Relaxation Exercise

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There are numerous methods by which one can feel relaxed and soothe himself/herself. It is nice to experiment and know which method works best and which one works least. Here we have devised a useful tool or exercise which will guide you to reach a relaxation exercise that works best for you. This technique is quite effective with older people who are experiencing significant anxiety and frustration along with depression. This exercise is pretty simple. As you begin learning relaxation skills, it is important to filter out whether it is helpful or not in helping you with anxiety and frustation.

Directions of use:

On the scale below, rate how tense you are feeling right now by circling a number on the line. If you circle 0, then you feel no anxiety, if you circle 10 then you are feeling the most tense you have ever felt. A 5 or 6 would mean that you have a medium level of stress, tension and frustation:

 

After you do this, try to answer the following questions:

Why do I feel this way?

What danger signals am I experiencing now?

Practice relaxation exercise now

Choose a relaxation technique and after doing the exercise, rate your anxiety and tension on the chart below:

 

Note down your physical symptoms and signs.

Example comments:

Try and get the answer of the following questions from yourself:

1. Did your tension decrease after this exercise?
2. Did you expected your tension to decrease more than it did? If so, keep in mind that the more you practice relaxation on your own, the more relaxed you will feel immediately following the exercise.
3. How much time you take to do the exercise? Also, as you practice more, you will decrease the time it takes to reach a relaxed state.

Some people feel that their body and mind become completely relaxed by the first deep breath! You can keep track of your before and after relaxation experience using a Relaxation Exercise and Practice Log that your therapist will give you.

Relaxation on your own

• Selecting one place can also help you remove yourself from stressful situations in order to take care of yourself. Recall that your therapist said that you can return to your safe place any time when you take 3 deep breaths. You may be surprised how quickly you can do this outside of therapy. Many people select one comfortable, quiet place in their home to practice relaxation.
• Preparing yourself for an upcoming stressful event - Relaxation can also be used to prepare yourself for an upcoming stressful event. For example, if visits to a particular family member are stressful for you, spend a few moments in your relaxation spot prior to the visit. Using the skills this way can help you relax both your body and mind to better control an upcoming unpleasant event.
• Many people feel that they start the day with relaxation exercises even if they are not in the middle of a high stress moment. The effects of relaxation can be a nice way to start your day.
• Music also enhances the benefits of relaxation. If you think this may be true for you, find a copy of your favorite music and spend some quiet time in your relaxation spot.

Some Principles for Relaxation

1. Notice your danger signals and introduce your stop sign.
2. Sit in a comfortable place, keeping your arms and legs uncrossed.
3. Close your eyes and block out all external sounds.
4. Breathe very slowly, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Focus on your breathing throughout the entire exercise.
5. When you imagine your safe place, let all thoughts floating into your awareness float out quickly. This time is meant as a break from the demands of your life and not a time to focus on your responsibilities.
6. Set aside times to treat yourself to relaxation. Practice enhances the effect!

Sample Relaxation Practice Log

Directions : On the scale below, rate how tense you are feeling right now by circling a number on the line. If you circle 0, then you feel no anxiety, if you circle 10 then you are feeling the most tense you have ever felt. A 5 or 6 would mean that you have a medium level of stress, tension and frustation. Record the time of day that you did the exercise and some comments regarding the prior stressful situation and whether the relaxation helped you. Do this each day.

Capture following in sequence:

• DATE
• TIME
• RELAXATION
• SCORE
• COMMENTS

  Before

  After

  Before

  After

  Before

  After

  Before

  After

  Before

  After

  Before

  After

Sample Score: 59

Talking about some special Relaxation skills Anger Management

Anger is one of the main and widely spread feeling associated with frustation and stress. Many older people experience intense anger or frustration associated with their depression. For example, a great deal of work has been to help older people who are caring for an elderly relative or spouse with strategies to handle the many frustrating situations they experience. Anger management in itself is a relaxation exercise tips. It helps to control the unnecessary wastage of time and energy. Follow certain tips given below to manage the anger in times of distress:

1. Using thinking tools to idenitfy and modify the automatic thoughts that lead to intense anger and frustration.
2. Using assertiveness skills if needed.
3. Rewarding yourself for managing these feelings.
4. Recognizing the situations that make you angry.
5. Recognizing your danger signals.
6. Engaging in an activity to physically calm yourself down, such as relaxation, breathing slowly, or even exercise.

Summary and Review

Note down the key points which you found useful in this topic.

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What are the skills which you learnt with this exercise?

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What are the assignments which may help me in recovering?

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