Maintaining good mental health means accepting that we will get stressed or anxious from time to time. That is natural and it only becomes a problem if the feelings build and become so overwhelming that we can’t cope. Finding ways to relax our mind and our body to reduce stress and anxiety is essential for good mental and physical health.
The Oxford Dictionary defines ‘Relaxation’ as:
The state of being free from tension and anxiety.
Relaxation Techniques for Good Mental Health
Meditation
I recently attended a Meditation Course which I found very interesting and helpful. I have never really been able to mediate, however the course provided different methods which I am certainly going to try. I will also be writing more about this in future posts.
Meditation can simply be sitting in a quiet place, with your eyes closed and concentrating on one thing you love which helps to clear your mind and relax. Taking time to start you day with 5 minutes of meditation will help to start you day positively and in a relaxed manner. Taking time at bedtime to meditate will help with sleep
Breathing
Sometimes during stressful situations remembering to breathe deeply and slowly will help to reduce the anxiety. If you find yourself becoming anxious, focus on your breathing for a few minutes to slow down your heart rate and your mind.
Time Out For You
Ensuring that you have time out for yourself to enjoy what you love is very important. There are so many ways to relax our mind:
- Read a book
- Watch a movie
- Catch up with family and friends
- Go for a walk
- Watch the ocean and follow the rhythm of the waves lapping the shore
- Bushwalking and enjoying the sounds of nature
- Sitting in the sun
- Appreciating a sunrise or sunset
- Listening to music
- Physical exercise – even though you are moving you do feel relaxed mentally after exercise.
- Yoga
- Tai chi
Choose something you enjoy and can become engrossed in so you aren’t thinking about your problems for a while.
What Relaxation techniques do you use to reduce stress and anxiety? I’d love to hear about them.
In the next post we look at Staying Connected for Good Mental Health
Let’s Keep Sizzling!
4 Comments
I need more relaxation techniques. I never got on well with meditation, but I do use breathing for panic attacks, etc
I had a different idea to what meditation was and after the course I learned that we can meditate in different ways. That made me feel better as I could never sit still long enough. I’ll be writing a post on what I learned.
I love to walk barefoot on my lawn – so nice! With the weather changing, though, now I relax by cuddling up with my babies before bed 🙂
Oh how lovely that sounds – cuddling up with your babies Amber! I love cuddling up to my grandson and yes we can relax and just enjoy the moment. Oh walking barefoot on grass sounds wonderful 🙂