By Jocelyn Anderson
Have you ever had a long and stressful day and all you want to do is to calm down and relax? Everyone needs time to relax sometimes, and there are a lot of benefits to relaxation. Relaxing can be just what you need to finish off your day, and get ready for the next.
There are so many positive benefits of relaxation. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Relaxation isn’t only about peace of mind or enjoying a hobby. It’s a process that lessens the stress effects on your mind and body.” This shows that relaxing can directly decrease stress levels, which is healthier for you and your body. Mayo Clinic also says that relaxing can lower blood pressure, improve digestion, increase blood flow, ease muscle tension and chronic pain, improve focus and mood, provide higher quality sleep, and so much more. With all these benefits, why wouldn’t you want to take some time to do something relaxing?
There are a few different types of relaxation activities. These include autogenic relaxation, progressive muscle relaxation, and visualization. Autogenic relaxation can include activities like focusing on your breathing or heart rate, relaxing your muscles, and talking yourself through meditation exercises to help you be calmer. Progressive muscle relaxation activities are things like body scan relaxation, tensing your muscles for a short time and then releasing to relax them, or squeezing your eyes shut and then letting go to release. Lastly, visualization relaxing exercises include things like focusing on your thoughts and thinking positive thoughts, and focusing thoughts on the present and allowing lighter thoughts to pass through. Other activities that the Mayo Clinic recommends for relaxing are massages, tai chi, yoga, music and art therapy, aromatherapy, and hydrotherapy.
Most of these activities and techniques are pretty easy to do and don’t take much time or equipment. They are also shown to have many health benefits and can really improve your life. So next time you are feeling a little stressed or have a few extra minutes, you might want to try one of these to calm yourself down and relax.
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