Proven Methods for Stress Reduction

If one wishes to counteract the harmful effects of chronic stress on the body, they must learn to RELAX!

Through the use of relaxation techniques, one can begin to undo this cumulative, detrimental process, and engage the body's incredible potential for self-healing.

Herbert Benson, M.D., Harvard Professor and stress reduction authority, first coined the phrase "Relaxation Response" in the early 1970s to describe the physiological and mental modifications that take place when one consciously relaxes. In The Wellness Book he indicates that the relaxation response is "a physiological state characterized by a slower heart rate, metabolism, rate of breathing, lower blood pressure, and slower brain wave patterns."

For a complete chart illustrating how the Relaxation Response and the Stress Response affect various aspects of the body, see my lens entitled, Breathe to Relax.

There are numerous proven techniques which promote this state of intense rest and release. This article focuses on rhythmic, deep, diaphragmatic breathing.

This vital stress relief tool is "right under your nose" and as close as your breath! When you drop into slow, deep breathing, the in-breath fills your lungs and causes your lower belly to expand as the diaphragm descends downward into the softness of your relaxed belly.

Deep, diaphragmatic, soft-belly breathing has a profound effect on the body. Just three minutes of soft-belly breathing can shift your body out of Stress Response mode into the Relaxation Response! And if you can remain in that Relaxation Response for just 20 minutes once or twice each day, you will go a long way toward counteracting the harmful effects of chronic stress on your body.

Progressive muscle relaxation, also known as a guided body scan is a very valuable stress reduction technique.

A guided body scan -- which seeks to discover and release muscular tensions -- promotes deep relaxation, as most of us carry unnecessary tension in various muscles.

The location of chronic muscle tension can differ from person to person.

In progressive muscle relaxation, you move your attention into different parts of your body and let go of any felt sensations of tension or discomfort. With consistent practice, you can become more aware of your tension and discover ways to let it go. Releasing physical tension promotes soothing and a serene, quiet mind. You can find an extended body scan on my Guided Meditation CD.

You can add to the relaxation by first tensing each muscle group, holding it for an instant, and then releasing it into deeper relaxation. Increasing the tension assists you in becoming more conscious of how the tension in that muscle feels, as well as making it possible to relax more deeply.">

Start with deep, relaxed breathing. Then when you are ready, move your attention in sequence through your body, starting at your head and slowly moving down until you end with your toes. Within each section of your body, pause a moment and scan for tightness, tension, or chronic soreness. Begin to let yourself release any discomfort or tension that you become aware of.

You can also imagine sending the warmth of your in-breath into the discomfort or pain, and then, with the exhalation, release and melt the tension.

If you are just learning diaphragmatic breathing, you can learn it more easily by lying on your back with your knees bent. In this position, it is easier to feel "soft-belly", diaphragmatic breathing. Be mindful of the feeling of the belly rising with the inhalation and falling with the exhalation. Let the breath create that movement. You can also place your hands on your abdomen and let yourself breathe into their warmth. As you send the breath into your hands, feel how the weight of the hands rises with in-breath and falls with out- breath. A thick book placed upon the abdomen will create the same sensation.

Another wonderful way to find deep belly breath is to lie on your belly. In this position, the only way you can breathe is diaphragmatically!

Finally, it can sometimes be helpful to sigh out loud with the exhale. Sounding is an excellent way to release stress and tension.

Physical relaxation -- the release of muscular tension -- in the body supports the Relaxation Response. Your heart rate, breathing and metabolism slow down and your blood pressure lowers. Your mind becomes tranquil and relaxed, free of worry -- and is no longer transmitting the signals that release the stress hormones to flow throughout your body.

As you are learning this method, or if you want a more structured practice it is frequently of use to study with a teacher or to listen to a Guided Meditation CD. This will make it easier for you to stay attentive to your breath and to pay attention to segments of your body which might otherwise be overlooked in the body scan.

