Introduction to Stress and Relaxation

Stress is often an important component of the lives of people working in modern society, but in its negative form, it has been found to be an important precursory factor in the context of many illnesses. 

This realization has led to a focus on the relaxation response as a way of counteracting the demands of daily living. 

The purpose of this chapter is to describe a number of different relaxation activities, demonstrating that such activities can be performed in a short time and at little cost, and that they can produce physiologically beneficial results. 

Among the topics explored are passive and active muscle relaxation, visualization, stretching exercises, breathing exercises, autogenic phrases, and mindfulness meditation. 

The chapter concludes with instructions for developing a self-help program. 

The introduction to this chapter has already conveyed the importance of the relaxation response as a means of reducing the potential for developing many mental and physical illnesses. 

Furthermore, the ability to experience a state of relaxation or its concomitant infra-low frequency electroencephalogram is highly correlated with emotional well-being and good health. 

There is also evidence that activation of other types of alpha waves in the brain can generally help in dealing not only with stress but also with high blood pressure and with the management of chronic pain. 

Meanwhile, instructing clients to feel optimistic and giving them positive reinforcement can produce psychological and physiological benefits and control hypertension. 

Moreover, mindfulness meditation that engenders effective relaxation techniques can help reduce anxiety, and other psychiatric and stress-related problems, as well as promote positive health attitudes. 

In addition, relaxation inducement has been found to be a clinically significant factor associated with training behavior modification, promoting treatment success, and influencing endocrine and immune functioning.

Defining Stress and its Impact on Health

When it comes to health, the mental aspect is just as important as the physical one. 

As society changes rapidly, the built-in pressures increase. 

Stress has been implicated in a number of diseases and disturbances due to the elevation of blood flow from fear, the release of glucose to provide available energy to the muscles, the decrease of nonessential functions in the body, and the elevation of cognitive function. 

Some of these include hypertension, ulcers, indigestion, heart palpitations, and more. 

What is important to understand is how stress is interpreted individually and how it is managed. 

Counselors can help parents explore how they can, in turn, help their students and themselves reduce, manage, and refocus stress through stress reduction techniques.

There are a number of things that a person can do to reduce stress, including setting realistic goals, becoming involved in meaningful activities, feeling good about their accomplishments, and practicing relaxation skills. 

People also have to realize that there are some things in life they just cannot change or control, so these need not even be attempted. 

The field of psychology and others interested in reducing stress have done a great deal of research in this area, particularly in the area of relaxation activities. 

With children, as with adults, it is recommended that methods of stress reduction be taught to help individuals handle everyday strains and stresses.

Understanding the Importance of Relaxation

"Wise people never try to block out stress or remove it." Instead, stress itself should be channeled and employed to good personal effect. 

Using relaxation as the preferred method to produce this condition, stress can be a beneficial force, motivating and propelling us to work productively, strive to succeed, and master life's most challenging situations. 

Sensation-seeking individuals tend to seek out this experience, exciting themselves to intense personal stress as a vehicle of self-discovery. 

Stress can actually take the form of an energetic tonic, providing the stimulation that maximizes accomplishment and experience. 

Recognizing our limitations, we may still consider stress a lesson-layered training mechanism useful for improving our coping abilities. 

Instead of identifying stress strictly as an indication of anxiety or the source of tumultuous emotional upheaval leading us to physical and mental breakdown, interpret stress wisely, and cultivate a relaxed attitude.

An expert at challenging the notion that "to relax is to fall apart," his belief is well founded. 

As a society, we face increased economic and social pressures while we carry heavy personal and collective responsibilities. 

Balanced against these achievements, we reduce stress by cultivating a mindset in which relaxation is regarded casually and promoted realistically as the buoy for rising above the destructive fallout. 

The ultimate purpose of relaxation techniques is to enable a rational perspective and to make available the creative personal freedom we require in order for us to explore and fully celebrate our given potential.

Physical Activities for Stress Reduction

Physical Activities and Exercise People are often encouraged to engage in some form of physical activity to help alleviate unwanted stress. 

Exercise has long been established as a means of stress reduction by general health professionals. 

Engaging in mild forms of physical activities such as walking has some potential for stress reduction. 

For adults to promote and maintain health, general recommendations are to engage in 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. 

Regardless of whether the goal is to maintain general health or to reduce stress levels, moderate-intensity activities such as walking are the primary form of activity. 

Engaging in more intense forms of physical activities, such as exercise, has been extensively investigated by health professionals as a means to alleviate or reduce unwanted stress. 

There is evidence to suggest that exercise can serve as a buffer for stress, but the results tend to be mixed. 

The evidence supports that exercise helps to attenuate lower levels of stress and anxiety, but for those suffering from stress-related disorders who engage in high-intensity activity, the health outcome may worsen. 

Engaging in moderate-intensity activities such as walking has potential for stress reduction without resulting in heightened anxiety.

Yoga and Stretching Exercises

Yoga and stretching exercises help put a stop to the poisons that accumulate in our bodies. 

Pollutants and high levels of daily stress increase strain on the lungs and heart. 

