How Much Should We Relax Every Day? Articles | Self Esteem

By: Darren Williger

The biggest bane of modern life is stress, and do we know about it! Each and every one of us has some or the other measure of stress in our lives, and this stress is consuming us slowly… bit by bit.

When we are stressed out completely, what's the best thing we can do? Relax, of course!

Everybody has different notions of relaxation. For some people, reading a book could be best method, or for some people it could be watching television. Well, watching television is not all that recommended because you cannot call all that assault on your senses that a television provides as relaxation. But there are unconventional ideas! For some other people, doing their work in time could be the best relaxation they can get.

Medical science has proved a very direct relation between stress and heart disease. There is a huge body of evidence that proves that too much of stress and worry can hasten the onset of a heart attack. On the contrary, the right amount of relaxation can actually calm down the muscles and tissues that might bring on health conditions. Anger is a very important emotion to be controlled also. In fact, people who learn anger management are actually managing their stress conditions too.

In recent times, transcendental meditation has come quite in vogue. Many experts do believe that this kind of meditation is very effective against atherosclerosis. Transcendental meditation is much more spiritual in its outlook; it is performed along with chanting of mantras. It has been medically shown that people who indulge in transcendental meditation actually show a thinning of the arterial walls. This is direct prevention for several cardiovascular problems.

Acupuncture is also much talked about in recent times, and it is much widely practiced too. This Chinese therapy is seen to be very effective in the treatment of high blood pressure and in the release of endorphins, which help in relaxing muscles, allaying panic pangs and pains and reducing worries.

But perhaps no method is as popular as the Indian Yoga therapy. Yoga is about assuming several meditative stances and bringing the mind in harmony with nature as much as possible. Yoga, even when done alone, is very effective in boosting the health and in relieving stress. Today, Yoga is medically proven to be much better than music therapy and other such alternative methods. That is the reason why Yoga is today termed as a progressive relaxation technique.

But if you are looking for a very simple relaxation method, then nothing comes close to breathing. When we breathe, we are in fact improving the circulation channels throughout our body, and that is the reason why breathing has positive effects on our entire body and mindset. Breathing can affect our moods as well as our organs. Many breathing techniques have been specially developed currently to relieve stress conditions.

Even exercising in the right way is a method of relieving stress. Some people, when they are quite excited with some worry, will exercise for some time. That is a definite way of bringing down stress. Then there are additional benefits of exercising too – like exercising can help you improve your waistline.

Massage therapy has always been considered as a great stress-relieving technique. Getting a massage from a professional masseur always works. Again, there are several massaging techniques based on their manner of operation and the organ that they pertain to.

A growing trend in attaining relaxation is the biofeedback training program. This program contains of sessions of a few hours each, usually ten hours, which are kept at weekly intervals. This is a method to train how to relax the mind and body.

Hypnosis has always been accounted for as a relaxation technique, but its merits are always questioned too. Its basic principle is to surrender the mind and body in the hands of someone else and find relaxation in that way. People who have health problems brought on by stress are usually treated through hypnosis.

Some people, quite wrongly, take drugs to help themselves get over their stress. Drugs must not be used because they are addictive, they have serious health repercussions and they are not as effective. However, it is quite all right if the drugs are prescribed by doctors for medicinal purposes.

The above were some relaxation methods that you can use. Some of these methods produce hormones that can help the body to overcome its stress and help it to relax. These hormones also suppress the immune system and help it to recover so that it can improve in its functions. Also, relaxation techniques are good for improving the limbic system of the brain, which controls all our emotions.

Our brain is always overworked on the right hemisphere. It is necessary to provide it with a calm atmosphere so that it can rejuvenate itself. Relaxation is the way to do this.

It is important to work a relaxation technique into your daily regimen. You must select which is the best relaxation technique for you, according to your comfort level, and then try and practice this method on a regular basis.