We unintentionally elicit the Stress Response in our bodies through sustaining chronic muscle tension; through anxiety, worry, and catastrophic thinking; through lack of exercise and proper sleep; through a hectic, fast-paced stressful lifestyle. The Stress Response can be the underlying cause of a compromised immune system, greater susceptibility to disease, and to more rapid aging.

The antidote to the Stress Response is the Relaxation Response, which reverses the damaging effects that result from the body being chronically "revved-up", as if to fight or flee from danger.

Take a little time, today, to engage in progressive muscle relaxation.

Twenty minutes of Relaxation Response per day can reverse the effects of chronic stress. Give this to yourself -- you'll be happy you did.

Centering Meditation is a proven practice which also promotes a state of deep rest and relaxation. In this practice we direct our attention on a single word or phrase to improve the experience of relaxation while bringing awareness to our deep, slow, and even breath. The words you select can have significant special meaning, be neutral or merely be welcome sounds.

One tactic with this sort of structured meditation can be to silently speak one word or phrase to yourself as you breathe in and a different one as you breathe out.

Here are some examples for you to try:

With the inhale, mentally say to yourself: Deep
With the exhale, mentally say to yourself: Slow

As you breathe in, saying: Let
As you breathe out, saying: Go

Breathing in: At
Breathing out: Peace

Another way to make use of centering meditation is to repeat the word or phrase each time you breathe out. Here are a number of examples of words or phrases you might choose to repeat to yourself in this manner:

Rest
Relax
Calm
Wind
Now
One

You can also practice centering meditation by counting breaths. To do this, simply count each out-breath. You can count up to ten and when you reach ten, begin again at one with the next breath. When you forget where you are in the count, start over again at 1.



If thoughts, feelings or distractions appear, simply let them pass on by and kindly bring your awareness back to the repetitive word, phrase, or counting.

This relatively uncomplicated technique can facilitate strong results. It works, in some way, because making use of language and counting gives the brain -- which is prone to distraction -- something to do. This places the mind's attention on an activity which encourages a focus on the breath; this, in turn, draws the body into the Relaxation Response.

Practice Centering Meditation today - - set aside twenty minutes to investigate this powerful stress relief technique. Remember, just twenty minutes of Relaxation Response one or two times per day can undo the effects of recurring stress.

The practice of Mindfulness, or mindfulness meditation, is a proven method which supports the bodily state of the Relaxation Response.

Mindfulness is finding what the writer, Henry David Thoreau, spoke of as the "bloom of the present moment." This practice offers an encounter of the Relaxation Response as you discover how to be in the present moment with awareness that is moment-to-moment and without judgment. It lets you become centered and fully engaged in your life as it unfolds.

Mindfulness can be practiced formally or informally. In the formal practice of Mindfulness, you start with focusing you attention on the physical sensations that take place with your breath. That is followed by an expanding of focus as you start to be aware of sounds, sensations, thoughts, experiences or feelings. As you become aware of what is within you and around you, you can learn to consider and embrace what is present without judgment, without striving to change it or move away from it.

The best route to mindfulness practice is with awareness of the breath. As you breathe, you note the thoughts or feelings that develop without reacting to them. Then, making use of the pattern of your breathing, simply name and acknowledge what you observe, and go on with a focus on the breath. Thus, the breath becomes a constant anchor to the present moment, and any interrupting thought or feeling withdraws from awareness.

This process has been likened to sitting on the bank of a stream, attending to the breath. As a leaf or a twig drifts by, it moves into conscious awareness. The leaf is observed, noted, and then it drifts on down the stream out of sight. The observer returns to concentrating on the breath.

It may be beneficial to attune your focus by vocalizing internally what you are experiencing. This helps you to stay in the moment.

You might say things to yourself like:

Breathing in, I know that I am breathing in.
Breathing out, I know that I am breathing out.

Breathing in, I am sad (or happy, worried, afraid)
Breathing out, I am still sad, etc.






