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Jan 24, 2024 · Relaxation techniques are often free or low cost and pose little risk. And they can be done anywhere. Find simple ways to relax and get started on de-stressing your life and improving your health and overall well-being.
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- Breath focus. In this simple, powerful technique, you take long, slow, deep breaths (also known as abdominal or belly breathing). As you breathe, you gently disengage your mind from distracting thoughts and sensations.
- Body scan. This technique blends breath focus with progressive muscle relaxation. After a few minutes of deep breathing, you focus on one part of the body or group of muscles at a time and mentally releasing any physical tension you feel there.
- Guided imagery. For this technique, you conjure up soothing scenes, places, or experiences in your mind to help you relax and focus. You can find free apps and online recordings of calming scenes—just make sure to choose imagery you find soothing and that has personal significance.
- Mindfulness meditation. This practice involves sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing, and bringing your mind's attention to the present moment without drifting into concerns about the past or the future.
Feb 28, 2022 · Learn how to use meditation, grounding, self-hypnosis, and other methods to reduce stress and manage anxiety. Find step-by-step guides, tips, and benefits of each technique.
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation. Progressive muscle relaxation is one technique that can help reduce stress. It involves tensing muscles as you breathe in and quickly releasing those muscles as you breathe out.
- Adult Coloring. There has been a lot of interest in adult coloring in the last few years. Well, it turns out that coloring can actually be an effective relaxation technique.
- Listening to Calming Music. We might intuitively feel that the soft tones of calming music help us relax. The research supports that intuition. One study found that listening to calming music helps us more quickly reduce cortisol, a key stress hormone.
- Yoga. Like some of the other relaxation techniques discussed here, yoga has been found to reduce cortisol. One study asked participants to do yoga for 3 months.
Apr 5, 2024 · Learn how to control your breathing, release physical tension, get moving, practice mindfulness and connect with nature to relax in stressful situations. Cleveland Clinic psychologist Susan Albers, PsyD, shares tips and techniques to help you master the art of relaxation.
Nov 18, 2023 · Common relaxation techniques include meditation, mindfulness, focusing on the present, progressive muscle relaxation, tai chi and yoga. More-active ways of achieving relaxation include walking in nature outdoors or participating in sports or regular physical activity.
Aug 21, 2024 · Learn how to activate your body’s natural relaxation response with techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, body scan meditation, and visualization. Find out how to practice these techniques on your own or with audio guides and apps.
