Wellbeing Services Counselling Service

Learn to Relax

Try it out right now. Lie down or sit in a comfortable chair. As you breathe in, clench your fist, making it tighter and tighter, feeling the tension in your fist. Now relax as you breathe out. Feel the looseness in your hand and notice the contrast with the tension. Repeat this with your other fist. Then go through each muscle group - shoulders, lower back, abdomen, neck, arms, legs, face, remembering to breathe out as you relax. Over time you will become accustomed to checking how tense your body is, and learning to relax the muscle group that is tight when consciously breathing out. Do this routine for at least 20 minutes every day, until you have learned to relax by merely thinking towards the muscle group and breathing out.

You can also manage stress thorugh applied relaxation training and mindfulness practise .

This are a few techniques, which many people find helpful. However it is very important to find your own recipe for relaxation and stress management.

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