Advice & Information to Help you through the Healing Process
Relaxation
Whether at work or home the need to be able to relax is as vital a function as breathing itself. We can usually tell if people are stressed and tense by their body language.
Look at people (discreetly) and try and tell if he or she is suffering from tension (Ask yourself... do they need to relax?) by looking at the following areas:
- Check the Forehead... Are their foreheads tensed? Are they frowning?
- Check the Jaw... Are their teeth clenched?
- Check the Shoulders... Are their shoulders hunched? This is a dead give away.
- Check the Arms... Are their arms crossed?
- Check the Hands... Are they fiddling with things? Are they excessively sweating?
- Check the Legs... Are their legs crossed un-necessarily? Are they swapping over their crossed legs too often?
- Check the Breathing... Are they breathing too rapidly or too shallow?
All these things you can observe in people every day. What about you? You could do the same observations on yourself! Check the entire above plus:
- Check your stomach... Are you getting butterflies? Do you feel tense? Are you feeling Anxious?
- Check your Toes... Are your toes crunching and twitching without due cause?
- Check your breathing... Is your breathing too rapid? Too shallow? Are you feeling dizzy or light-headed?
Relaxation Methods
Aromatherapy
Using an oil burner and candle and scented oils:
- Ylang Ylang. This has the most soothing of aromas. Can be used alone or combined with lavender and orange.
- Lavender. Helps relaxation and aids sleep.
Music
Find soothing music that relaxes you to listen to. Relaxation CD’s are available in high street shops, find one that works for you.
Benson's Relaxation Method
Find somewhere quiet where you will not be distracted. Either lie down or sit in a comfortable, supportive chair.
- Take a few moments to get yourself as comfortable as you can. Let your body go loose and heavy and let the chair, bed or floor support the weight of your body completely.
- Close your eyes. Breathe easily and normally, don't force your breathing. Concentrate on your breathing for a few moments.
- Think of one word that you associate with being relaxed. The word may be something like "calm", "peace”, and “sunshine" or even "relax" itself. It doesn't matter which word you choose as long as it is the one word that helps you to relax.
- Say your word to yourself each time that you breathe out. So breathe in, breathe out and say the word in your mind, breathe in, breathe out and say the word in your mind etc.
- Let yourself relax like this for about 10-15 minutes.
- When you have finished relaxing allow yourself to become alert slowly, never jump up too quickly during or after a relaxation session.
Useful tips
- Never practice relaxation just after a heavy meal, otherwise you might get indigestion. Leave about an hour in between eating and relaxing.
- Allow plenty of time and use a quiet room where you are unlikely to be disturbed.
- Try not to fall asleep when you are practising your relaxation.
- Allow yourself to come to slowly after relaxing, don't jump up suddenly to answer the phone or doorbell, give yourself time.
- Don't carry out Benson's relaxation for too long, 10-15 minutes is sufficient.
- Practice your relaxation at least once a day, since it is only through practice that you will learn to relax.