Relaxation Techniques Counter the Effects of Stress

Do you feel stressed out? Well, you are not alone. The World Health Organization states that stress is reaching epidemic proportions.

Whether it is financial conce
s, pressures at work or feeling like you have too many responsibilities, being stressed out is becoming familiar territory for many of us.

How do you know that you are under too much stress?

If you feel frazzled at the end of the day, are tired most of the time or you jump from crises to crises and are worn out - then you may be living with an unhealthy amount of stress.

Too much stress makes it difficult to relax. There are physiological reasons for this, but if you don't allow yourself to rest and recuperate, you put yourself at higher risk of stress related illnesses.

Relaxation techniques provide you with a chance to de-stress and give your body a chance to rest and recuperate.

Relaxation techniques that activate the relaxation response can help you to counter the effects of stress on your mind and body.

This makes relaxation an important skill for you to learn!

I say skill, because like any other skill, whether it is learning to play tennis or learning to drive, relaxation requires practice.

The more that you practice relaxation skills the more likely you can put them to use when you are in stressful situations and need to relax.

So don't put relaxation skills off until you are stressed to the eyeballs and in the hurricane of the storm.

Make a goal today to practice your relaxation skills. Even if it is just for 5 minutes a day. Making your practice sessions a daily habit is a good way to reduce your feelings of stress in a tight situation.

What relaxation skills to use. Well the choice are mind to muscle relaxation skills such as meditation, guided imagery, and some breathing exercises. Alte
atively there are muscle to mind techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation.

What you use is generally what you find best for you and the situation you are in.

You can think of choosing relaxation skills as a little like choosing a meal at a restaurant. Everybody has their favorites.

Try out different relaxation skills and find out what works for you. I have found that some clients just love meditation while others can't seem to sit still long enough and prefer progressive muscle relaxation.

Also some relaxation skills, such as breathing techniques may be useful for quick stress relief, while meditation a more long-term strategy.

Exploring different relaxation skills give you the confidence to take control of stress today.