Relaxation: the Rewards and Obstacles

Dr. Roderick A. Borrie, psychologist

www.drborrie.com

Being able to unwind from life's tangle of stress and tension to enter a state of deep relaxation is an important skill you can learn. It is a skill that will benefit your physical and mental health and make you feel happier and more in control. Not only is it possible for everyone to learn to relax, it is essential. Why do you need to be free from physical and mental tension? The simplest reason to relax is that it feels good. Escaping from muscle tension, anxiety, worry, and every other non-relaxed thing is a wonderful experience. Even though it is a temporary state, relaxation benefits us in many ways. Physically, it revitalizes us. By allowing muscles to release tension and cease exertion, relaxation recharges our muscles with energy. The easing of muscle tension can bring significant pain relief. It is also crucial in the healing process to relax. The body can more easily use energy for healing or fighting illness when it relaxes completely. Research on the immune system shows that stress depletes our immune function and relaxation restores it. Relaxation has numerous mental benefits also. A calm mind can concentrate better.

Because of the broad range of these benefits, training in relaxation is sometimes called the "aspirin" of Mind-Body medicine. Relaxation training is used in treating stress, anxiety, and mood disorders, as well as a wide variety of physical problems such as chronic pain and chronic illness. Remember that the effects of relaxation are equally physical and mental.

At the heart of learning to relax is learning how to focus your attention. Whatever you pay attention to becomes your experience. You can think of attention as a spotlight, a spotlight of awareness that you direct, and whatever falls into this spotlight becomes your experience. It takes considerable effort to take control of this spotlight, but as we develop this control, we actually take control of our experience.

Attention is a means of connecting to any aspect of your self or your life. This could be your physical self, your thoughts or emotions, your relationships or your surroundings. When you attend to any of these, you become more aware of what is happening with them, and, in a sense, more connected to them. This connection is based on feedback between you and whatever you are attending to. When you attend to something you receive more information about it and can respond to it better.

Many of the clinically proven relaxation techniques focus on some aspect of your physical self. Each requires investing your attention but each uses a slightly different focus. One of the simplest is diaphragmatic breathing which spotlights learning to relax the abdominal muscles and breathe with the diaphragm, instead of breathing with the chest. This has been described by some experts as the single most important relaxation technique to master. It has a powerful relaxing effect and can readily be made into a healthy habit.

Progressive muscle relaxation centers on attending to muscles. Gently shrugging groups of muscles helps to sensitize you to the presence of tension so that it is easier to release muscle tightness. This technique increases awareness of tight muscles and trains you to release that tension.

Autogenic training repeats a series of phrases that help you concentrate on and relax different parts of your body. Autogenic simply means self generated and it is hoped that eventually you will produce a deep state of relaxation by repeating these phrases to yourself.

Some techniques use mental images of peaceful places to evoke relaxation rather than focusing on your own body. Being guided through mental images is often a quick way to achieve deep relaxation, like having a short vacation in your mind.

Occasionally, it may be suggested that you try biofeedback as you work with a relaxation technique. Because relaxation is an unfamiliar state for many people, it may, at times, be difficult to tell how well you are doing. Biofeedback uses machines that indicate the progress you are making.

Relaxation is also a main effect of meditation, but meditation does much more. Through meditation you develop the ability to attend to what you choose, increasing your power to control the spotlight of your awareness. Not only does regular meditation build this strength, it creates a state of deep relaxation in the process.

The goal is to make a habit of relaxation. This means establishing a mastery of a number of relaxation skills and utilizing them as a natural part of your routine. Unfortunately, there are many obstacles that make this goal more difficult. I've put them into the following four categories along with tips for overcoming them:

The Hyperactive Environment.
Our immediate surroundings are often far from peaceful. Create a quiet spot for your relaxation practice. This will accelerate your progress considerably.

The Hyperactive Schedule.
With jam packed schedules, time cannot be found, it must be scheduled. As you try different times, you may notice that relaxing at a specific time of the day may be more effective.

The Hyperactive Body.
A big problem with stress is that we get used to the physical arousal it produces. For some, the body can feel restless and fidgety; there is actually a discomfort with sitting still. Keep your initial relaxation sessions short and gradually increase their duration.

The Hyperactive Mind.
While calming the mind is one of the natural goals of relaxation, some people feel their mind is too active to be calmed. The chaotic flow of thoughts is a habit of mind stemming from untrained attention. Taking time to practice and develop the skills of relaxation is a gift to yourself.

Regular relaxation enables you to handle more, to not be overwhelmed by stress. It is a valuable skill, however, for it to increase your well being on a long term scale you need to incorporate it into your life as a regular routine.