How to Relax
Is it rare for you to reach a state of total peace and relaxation? You’re not alone!
Especially if you have people-pleasing tendencies, your odds of experiencing regular stress and anxiety are extremely high.
That’s because as people pleasers, we tend to unintentionally create anxiety in our bodies with behaviors and compulsions that are energy-draining as well as stress-inducing. Such as:
Seeking validation
Avoiding conflict at all costs
Saying “yes” when we really want to say “no”
Constantly fearing rejection
Overthinking the day away
Suppressing our emotions
No wonder it’s hard for us to relax!
Learning to Relax
Here are 4 scientifically proven ways to regulate your nervous system.
Deep Breathing
I doubt this one comes as a shock to you, but since conscious breathing is one of easiest, fastest, and most accessible ways to reduce stress in the body and pave the way for relaxation, it’s worth repeating!
How to practice: There’s no need to complicate this one; just take deep breaths and watch your belly expand with each one, making the exhale longer than the inhale.
Why it works: When we breathe like a relaxed person, we actually trick our brains into believing we ARE a relaxed person.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
This may sound a little intimidating, but all it requires is tensing then relaxing various muscles in the body.
How to practice: Sit or lay in a comfortable position, then start with your feet – flexing/tensing them for a few seconds before relaxing them.
Then, move up your body by doing calves next, then thighs, etc. until you finally reach your neck and face, getting scrunched one final time before relaxing completely!
Why it works: By tensing and then relaxing our muscle groups, we switch our nervous system from fight or flight (the sympathetic nervous system) to rest and digest (the parasympathetic nervous system), making relaxation a breeze!
Walking and Stretching
We all know exercise is linked to relaxation, but that doesn’t mean we have to run a marathon to experience those benefits!
How to practice: Take a walk around your neighborhood and then spend 5-10 minutes gently stretching your body.
Why it works: Walking works out pent up energy in our bodies and loads us up with endorphins, while stretching helps us release negative emotions, lowering our stress level significantly and regulating our nervous system.
Safe Place Imagery
When we are mentally reliving a stressful event, our body re-experiences it.
Now, as much as that part sucks, it works in the reverse, too; imagining a calming, peaceful scene will put your body right there.
How to practice: When you catch yourself overthinking or reliving painful memories, consciously begin to imagine a serene space that makes you feel safe – you can bring anyone and anything into the space with you or spend time there alone.
Advanced technique: Activate your 5 senses by asking what you can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch in this place!
Why it works: The moment we begin to visualize something, our brains go crazy making connections and accessing our mirror-neurons, causing us to physically experience what we’re mentally imagining.
Benefits to Relaxation
By practicing these 4 techniques we discussed today, you can expect a whole host of benefits:
Lowered stress hormones, heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure
Decreased fatigue, anxiety, and frustration
Improved digestion, focus, and mood
Better sleep, more energy, more confidence, and more enjoyment of life!
With benefits like these, it’s worth a shot, right? Let me know how it goes!
