Take it easy
Some people hardly relax at all - and when they get the opportunity to do so - they
have often forgotten how to do it. Many of us will have had the experience of going
on holiday and taking a while to get used to the idea that we can just do nothing
if we want to - and when we try to lie by the pool it feels unnatural - it feels as
though we really should be doing something.
When faced with a situation that is stressful - it's a good idea to try to relax
- it should start to take the edge off the situation - but if you can't remember
how to relax - if you can't remember the last time you actually relaxed then it's
going to be more difficult to do so - so it is a good idea to practice now and
then.
There are a variety of ways to practice relaxation so chose one that suits you.
It's a good idea to be somewhere that is quiet - you can try deep breathing or
just concentrating on something pleasant - if you feel that relaxation is something
that you need to look into further then best go to a library and read about different
ideas. One way I will describe here is related to techniques for self-hypnosis.
The best place for this is in bed, but any comfortable chair will do just as long
as you can't fall out of it if you get totally relaxed. Imagine all the muscle groups
in your body - and imagine there is a switch close to every muscle. Beginning with
the muscles in your feet - just throw the switches that turn off the muscles in your
feet and feel them relax. Leave them like that for a short while so that you get
used to the feeling of your feet being relaxed, and then go on to switch off the
muscles in your lower legs, and wait a short while again so that the feeling becomes
established. Carry on throughout your body using the same process - don't forget
that your face has muscle groups too.
If you are able to do so - whatever method you have used to get really relaxed - it
is useful to set up something that you can use to remind you easily of how it feels
to be so very calm. If you are able to - try to touch your hands together in such
a way that you can remember - it's usual to chose to put the tip of a finger of
one hand into a gap between two knuckles of the other hand - and REMEMBER how you
did this - because if you feel anxious in the future you can bring your hands together
in exactly the same way - and it will be a very powerful reminder of this state of
deep relaxation - this technique uses what is know as 'an anchor' - the point you
have chosen between your knuckles is called the anchor - and you can activate the
point by pressing with your fingertip anytime you need it - you can reinforce the
anchor point anytime by going into deep relaxation and pressing the point again.
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