Life is stressful and sometimes the stress can overwhelm you, but there are steps you can take to learn how to relax. Normal everyday activities like grocery shopping or traffic jams can make you tense. You might find it hard to unplug from digital devices and streaming services in a 24/7 world. Work deadlines, handling the kids or dealing with a difficult relationship can get you down. The coronavirus pandemic, a chronic illness, or caring for an elderly relative might be a strain. “Stress is really how your body and brain respond to challenges, such as pressure at work, [handling] the pandemic, increasing family responsibility, other negative experiences that may impact and create stress,” says David Shurtleff, PhD, deputy director of the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the concerns around stress. “We're seeing a lot more anxiety and depression over the last year given the COVID situation,” Shurtleff says.
WHAT IS STRESS?
When you feel overwhelmed or
can’t handle a situation, your body might respond in a bad way. The so-called
“fight or flight” response kicks in to get you ready to run, and that creates
stress. “Experiencing short periods of stress is just fine, in fact, it's even
healthy,” says Jonathan C. Smith, PhD, a professor of psychology at Roosevelt
University, founding director of the university’s Mindful Initiative, and a
prolific author of books on relaxation practices. “Living a stress-free life is
unhealthy and dangerous. We need a little bit of challenge to keep us alive,”
Smith says. But too much stress isn’t good for you. Some situations, like the
isolation you may have faced during the pandemic, for example, can cause
ongoing stress, which, in turn, can bring on health problems. It’s normal to
feel overwhelmed by something like a global pandemic, but it’s also important
to find ways to relax, Shurtleff says. He practices yoga about three times a week
and uses a treadmill daily to help keep worries under control. “Stress over
time can really impact our bodies and our brains and lead to really devastating
chronic conditions such as anxiety and depression,” he says.
TYPES OF
RELAXATION TECHNIQUES:
However, a whole range of relaxation practices can
help you power down and de-stress. “There's no one shoe that fits all,” Smith
says. He points to “five or six” approaches based on scientific observation and
experience that really do work for stress reduction. There are other therapies,
too, that you might find helpful. You can do one at a time or you can practice
some together.
BREATHING EXERCISES:
This is one of the easiest stress reduction
practices because you simply focus on your breathing. Sit or lie down in a quiet place,
take a deep breath through your nose and breathe out slowly through your mouth,
or your nose if it feels better. Texas psychiatrist Gregory Scott Brown, MD,
suggests the 4-7-8 approach. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold your breath for 7
seconds, then exhale for 8 seconds. Deep breathing can help you calm down and
relax, he says. “When I'm talking to patients, I typically start with breath
work because, again, we all breathe every single day, but many of us don't
realize that breath work, you know, done in a specific way, is medicine,” says
Brown, who’s founder and director of the Center for Green Psychiatry in
Austin, TX.
MINDFULNESS AND MANTRA
MEDITATION:
Mindfulness is an ancient form of mediation that
promotes awareness of what’s happening in the moment. It encourages you to
focus on your body, your thoughts, and what’s going on around you. Mantra
meditation, on the other hand, is the opposite of mindfulness. In this
practice, you place all your attention on a single target, like a mantra, a
candle flame, or a phrase. In both types of meditations, whenever your mind
wanders -- and it will Smith says -- you simply re-focus. It's a brain skill,
he says. In that in the first 2 weeks you won't be able to do it very well.
Your mind will constantly chatter and distract, and that's normal, that
happens. But as you practice, you’ll get better at it.
PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION:
In this technique, you focus on slowly tightening
and relaxing muscle groups. You can practice it along with breathing exercises
and guided imagery. Find a comfortable place
to sit or lay down, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Expand your
stomach as you breathe in and contract it as you exhale. You can either start
with your head and face muscles and work your way down your body or you can
start with your toes and work your way up. While you focus on each muscle
group, tense and hold for about 5 seconds and relax for 30 seconds, then
repeat. “Tensing certain muscle groups while you're combining breath work with
that can, again, instill a sense of calm and relaxation,” Brown says. If you have heart disease, talk to your doctor before you
start progressive muscle relaxation therapy.
GUIDED IMAGERY OR
VISUALIZATION:
Imagine yourself lying on a sandy beach with a soft
breeze gently stirring the warm air. Use your senses to smell the saltwater and
feel the sun as you transport yourself there. That’s guided imagery or
visualization. It uses the power of your mind to change your focus to a
peaceful time or event. “If we’re in a stressful situation, you know, just
shifting our mind and focusing on a time when we were really, really relaxed”
is an effective way to calm down, Brown says.
AUTOGENIC TRAINING:
In this practice you focus on feeling warmth and
heaviness in different parts of your body. Then silently repeat pleasant words
or statements for each body part, like my arms feel heavy and warm. This
technique can create feelings of emotional and physical calmness. Autogenic
therapy also combines guided imagery and breathing exercises to reduce stress and
your heart rate.
YOGA AND TAI CHI:
These low-intensity exercises are similar and have
been around for thousands of years. Both include physical and so-called
“meditative” movements to ease stress and lower blood pressure.
In yoga,
you perform different stretching and strengthening postures. You remain still
and focus on your breathing as you do each posture. Tai chi involves slow, graceful
movements, like a dance. You’ll breathe deeply and concentrate on your body as
you move your weight from one pose to the next. Depending on your physical
abilities, you can perform both exercises while sitting in a chair, although
you usually do tai chi while standing. Before you start yoga, it’s a good idea
to find a licensed professional who can help you learn the basic postures and
which form of yoga might work best for you.
EXERCISE:
Many people swear by exercise to help reduce stress
in their daily lives. Whether it’s walking, running, biking, hiking, or tennis,
movement of any kind can boost your endorphins, the chemicals in your brain
that make you feel good. When your body creates more endorphins, you may find
it easier to forget your worries and find a lasting sense of well-being. Atlanta-based life coach Trisha Harp says she often
recommends exercise to people she counsels. Harp and her husband work next to
each other all day, she says. Several times a week they get up in the middle of
the day when they’re feeling in a slump and do a walk and talk. Exercising with
someone else can get you out of your physical space and gives you another
person to chat with, which is also a stress reducer, she says.
OTHER TYPES OF RELAXATION
TECHNIQUES:
Many de-stressing therapies have common goals. They
aim to help you pay attention to your body and focus on aspects of your breathing
or other exercises that will lower your blood pressure and increase feelings of
well-being. You can try:
- Biofeedback, which measures body
functions and helps you learn to control them.
- Self-hypnosis, in which a
practitioner teaches you to relax when you hear a phrase or get a non-spoken
cue.
- Massage therapy, which can
include Swedish, sports, Shiatsu, or other types of massage.
- Music therapy, when a therapist
uses music to accomplish health goals.
- Art therapy, which uses art to
enhance your physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
- Aromatherapy, or using essential
oils as a type of treatment.
- Hydrotherapy, which can include
soaking, compresses, or even steam baths.
While relaxation practices are mostly safe for
heathy people, there have been reports of negative impacts, such as increased
stress, bad thoughts, or a fear of losing control. Talk to your doctor about what practice might be best for you,
depending on the relaxation technique you want to try and your health.
