TENSION RELEASE EXERCISES.
Overeating, heavy drinking and smoking are some of the most common ways in which people attempt to cope with tension; They are damaging to health both because of the direct physical effects they have and because they are habits that reduce our sense of control over our lives. This sense of being in control, of feeling that we are acting out of choice and can influence events, is beginning to emerge as the single most important prerequisite for mental and physical well-being. The secret of relaxation, whether snatching a few minutes out of a busy working day or floating off before going to sleep at night, is not to try too hard.
A number of studies by doctors and phychologists around the world have shown that a perception of helplessness may play a part in causing illness and can influence the eventual outcome. A sense of powerlessness may also be the critical factor in preventing people from slimming successfully. We have choice of two very effective techniques to pick from a sequence of tense-and-release exercises or simple meditation. The exercises work directly on the main muscle groups, on the principal that anxiety and muscular tension are inseparable.
Deep relaxation, a skill which needs to be learned and practiced, will enhance your sense of control in several ways:
* By curbing bad habits such as overeating, drinking too much or smoking. ‘Tension control reduces harmful displacement activities resulting from nervousness, particularly excessive eating and anxiety nibbling.
* By making you feel more energetic and confident. ‘Your energy reserves and vitality are raised when you control stress, so that your body image improves and confidence is boosted.
* By making you less likely to over-react emotionally. Relaxation lowers the physiological arousal that triggers emotions. So you will feel calmer and more efficient.
Exercises.
These are best done lying down in a warm, quite room with dimmed lights. But they can also be done sitting down.
Lying down: Lie on the floor, preferably on a rug or blanket, arms by your side but not touching the body, feet pointing outwards. If your neck needs support, use a cushion or pillow or, better still, a book or books about 2 ½ inches thick. If you have a sway back or pain in your lower back, put a pillow under your knees to take the strain off the lumbar region, and keep them slightly bent.
Sitting: Sit with your lower back supported. If the chair has no headrest to lean back against, you will need to clasp your hands behind your neck in order to tense your neck muscles.
How to do them: Work from top to toe, tensing and releasing each muscle group in turn. Hold each position for about 10 seconds, then release. Pay attention to the muscles relaxing and make a mental note of what it feels like for specific muscle groups to let go. After about 15 seconds, move on to the next group.
1. Eyes and forehead. Close eyes; screw them up tight, frown hard.
2. Jaw and tongue. Clench jaw, press tongue against roof of mouth. Clench your jaw, clamp your teeth together and feel the tension radiating outwards towards your ears. Release, let your mouth drop open and your tongue lie flat. Swallow and feel your throat soften as the tension subsides.
3. Neck. Press head against floor, pillow or seat, or clasp hands behind head and press head against hands.
4. Shoulders back. Draw shoulders back, as though trying to make shoulder blades touch.
5. Shoulders up. Hunch shoulders, as though trying to touch ears.
6. Arms. Straighten arms, clench fists and tighten arm muscles.
7. Abdomen. Draw in abdominal muscles, as though trying to touch spine with abdomen.
8. Buttocks. Squeeze buttocks together. Pull your buttocks close together, hold them there and release.
9. Legs. Straighten legs, bend back feet and tighten leg muscles.
10. Toes. Stretch your legs, Scrunch up toes and squeeze, pointing the toes down towards the floor as far they will go. Hold the stretch for a few moments, then stretch again and release, feel the tension gradually ebb away.
11. Checking. Check that eyes, forehead, jaw and tongue are relaxed without tensing these muscles first.
12. Verbally. Say to yourself, ‘I am completely relaxed from my head to my knees to my toes’ as you feel a wave of warmth and relaxation wash over you from head to foot.
At the end of the sequence you should be feeling warm and very relaxed, as well as refreshed; you may even have a sensation of almost floating. Do these exercises at least once a day, preferably twice, any time you feel under pressure, anxious, aching or tired. After a hard day they can be as restorative as a nap.
