7 Powerful Relaxation Techniques (pickthebrain.com)

The stress of modern life can make real relaxation an elusive dream. Yet there is no reason life has to be filled with anxiety and stress. If you take some time to learn the art of relaxation, you can easily rediscover the enjoyment in life. The secret of relaxation is a controlled state of mind. For example, you could spend a whole hour in a health spa; but, if you spend the whole time worrying about what will happen tomorrow, how can you relax?

Relaxation Techniques

1. Now is the only Time that is important – How often do we find ourselves worrying about the future? Anxiety about the future takes up a significant portion of our thoughts. But, to be honest, worrying about the future doesn’t help in any way. If you always live in the past or future you will never be able to relax. To be in a state of relaxation means living only in the present moment.

2. Your environment Matters – Where you spend time has a subtle influence over your state of mind. Consciously we may not be always aware of this; however, you will notice that in some rooms it’s easier to relax and be at peace. Look at your room; if you see piles of clutter these will act as constant reminders of things you need to do.

These constant subconscious reminders are a heavy weight on the mind. If you tidy up the room and create a pleasant environment, it will make a big difference to your state of mind and enable you to relax. Don’t be reluctant to spend a bit of money on things like air-freshners and flowers. Spend time tidying up your living/work environment. Its essential to relaxation and will also make you more productive.

3. Meditation – During meditation we actively make time to silence the mind and bring to the fore a real feeling of relaxation. Meditation helps because we learn to control the relentless flow of thoughts. During meditation, the aim is to keep the mind still; this brings clarity and inner peace. This is the best type of relaxation because we become free from the relentless worries and anxieties of our own making. Find time to meditate for 10 or 15 minutes each day; through meditation we can easily detach ourselves from the pressures of the world.

4. Productivity not Procrastination – Relaxation doesn’t have to mean spending all day on a beach doing nothing. We need to learn how to relax, even in the midst of our daily activities. Prioritise the things that you need to do. If you do things systematically, one at a time, you will feel less stressed and get things done quickly. It’s when we try to do several things at once that we put ourselves under great pressure — this struggle which makes relaxation impossible. Don’t make life hard for yourself. Do one thing at a time and enjoy doing it. When you’ve completed your necessary work, then you have the reward of pleasing yourself without a guilty conscience.

5. Do Not Depend on the Opinions of Others – How much do you depend on the opinion of others? When we worry what people may think or say, we place a burden on our mind. Subconsciously we work towards trying to please others. However, when we have this state of mind it becomes impossible to relax. No matter what we do or say, there will always be someone who manages to criticise or find fault. Therefore, we should develop an attitude of detachment to both praise and criticism.

This doesn’t mean we’re indifferent to the views of others; it just means we won’t allow ourselves to lose our inner peace because of their opinions. This piece of advice isn’t easy to implement but over time we can gradually give less importance to the views of others. Relaxation can only occur if we aren’t constantly thinking about what others are saying and doing.

6. Time to Yourself – Don’t allow yourself to always be at the beck and call of work and other people — make time for yourself. If you are harassed by constant email and phone enquiries, take evasive action. Only take calls and answer emails at certain times of the day. It’s unlikely that your availability, 24 hours a day, is indispensable. When we allow pressures to build up, relaxation becomes very difficult. But, if you really try hard, you should be able to reduce the demands placed on your time and energy.

7. A change is as good as a rest – Life should not be a constantly repeating soap opera. If you find yourself stuck in the same routine, do something completely different. For example, if you spend all your evenings watching rubbish on TV or surfing the internet, you will not get a feeling of real relaxation. Go for a walk or do some sporting activity. The change of scene and activity will help you relax and get away from the monotony and frustration of daily activity.

Relaxation is as simple as gentle Breathing

If you feel stressed take a few moments out. Just watch and be aware of your breathing. Breathe naturally and gently; this will have a very powerful, calming influence on your mind. When you breathe in, feel that you are breathing in inner peace. When you breathe out, feel you are exhaling all your anxieties and worries. Relaxation can be this simple – it doesn’t have to be complicated at all.

Tejvan Pettinger is a member of the Sri Chinmoy Meditation Centre. He lives in Oxford where he works as a teacher. He also offers mediation classes as a community service and updates a blog at Sri Chinmoy Inspiration a collection of articles on meditation and self improvement.

Source:  http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/relaxation-technique/

Easy Relaxation Techniques

Each individual will have unique ways to relax. The relaxation techniques listed here are options that you can try. There is no right or wrong way to relax, and no one technique that will work for everyone, so find out which ones work the best for you.

Relaxation is a skill. This means that relaxation is something that can be learned and practiced, it is something we are not necessarily just born knowing how to do (not everyone knows how to relax), and we often are not good at it at first. Each person has the ability to learn how to relax, but not everyone will relax the same way.

Everyone can learn to relax. This means that even if some of these techniques don't work for you, at least one will! You will be able to find some way to relax, and with practice, relaxation will become easier.

Here is an overview of some of the relaxation techniques you might want to try:

Progressive Relaxation - progressively tensing and then relaxing muscle groups - by progressive, I mean one muscle group after another... the relaxation progresses through the body. Passive progressive relaxation is the act of relaxing muscles progressively without tensing them first. If you are already very tense, this method might be best (tightening up already-tight muscles can cause muscle cramping).

Physical Techniques - includes progressive muscle relaxation; also stretching, yoga, tai chi, pilates and other physical techniques.

Visualization - visualizing something for relaxation or making positive changes, such as picturing in your mind a relaxing scene.

Guided Imagery - the process of being guided through calming or helpful mental images, such as calming scenes, the healing process, or positive changes.

