Your nerves are frayed; you can't focus; you feel exhausted, stressed and irritable. Learning to relax in the midst of the most taxing situations is the key to stress management. We know: easier said than done. Need a little help getting started? Our guided relaxation recording will lead you through a simple set of instructions to release tension and relax your entire body.

Click on the link above to listen, or right-click the link and select "save target as" to save the MP3 to your desktop or portable MP3 player. You can also print the text version below. Please note that you'll need somewhere to lie down.

Guided Relaxation Text

Come to rest on your back on the floor.

Let your feet be about six inches apart, and allow them to fall away from each other.

Your arms should be resting with the palms facing up, four or five inches from your body.

Bring your shoulder blades toward each other on your back so that your chest is nice and open.

Let your chin drop slightly down toward your chest and back toward the floor so that the back of your neck is long and unwrinkled.

Inhale a big breath into your belly as you scrunch up your face, lift your head, ball your fists and tense your legs and feet. Exhale with a big sigh and let everything fall back to the floor. Make a big sigh noise if you like.

Again, inhale deeply and tense every muscle in your body, bringing all your energy inward and then Sign. Let everything release.

Now let yourself settle in.

Feel the weight of your body on the floor.

Allow yourself to grow heavier and heavier.

Feel your eyes settling down into their sockets.

Feel your tongue rest on the bottom of your mouth.

Allow your brain to gently sink into the back of your head.