Just Chillaxing

Practicing relaxation techniques can help reduce stress by:

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-Slowing your heart rate

-Lowering blood pressure

-Reducing levels of stress hormones

-Reducing muscle tension

-Improving concentration and mood

-Reversing tiredness

-Reducing anger and frustration; and

-Boosting confidence to handle problems

The simplest method for relaxation is deep breathing.  The key to deep breathing is to breath from the abdomen, letting as much air into the lungs.  This allows you to get more oxygen in. 

 This is how to practice deep breathing.  Sit comfortably with your back straight and feet flat on the floor.  Put one hand on your chest and the other on your belly. Breathe in slowly through your nose. The hand on your belly should rise instead of the hand on your chest. Exhale at the same rate through your mouth, pushing out as much air as you can while contracting your abdominal muscles.  Continue breathing in and out equally for 5 minutes.  It may help to count on intake and exhale so that they remain equal.

Breathing is something that you can practice throughout the day, even when you are participating in other activities that may be relaxing as well.   It is important to learn proper breathing when doing physical activities such as exercising, doing yoga, or walking.  Breathing can also be practiced when sitting scrolling through social media apps, listening to music, or watching movies.

To get the most benefit, use relaxation techniques in conjunction with other positive coping skills, such as positive thinking, finding humour, managing time, problem-solving, exercising, and getting enough restful sleep.

As you learn relaxation techniques, you will become more aware of muscle tension and stress levels within your body.  Initiating the practice of relaxation techniques when you first notice you are stressed will help you to prevent stress from spiralling out of control.  

Sources

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_relief_meditation_yoga_relaxation.htm#

And my mom