Autogenics - imagining that your limbs are warm and heavy, your heart rate is slow and steady, and your forehead is cool.

Meditation - focusing the mind on a word, phrase, or idea and letting go of other thoughts with an attitude of passive acceptance for relaxation or making positive changes.

Sensory - experiencing or imagining the sensations of sight, sound, smell, taste, and/or touch.

Deep breathing - breathing slowly and regularly and taking sufficiently deep breaths.

Other methods - exercise, massage, hypnosis, self-hypnosis, crafts, hobbies, dance, music, conscious mental rest, artwork, walking..... etc.

The best way to find out which relaxation methods work best for you is to try them. Guided relaxation audio allows you to follow along and be guided through a relaxation technique. You may not feel any different at first, but by doing a relaxation technique you experience all the health benefits of relaxation!

Source: http://www.innerhealthstudio.com/relaxation-techniques.html

Learning how to relax (BBC)

Planned relaxation calms anxiety and helps your body and mind recover from everyday rush and stress. Music, a long soak in the bath, or a walk in the park do the trick for some people, but for others it's not so easy. If you feel you need help with learning to relax, try a relaxation or meditation class. Your GP and local library will have information about these.

• Choose a quiet place where you won't be interrupted.
• Before you start, do a few gentle stretching exercises to relieve muscular tension.
• Make yourself comfortable, either sitting or lying down.
• Start to breathe slowly and deeply, in a calm and effortless way.
• Gently tense, then relax, each part of your body, starting with your feet and working your way up to your face and head.
• As you focus on each area, think of warmth, heaviness and relaxation.
• Push any distracting thoughts to the back of your mind; imagine them floating away.
• Don't try to relax; simply let go of the tension in your muscles and allow them to become relaxed.
• Let your mind go empty. Some people find it helpful to visualise a calm, beautiful place such as a garden or meadow.
• Stay like this for about 20 minutes, then take some deep breaths and open your eyes, but stay sitting or lying for a few moments before you get up.

Source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/emotional_health/mental_health/coping_relaxation.shtml#learning_how_to_relax

10 Powerful Ways to Deal with Anger

Here are some practical suggestions for dealing with anger.

1. When you are angry say nothing.

If we speak in anger we will definitely aggravate the situation and quite likely hurt the feelings of others. If we speak in anger we will find that people respond in kind, creating a spiral of negative anger. If we can remain outwardly silent it gives time for the emotion of anger to leave us.

“When angry count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred. “

- Thomas Jefferson

2. Be indifferent to those who seek to make us angry.

Some people may unfortunately take a malicious pleasure in trying to make you mad. However, if we can feel indifferent to them and their words; if we feel it is beyond our dignity to even acknowledge them, then their words and actions will have no effect. Also, if we do not respond in any way to their provocation, they will lose interest and not bother us in the future.

3. Use reason to stop anger.

When we feel anger coming to the fore try to take a step back and say to yourself “This anger will not help me in any way. This anger will make the situation worse.” Even if part of us remains angry our inner voice is helping us to distance our self from the emotion of anger.

4. Look kindly upon Others.

Another visualisation, suggested by spiritual teacher Paramhansa Yogananda, is to see the anger-rousing agent as a 5 year old child. If you think of the other person as a helpless 5 year old child your compassion and forgiveness will come to the fore. If your baby brother accidentally stabbed you, you would not feel anger and desire to retaliate. Instead, you would just feel he is just too young to know any better. This exercise may be particularly useful for close members of the family who at times evoke your anger.

5. Value Peace more than anger.

If we value peace of mind as our most important treasure we will not allow anger to remain in our system. As Sri Chinmoy says:

“You may have every right to be angry with someone, but you know that by getting angry with him you will only lose your precious peace of mind..”

6. Always try to understand those who are cross.

Don’t worry about feeling the need to defend yourself from their criticisms. If you can remain detached and calm they may begin to feel guilty about venting their anger on you. Inspired by your example of calmness, they will seek subconsciously to do the same.

7. Focus on Something Completely Different.

Suppose someone has done something to make you angry. Think about something which will make you happy. The best antidote to negativity is to focus on the positive.

8. Breathe Deeply.

The simple act of breathing deeply will help considerably with removing anger.

9. Meditation.

Practise meditation regularly to bring your inner peace to the fore. If we can have an inner access to our inner peace we will be able to draw upon this during testing times. – How to Meditate

10. Smile

When we smile we defuse many negative situations. To smile is offer goodwill to others. Smiling costs nothing but can effectively defuse tense situations.

Common Sense

If you leave your unlocked bike in the centre of town, it is likely to get stolen. This can be frustrating and is likely to give rise to feelings of anger. Of course, we should  minimise this kind of situation – simply remember to lock your bike. If we feel there is an injustice in our workplace, we should work to resolve it; this will make our work environment more peaceful and less prone to creating anger. If we have a partner who is abusive, the solution is not just dealing with our own anger, but finding a more peaceful living situation.

When we try to transcend anger, it doesn’t mean we have to acquiesce to injustice and unfairness. We should strive to make the world a better place. However, whatever our goals, it is always best to act with poise and a clear mind. Acting under the influence of anger makes it more difficult to attain what we wish to achieve.

Finally as a teacher, I occasionally feign anger to make students pay attention; sometimes, you need to show a stern face. However, as a teacher you can’t afford to allow yourself to be over-run with the emotion of anger because then you may over-react and create problems.

Source: http://www.srichinmoybio.co.uk/blog/inner-peace/10-powerful-ways-to-deal-with-anger/