Yoga turns off the body's response to the external environment by using physical movement, meditation, and controlled breathing. 

Controlling the breath not only helps take control of poor breathing habits but also has its own benefits. 

There are many different types of yoga; some focus on breathing and relaxation, while others emphasize posture and alignment. 

Both provide benefits. One very simple yoga move is to invert from a seated position. 

This involves sitting on the seat's edge with feet flat on the ground and hands holding the seat, palms down, fingers pointed to the back. 

After a deep breath, exhale and push down on the seat and lift the body, inverting the lower limbs which are positioned directly over the head, without straining. This forces blood away from the feet. 

Hold for a few breaths. This maneuver is a boost to the leg's lymph flow, while virtually turning the perching person into a sort of human teapot, allowing accumulated lymph to drain.

Stress reduction is an easy yoga fulfillment and is a great help in improving lymph flow. 

The combination of inversions, forward bends, and twisting poses encourages the movement of lymph. 

In just an hour or so, it's possible to move into an entirely new comfort zone. 

Whether one focuses on the physical movements or the mind's controlling exercises, the result is the same. 

The simple stretching postures of some exercise systems can effectively open the chest, which makes breathing more rhythmic and exercise an enjoyable experience. 

Alternating rounds of deep breaths throughout exercise routines can move the most lymph possible out of the lungs, up, out, and into general circulation. 

Even turning the head side to side and yawning or inhaling deeply can encourage more lymph drainage from the chest area. 

Management of physical stress and the ability to turn mental and emotional stress off is the positive side of exercise. 

Injury to a lymph tract, common with vigorous exercise or overuse, can be painful as well as discouraging. 

Onward overexertion permits lymph to accumulate, damaging the body's tissues and leading to serious medical complications.

Tai Chi and Qigong

Mind-body exercises are forms of exercise in which movements of the body and mind are coordinated with each other. 

The combination of mind and body practices provides an excellent environment for the reduction of stress, anxiety, and depression. 

There are many different types of mind-body exercises, including yoga, tai chi, qigong, body-mind dancing, and mindfulness. 

An increasing number of research studies have been documenting the positive effects of mind-body exercises in stress reduction. 

Studies have documented higher levels of stress reduction among those who perform yoga, tai chi, and qigong exercises compared to those exercising against hand movement control.

Tai chi involves slow, highly controlled movements and has been identified as a form of meditative and mind-body exercise that plays an important role in stress reduction. 

Additionally, tai chi can be competitive, non-competitive, or performed for health. 

Currently, tai chi is classified as a competitive sport. 

Research studies have found that participation in a 12-week tai chi session improves academic burnout and quality of life. 

Tai chi practice also enhances exercise self-efficacy and is effective for office workers to reduce stress, anxiety, and blood pressure. 

Parents who practice tai chi also report higher levels of stress and anxiety reductions in comparison to walking parents. 

Tai chi is beneficial for hemiplegic stroke patients to improve heart function and could be more advantageous than a regular breathing exercise program. 

Tai chi practice can also improve joint health, balance control, and pulse health variables.

Mindfulness and Meditation Techniques

Mindfulness and meditation have become popular mind-body interventions for stress and self-regulation. 

The terms are sometimes used interchangeably, but in general, mindfulness is a heightened state of attention that is cultivated through a meditation technique. 

Over time, mindfulness becomes an inherent state and can change an individual's awareness of their environment, but not their focus. 

Meditation, on the other hand, refers to a variety of techniques that sustain and heighten attention in such a way that individuals are able to gain greater awareness and self-knowledge. 

By actively participating in meditation, one is less likely to be preoccupied with one's thoughts and thus, less likely to be preoccupied by the future with worries concerning possible challenges or by the past with concerns about whether one has the social or physical resources to survive present challenges.

Meditation and mindfulness techniques have been shown to reduce the psychological and physiological symptoms of stress and to improve emotional stability. 

They can also serve as an alternative to manage stress when other techniques are ineffective. 

While both techniques alleviated stress responses to a degree, sustained attention meditation was more beneficial than general or relaxation-only stress management techniques.

Breathing Exercises

Breathing is usually employed in conjunction with positive visualization, where something pleasant is visualized with each breath taken. 

When concentrating on the need to relax, various negative visualizations (causes of stress or unpleasant events) are pictured and are associated with one’s breath being expelled. 

Breathing exercises can relax the tension associated with various forms of dental surgery and pneumoencephalography. 

Breathing control can help the process of general relaxation; it also reduces the effects of tests involving anxiety-arousing material.

When the breath becomes rhythmic, it can be slowed down. 

In a study comparing the techniques of autogenic training, progressive relaxation, and breath control, it was found that breath control was the easiest to learn and was more successful in the production of general relaxation. 

Techniques of breath control have been used to help with depression, combat fatigue, decrease tension, and teach anger reduction or calmness. 

In both positive and negative visualization, the patient is encouraged to think about how the breaths are affecting the muscles or organs that are to be relaxed and to consider the importance of having free breathing.

Body Scan Meditation

Body scan meditation, also known as progressive relaxation, centers on physical sensations in the body. 