With this approach, there is no investigation into or consideration for what has triggered the emotion. You merely identify your experience and let it go with your breath.

An approach to Mindfulness that is less formal involves bringing your full awareness to a task in which you are engaged, or to any moment that is happening in your day. Whether you are eating,
walking, driving, or getting dressed, you can proceed with the task or pleasure at hand, being fully absorbed in it while maintaining the awareness of your breathing. You can engage your senses fully and delight in sensations that you are aware of.

Using the internal vocalization approach, you might say to yourself:

Breathing in, I know that I am having a shower.
Breathing out, I hear the flowing resonance of the water.

Breathing in, I notice the sensation of the warm water on my body.
Breathing out, I see the swirling patterns of steam.






With this informal approach you are bringing mindful awareness to what is happening in the moment, and you release the stress-inducing habit of multi-tasking. Right away you may allow yourself to be fully engaged in what is at hand. Only then can you be fully alive and totally present!

The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook
by Martha Davis, et.al.

This sixth edition classic offers many self-assessment tools and calming techniques to help overcome anxiety and promote wellbeing. It presents a comprehensive look at stress, its physical manifestations and the multiple ways it can be managed. Chapters on breathing, relaxation, meditation, thought stopping, stress management, time management, assertiveness training, and body awareness offer the reader focused approaches to dealing with the many varieties of stress.

Arriving at Your Own Door: 108 Lessons in Mindfulness
Jon Kabat-Zinn

In Arriving at Your Own Door Jon Kabat-Zinn selects 108 messages of profound wisdom that can lead to both healing and transformation. These daily readings on mindfulness help us to awaken to the great work of awareness - awareness that can aid us in inhabiting our world with peace and sanity.

Relax and Renew: Restful Yoga For Stressful Times
by Judith Lasater

Experience the best rest of your life with restorative yoga. Relax and Renew contains a general sequence of supported yoga postures and breathing techniques to heal the effects of chronic stress, as well as programs for back pain, headaches, insomnia, jet lag, and breathing problems. There is a special section for women during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause as well as a guide to using props and a section on resources.

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Eckhart Tolle

Tolle's message is simple: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. He shares ideas about personal integration with uncommon eloquence and a deep understanding of the human condition. A spiritual guidebook that has the potential to inspire the reader to live more fully in the present.

Visualization and Guided Imagery meditation is a powerful, resourceful and engaging way to make yourself comfortable and transition into the state of deep rest and relaxation. It is an effective instrument for transforming your life. Through visualization you purposefully use your imagination to change your behavior, help your mind and body to heal, and alter the way you feel. In her book, Staying Well With Guided Imagery, Belleruth Naparstek says that Guided Imagery is "a kind of directed, deliberate daydreaming, a safe and effective method of utilizing your sensory imagination." Guided Imagery helps you calm down so that your mind and body may relax and recover from the ravages of chronic stress.

Guided Imagery works for the reason that your body doesn't fully differentiate between evocative, sensory images and real events. As a result, when one is in a state of deep relaxation, the images we select as our focus are persuasive and factual to the body.

One way to start the practice of visualization is to utilize a Guided Meditation CD, either one that is professionally produced or your own recording of a chosen meditation script. In addition, you can practice on your own by evoking an image that you find relaxing -- a soothing image of a favorite location or a cheerful experience. Breathe slowly, deeply, and easily as you use all of your imaginal senses to generate and take pleasure in your chosen image.

Visualization and Guided Imagery are helpful techniques to assist you in allowing your body to relax and experience the Relaxation Response.

Take a little time today to visualize a safe, tranquil and comforting scene in which you have all that you need. You are perfectly relaxed and contented as you drink in the splendor of the setting that you have fashioned. Breathe with awareness as you experience, in your imagination, perfect contentment and satisfaction. If you want something, you have only to bring it to your imagination and voila! you have added it to the scene you are creating. Let yourself remain in this imagined scene for a short while. When you are complete, come back to the so-called "real world." Notice any sensations in your body.