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An overview of relaxation techniques

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Stress is a necessary element in life. Without stress is almost equivalent to losing motivation and drive. However, excessive stress can cause damaging effects to the human body.

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Page 1: An overview of relaxation techniques

An overview of Relaxation Techniques

Stress is a necessary element in life. Without stress is almost equivalent to losing motivation and drive. However, excessive stress can cause damaging effects to the human body. The human body reacts to an overwhelming level of stress by putting up a ' FIGHT or FLIGHT' response in order to counterbalance the chemical imbalances in our body. This heightened state of excessive stress can be damaging thus relaxation a technique are here to counterbalance the harmful effects of stress and brings the level down to a safe state of equilibrium.

Many people have the misconception that sitting on the sofa watch TV or snacking during breaks provides relief in stress. This is not true. Relaxation techniques are necessary in providing maximum stress management. However not all techniques are suitable for everyone. Some may have great effects on one particular method while others may find the other method not useful at all. Reason being we are all different, so does our body reacts to different healing techniques of stress management. One alternative recommended by experts is to combine or alternate different techniques to keep a person motivated. In fact, this is the only ways that enabling one to find out which methods work the best for you.

One of the most popular methods is the deep breathing technique. This technique requires deep breaths from the abdomen instead of taking shallow, quick breaths. The rationale is to induce more oxygen into the lungs and chest. The more oxygen the body gets, the calmer the person will be. Breathe out from the mouth and nose slowly and try to inhale maximum air so that that is an obvious movement of rises and falls in your lower abdomen. Do a slow count. Maintain an upright sitting position throughout. You can choose to lie on the floor if it's too difficult to breathe through the abdomen.

Practising mindfulness cultivation by means of meditation can help in relaxation as well. It is typically used in relieving stress by focusing one's attention from unpleasant problems to present issues by diverting it to a single repetitive action, for example, repeated breathing, speaking and some simple actions in order to release inner thoughts and negative sensations. It is crucial to maintain a good posture and quite position that is free from disturbances. Get yourself into a comfortable position so that you won't find yourself fidgeting around and getting more frustrated. Note for a point of focus, which can be just a feeling or by pure imagination. It can be in the form of verbalised words or mere objects so long to keep your attention focused onto the focal point and not getting distracted during the meditation. One however may choose to keep eyes open or shut during the session. It is important to keep an non critical and observant attitude during meditation. Do not be distracted by external worries or too self focused (worry about own progression), it can make your efforts go wasted. However, it is essential to know that if these thoughts are disturbing and persistent, it will be wise not to fight them back. Simply just divert your attention back to the focus point.