The goal is to tune in to one's body, paying attention to physical sensations in the present moment, without judging those sensations as good or bad. 

This meditation is characterized by a gentle and systematic focus on physical sensations from the toes to the head or around the body. 

These sensations might include heat, cold, tension, soreness, tingling, or relaxation to help you fall asleep.

The first step is usually to find a comfortable seated or lying position. 

Then, the meditator is guided through a body scan by paying attention to areas of their body, either one area at a time, working through each major area, from feet to head, or by focusing on a sequence of three areas such as left, middle, and right sections of their body. 

This practice is said to help with various mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, and pain, by stimulating pathways and reducing distress. 

During body scanning, practitioners gently shift their attention from one part of their body to another, listening to and feeling the body in order to develop deep concentration and relaxation. 

The evidence regarding the effectiveness of body scan meditation specifically for helping with anxiety is limited.

Creative Outlets for Stress Relief

For the individual who finds relaxation while being creative, there are many options to eliminate stress. 

Various crafts, for example, are helpful to some. 

Reading or listening to music may be useful diversions. 

Provided the activity is in no way contradictory to the belief system of the individual and is truly relaxing, it may be a stress-relieving activity. 

Pampering oneself doesn’t have to be expensive, and it may go far to reduce stress levels for some people. 

Give yourself a manicure, pedicure, or facial. 

Allow plenty of time to read, without guilt, a beloved novel or series of articles. Personal hobbies or special interests often prove to be effective tension reducers. 

This could encompass a variety of activities such as knitting, painting, drawing, or carving. 

The gardening enthusiast may find that his or her hobby not only improves the property but is rewarding in personal satisfaction as well. 

Pet lovers may find that simply sitting quietly with a cherished animal nearby soothes away the cares of a difficult day. 

Emotional outlets exist in many varied forms and should be encouraged. 

If creativity seems to be lost, simply try to find snippets of time daily, scheduled into the day if necessary. 

Pieces of downtime can help eliminate stress. 

Visit the public library and browse for intriguing audiotapes. 

If music is more meaningful, consider joining a local choral group. 

The opportunities are varied. 

Get feedback and suggestions from friends and a variety of groups. 

Explore new activities whenever possible.

Art Therapy

Art therapy is a popular form of therapy for stress reduction, especially for those who may be resistant to traditional talk therapy methods because it promotes self-expression, self-discovery, and personal fulfilment. 

Specifically, one builds self-esteem and develops a better self-awareness by exploring their creative side. 

Creating art can be emotionally healing, and it is common for a client to find answers to their problems as they paint, scribble, play with clay, or color. 

Although not necessary, an art therapist has taken graduate art therapy coursework and may have a therapy, psychology, or counseling background. 

Currently, there are 4,500 registered art therapists in the United States alone. 

Some therapists or friends may ask you to try art therapy at home to express and release your feelings, relieve stress, and discover a stronger sense of self. 

All you need to participate in art therapy is some paper and a writing utensil. 

You can even use a piece of laptop or tablet paper and a finger or mouse-controlled cursor. 

If you would like a more elaborate list of art materials, please refer to the essay, which consists of over 50 art therapy techniques to manage symptoms.

Music and Dance

Music is a powerful neurological influencer that has been studied in relation to mental, physical, emotional, and psychological outcomes. 

Using those outcomes, researchers have made the case that music can be used to improve mental health and reduce anxiety and stress. 

While much research in this area is still focused on patients and music therapy, the undeniable effects of music can be examined, and for those interested in personal well-being, music can be used to help reduce anxiety, stress, and depression. 

Dance and movement therapy is a mode of healing that has been found to contribute to relaxation and an overall sense of well-being. 

The best part is that you don't need a therapist to get into motion and reap mental health and relaxation benefits. 

The research supports that relaxed breathing occurs during dance and can help to support relaxation. 

Movement comes from the deepest part of our beings, the soul, and is an essential aspect of each one of us. 

Allowing time for dance, even if it is alone in the privacy of our homes, can help reduce anxiety, stress, and depression and improve overall mental health.

Conclusion and Recommendations

It is clear that relaxation activities are beneficial with regard to stress reduction. 

For students enrolled in full-time studies, this becomes all the more important, as it is expected that as future employees, they are more likely to be affected by high levels of stress, poor work-life balance, and high turnover in the workplace than their part-time studying counterparts. 

To gain the benefits of participating in relaxation activities, students can make time during breaks, after classes, or on weekends to regularly engage in any of the listed activities presented.

For policymakers and professionals who specialize in providing resources to students interested in finding suitable relaxation activities, it is important that appropriate programs catering to a variety of interests are made available. 

Overall, this study provides some avenues for understanding how relaxation activities could be included in a campus wellness program. 

Participants in this study stated that they would take part in activities that are easily accessible and available for free or at a low cost. 

Activities that have long-term health benefits are also of interest. 

Future studies could look at the relationship between participating in relaxation activities and life stressors. 

Furthermore, interest could be shown in whether participation benefits from the duration or frequency of attending one specific relaxation activity. These studies will provide a greater understanding of the activities that students in universities are interested in.