
So how do you achieve relaxation? There are many ways we can relax.
In recent studies, experts have determined that heart disease is linked to anger, and irritability is linked to mental stress. Too much stress brings about ischemia that can lead to, or cause a heart attack. Relaxation is therefore very important. Managing your anger and attitude is significant to heart health; and relaxation can help you manage stress.
Relaxation Techniques
Meditation
One way of relaxation is meditation. Recent studies show that this method might reduce artery blockage. Artery blockage is a major cause for heart attack and stroke. People practice transcendental meditation by repeating uttering soothing sounds while meditating – this is to achieve total relaxation. The researchers found that practitioners of transcendental meditation significantly reduced the thickness of their arterial wall compared with those who didn’t practice meditation.
Yoga
Yoga is also another method for relaxation. In another study, participants were subjected to several minutes of mental stress. Then they were subjected to various relaxation techniques, such as listening to nature sounds or classical music. Only those who did Yoga significantly reduced the time it took for their blood pressures to go back to normal. Yoga is a form of progressive relaxation.
Breathing
This is one of the easiest methods to relax. Breathing in such a way affects our mind, our moods and our body in a positive way. Simply focus on your breathing, after some time you can feel its effects right away.
There are several breathing techniques that can help you reduce stress.
Exercise
Another easy way to achieve relaxation is exercise. If you feel irritated, a simple half-hour of exercise will often settle things down. Although exercise is a great way to lose weight, it does not show you how to manage stress appropriately. Exercise and any other relaxation techniques works well together.
Massage
One great way of relaxation is getting a massage. To gain full relaxation, you need to totally surrender to the handling and touch of a professional therapist. There are several types of massages that also give different levels of relaxation.
Biofeedback
Another method of relaxation is Biofeedback. Biofeedback therapy a “non-drug treatment meant to help patients learn to control bodily processes that a normally involuntary, such as muscle tension, blood pressure or heart rate… It is often combined with relaxation training (Source).” The usual biofeedback-training program includes a 10-hour sessions that is often spaced one week apart.
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is one controversial relaxation technique. It is a good alternative for people who think that they have no idea what it feels like to be relaxed. It is also a good alternative for people with stress related health problems.
Drugs
Drugs are extreme alternatives to relaxation. Though, the drugs are not always safe and effective, it is best used by trained medical pofessionals. The other methods are usually more effective.
It’s all about destressing
These relaxation techniques are just some of the ways you can achieve relaxation. Another reason why we need to relax, aside from lowering blood pressure in people and decreasing the chances of a stroke or a heart attack, is because stress produces hormones that suppress the immune system.
Relaxation gives the immune system time to recover and in doing so function more efficiently. Relaxation lowers the activities within the brains’ limbic system; this is the emotional center of our brain.
Furthermore, the brain has a periodic need for a more pronounced activity on the right-hemisphere. Relaxation is one way of achieving this. You can build a good lifestyle if include relaxation techniques regularly in it. Choose a technique that you believe you can do regularly.