Relaxation

Learning to relax
Take a look at a cat, or almost any other animal, when it is resting. Its body is free of tension; its brain has switched off, it has gone into ‘peaceful’ mode. Because of our busy, stressful lives, many human beings have lost the ability to do this, so we have to relearn it.

Planned relaxation calms anxiety and helps your body and mind recover from everyday rush and stress. Music, a long soak in the bath or a walk in the park does the trick for some people, but for many others it is not so easy. If you feel you need help with learning to relax, try a relaxation or meditation class. Your GP and local library will have information about these.

Relaxation Exercise

• Choose a quiet place where you will not be interrupted
• Before you start, do a few gentle stretching exercises to relieve muscular tension
• Make yourself very comfortable, either sitting or lying down
• Start to breathe slowly and deeply, in a calm, effortless way
• Gently tense, then relax, each part of your body, starting with your feet and working your way up to your face and head
• As you focus on each area, think of warmth, heaviness and relaxation
• Push any distracting thoughts to the back of your mind; imagine them floating away
• Don’t try to relax; simply let go of the tension in your muscles and allow them to become relaxed
• Let your mind go empty. Some people find it helpful to visualise a calm, beautiful place like a garden or meadow
• Stay like this for about 20 minutes. Then take some deep breaths and open your eyes, but stay sitting or lying for a few moments before you get up

Reproduced and used with kind permission of the Mental Health Foundation