How to learn to relax

The modern rhythm can be safely described as life on the nerves. Constant exposure to stress negatively affects the well-being and health of a person – it loses vital energy, which causes premature aging of the body. And the longer a person is under chronic fatigue and nervous strain, the stronger the destructive effect is on his psyche. Therefore, it is important to know how to learn to relax at home to relieve stress.

Stress: what is it?

To learn how to relax psychologically, it is important to know the factors of emotional overstrain. First of all, stress factors leave a negative imprint. They can be divided into two large groups:

• Internal. A disease, any pathological deviation, an imbalance of hormones, vitamin deficiency, and an unbalanced diet can act as a stress factors.
• External. In this case, the stress acts from the outside. These factors include excessive noise, physical activity, use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol, painful breakups, increased mental stress, the death of a loved one, and any life changes, including a change of residence or dismissal from work.

Important! The stress factors can be infinitely long – they haunt a person daily. Therefore, it is important to know how to relax properly and what methods of relieving psychological and physical discomfort exist.

How do you know it’s time to relax?

Take a break, stop and think if you have the first signs of stress. The following cognitive signs may indicate it:

• lack of concentration, inability to concentrate on work;
• perception in the life of exclusively negative factors;
• constant feeling of anxiety;
• inability to make a decision;
• learning difficulties – the inability to assimilate new information;
• unreasonable at first glance anxiety;
• poor superficial sleep, nightmares;
• guilt;
• disorganization, irresponsibility, forgetfulness;
• lack of motivation and inability to make plans for the future.

Moral relaxation will also be required if a person has emotional symptoms of a stressful state. These include:

• apathy or depression;
• low self-esteem;
• feeling that the person has lost control of their life;
• thoughts of suicide as a method of getting rid of fatigue;
• irascibility, aggressiveness and irritability;
• inability to distract from problems and relax.

If, in addition to emotional overstrain, you develop somatic and behavioral symptoms of stress (nail biting, stuttering, exacerbation of chronic diseases, drug use, alcohol, or smoking to relax), urgently sign up for online consultation with a psychologist. Our doctors in the video consultation mode will help you cope with stress and select techniques that will allow you to relax as much as possible.

How to learn to relax?

Rest and relaxation are not just a whim for a person. This is an effective way to improve well-being and health. When a person does not experience stress, emotional and physical overstrain, his blood pressure stabilizes, digestion returns to normal, and glucose levels decrease. The less impact the stress hormone has on the body, the better and better sleep becomes.

Relaxation methods are different. We offer a list of the most effective and efficient techniques to help you relax and relieve stress.

Breathing method

The relaxation technique allows you to calm down and relax. The oxygen that comes to us during breathing is the basis for the life of any living being. Therefore, if a person can control breathing, he can take responsibility for his own life and quickly develop the ability to relax. If you control your breathing, you can distract yourself from bad thoughts, which helps to relieve psychological stress.

Repeat this until you are completely lost in your harmony. While applying the relaxation technique, do not think about anything other than how you breathe. The duration of the entire course is 5 minutes. It would help if you relaxed 3 to 5 times daily to achieve maximum results.

Muscle relaxation

Another effective way to relax is progressive muscle relaxation. Edmund Jacobson introduced this method into psychological practice in the middle of the 20th century. In his opinion, any emotional stress, anxiety, and fatigue will certainly lead to muscle tension. Therefore, if you practice relaxation, then getting rid of tension, you can completely relax. This is the best opportunity for the body to boost energy.

Important! You must use certain muscles during the session but not overexert them to relax psychologically. It is important not to strain the whole body.

The algorithm of actions for this method of relaxation is simple:

• Take a comfortable position – you can lie down, you can sit.
• Tighten all muscle groups – first the fingers on the hands, then relax them, then the fists – and repeat the action. Move from one muscle group to another until the whole body is worked out.
• Tighten the muscles should be within 5 seconds, and then relax for 20-25 seconds.

If you do the exercise correctly, the muscles constantly tensed during the relaxation session should become completely relaxed. All negative thoughts about what is happening: problems, and worries should go out of your head. If psychological relaxation does not occur, then the procedure should be repeated.

Meditation

Effective relaxation techniques cannot be imagined without meditation. The benefits of mental practices have been repeatedly proven scientifically, so most psychologists recommend this technique to clients with emotional overstrain or stress.

Clinical studies have proven that a person gets rid of anxiety, stress, and emotional swings during meditation. If the effects of stress have just begun to manifest, then meditation can replace antidepressants.

To meditate, you need to sit in a comfortable place where no one and nothing will interfere with distraction from the familiar world. The head must stop thinking; concentration at the moment is necessary. Avoid any noise that will destroy spiritual harmony. If you can’t relax at home alone, you can use special music for meditation, for example, the sound of the ocean or forest.

Art therapy

The ability to relax is not always a special psychological technique. It can be a simple, uncomplicated way to help relieve stress. The simple practice of coloring images and drawing allows you to get rid of obsessive thoughts and develop the brain’s hemispheres.

Example. Inna, who had just divorced her husband, was in constant depression. Apathy, unwillingness to work, to have fun – all this destroyed her life. To save Inna from the clutches of depression, her friends invited her to a party where a group art therapy session was held. During the creation of the drawing, the girl realized she was much better. She plunged into creativity – the world ceased to be black and white, and colors appeared in it.

The negative will leave the person if you draw your problems on paper. And all the hardships on the sheet can be crushed and thrown away, leaving all the bad in the past.

Power Relief

A person cannot relax and fully rest if nutrients and minerals are deficient in his body. Therefore, proper nutrition, rich in vitamins, and minerals, helps to reduce the negative impact of external factors.

If you want to relax, be sure to follow these simple nutritional guidelines:

• Give preference to vegetables and fruits – they have a beneficial effect on the central nervous system, which helps to reduce emotional stress.
• Include fish dishes in your diet. Fish contains in its composition iodine, which relaxes muscles, and phosphorus, which balances the hormonal background.
• Eat as much buckwheat and wheat as possible – they contain magnesium, which naturally reduces stress levels.
• Cereals and cereals contribute to the production of serotonin – the hormone of happiness- necessary for a person who cannot relax even on weekends.
• Dark chocolate contains anandamide, a substance that increases a person’s level of calm and relaxation.

FAQ

Will the Schulz method help to cope with stress?

As for hypnosis, not all people are susceptible to it. Therefore, it is impossible to talk about a 100% guarantee that the Schultz method will help you relax and get rid of stress. It is necessary to diagnose the patient to understand whether this method will be effective.

Why should you not drink alcohol when you want to relax?

Alcohol, like any other psychoactive substance, helps to relieve tension, but it does not solve the problem that causes stress. Since a person “drowns out” his pain and fatigue, he will face stress factors in the future, which will aggravate the condition. Therefore, if you experience psychological discomfort you cannot cope with this burden on your own, be sure to seek help from a psychologist.

Will physical activity help to cope with overexertion?

Physical activity is useful for any person, not only for those who cannot relax. Intense exercise leads to the production of endorphin – the hormone of joy. Therefore, sports will certainly lead to the fact that a person will become a little happier.

Expert opinion 

Living in constant stress is hard. It is important to be able to relax and get rid of obsessive thoughts that destroy emotional stability. If it is impossible to cope with stress on your own, seek help from a psychologist who will assess the condition and select the appropriate therapy.