Learn Deep Relaxation Techniques

Deep relaxation refers to a distinct physiological state that is the exact opposite of the way your body reacts under stress or during a panic attack. This state was originally described by Herbert Benson in 1975 as the relaxation response. It involves a series of physiological changes including:

• Decrease in heart rate
• Decrease in respiration rate
• Decrease in blood pressure
• Decrease in skeletal muscle tension
• Decrease in metabolic rate and oxygen consumption
• Decrease in analytical thinking
• Increase in skin resistance
• Increase in alpha wave activity in the brain

Regular practice of deep relaxation for twenty to thirty minutes on a daily basis can produce, over time, a generalization of relaxation to the rest of your life. That is, after several weeks of practicing deep relaxation once per day, you will tend to feel more relaxed all the time.Numerous other benefits of deep relaxation have been documented over the past twenty years. These include:

• Reduction of generalized anxiety. Many people have found that regular practice also reduces the frequency and severity of panic attacks.
• Preventing stress from becoming cumulative. Unabated stress tends to build up over time. Entering into a state of physiological quiescence once a day gives your body the opportunity to recover from the effects of stress. Even sleep can fail to break the cumulative stress cycle unless you've given yourself permission to deeply relax while awake.
• Increased energy level and productivity. (When under stress, you may work against yourself and become less efficient.)
• Improved concentration and memory. Regular practice of deep relaxation tends to increase your ability to focus and keeps your mind from "racing."
• Reduction of insomnia and fatigue. Learning to relax leads to sleep that is deeper and sounder.
• Prevention and/or reduction of psychosomatic disorders such as hypertension, migraines, headaches, asthma, ulcers, and so on.
• Increased self-confidence and reduced self-blame. For many people, stress and excessive self-criticism or feelings of inadequacy go hand in hand. You can perform better, as well as feel better, when you are relaxed.
• Increased availability of feelings. Muscle tension is one of the chief impediments to an awareness of your feelings.