photo: Sarah Reid, Creative Commons

Teaching yourself to relax amidst the various stressors in life is a skill worth investing both the time and energy. We might think we are relaxing when we are actually holding onto tension.

Learning where your body holds tension is an important first step in learning to relax.

Try to discover where your body tends to feel tension or tightness.

Do you get headaches?

Are your shoulders tight? Or your neck? Your back? Your jaw? Your eyes?

Start relaxing that place where you first feel tension. Focusing for just a few minutes on that place where your body holds tension allows the tension to be released.

Taking time to stretch may be helpful. Massaging the tightness may help too. Even the simple act of massaging your hands can help your entire body to feel more at ease.

Learning to relax comes by practicing relaxation. 

Those who have participated in yoga will be familiar with simply lying down and allowing your body weight to sink into the floor. This simple practice can be very relaxing and it doesn’t take an inordinate amount of time. Three to five minutes can be enough time to relax and let gravity release pressure from your body.

You can also learn to relax in progression.

This can be very helpful at the end of stressful day.

Tighten the muscles for five to ten seconds and then release the tension in the muscle group. You can start at the feet and proceed upward toward the top of your head, relaxing each part of your body as you work your way upward.

Learning to relax will take time and practice, but it is a very helpful way to reduce stress and tension.

Marlayne Whitlock, M.A., LAPC

mwhitlock@ GROWcounseling.com