Everybody is different and so one relaxation technique may work better for you than others. We are going to help you make that first step in taking control of your stress by giving you three examples of well-known relaxation techniques to start you off.
Breathing Exercise 2 – Focus
This is a task in which you count your breaths but don’t control them.
- Sit or lie down in a comfy position.
- Wait a few moments to let yourself relax.
- When you are ready you are going to label the next breath that comes naturally as number ‘1’.
- Wait until the breath comes, don’t breathe to the counting.
- As you say the number 1 picture it any way you can. See it clearly in your mind’s eye.
- Wait for the next breath to come naturally and label it number ‘2’. Picture the number 2 clearly in your mind.
- Do this until you get all the way to number 10. When you get to 10 start again at number 1.
- Focus on the numbers, don’t hold your breath or match it to your counting. Keep it natural and focussed.
All thoughts should melt away as you focus on the slow, predictable numbers. Your body should start to respond and you will feel your muscles relax and your mind slow down. You can check if it is working for you using one of the PIP apps. The green ‘relaxed’ bar on the Stress Tracker will start to rise, the tree will bloom in the Loom and your hot air balloon will fly magestically over the scenery in Relax and Race.
These are just some of our suggestions to help you get started on your mission to take control of your stress. There are lots of other relaxation techniques and you may find that one of these works better for you than others. Or you may come up with some of your own. Let the Pip guide you as you try out different techniques until you find that will melt stress away and leave you feeling calm and relaxed.