Archive for the ‘Techniques’ Category

If you are someone who tends to have a lot of thoughts running through your head then you know how unfocused this can make you. When you are unfocused you tend to get things done much slower which can lead to stress as the work piles up. One excellent way to overcome this problem is by using relaxation affirmations.

You may have heard of positive affirmations and relaxation affirmations are very similar. A relaxation affirmation is a short statement you repeat to yourself, either verbally or in your mind, that focuses you on a goal. Of course your goal in this case is relaxation.

The great thing about relaxation affirmations is that you can do them anywhere, at any time and it won’t cost you a penny. Imagine you’re driving and someone cuts you off, or you’ve just been given a stack of work to get through – both are perfect times to use relaxation affirmations.

What does a relaxation affirmation sound like? Well I have come up with a list of a few you can use to get idea of what they are and how they work. Once you get the hang of it you can easily come up with your own.

“I control my own thoughts”.

“I will wake up tomorrow feeling well rested and refreshed.”

Try adding a few relaxation affirmations to your daily routine and see how well they work for you.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (commonly shortened to PMR) is a relatively new relaxation technique. PMR was invented in 1934 by American physician Edmund Jacobson and has been further developed by many others since then. The basic idea behind Progressive Muscle Relaxation is to focus on one muscle group at a time, creating tension for 10 seconds and then relaxing the muscle group. This technique actually reduces tension once it has been performed as well as lowering anxiety.

Tense your fist and then relax it.

This is something you can try right now in front of your computer. Take your hand off of your mouse for a second and form a tight fist for ten seconds, then relax for a couple of seconds. Now fully extend your fingers so it causes tension and hold again for ten seconds before relaxing the muscles. Feel how relaxed that hand now feels. Now imagine feeling that level of relaxation all over your body. That is entirely possible using Progressive Muscle Relaxation.

In has been discovered that relaxed muscles actually require less oxygen than tense ones. This means that after using Progressive Muscle Relaxation your breathing slows down and becomes deeper, adding to the relaxation process. It is almost like a positive spiral down into a deeper state of relaxation.

To begin practicing PMR it is best to be either seated or laid down in a comfortable position. Bear in mind you will have to both tense and relax many of your muscles and thus must be in a position to do so.

It should be noted the Progressive Muscle Relaxation is not a good idea if you are recovering from a broken bone, pulled muscle, tendons and other similar injuries. Tensing muscles is this way can slow down the healing process.

Start off by opening your eyes as widely as you possibly can for 10 seconds, you will feel the surrounding muscles begin to sting and burn during this time. This is the tension in the muscles building up. After the 10 seconds is up let your eyes relax.

Open your mouth wide for 10 seconds and then allow it to completely relax. You should find that when you relax your mouth there is a slight gap between your top and bottom set of teeth and your jaw is nice and loose.

Next tilt your neck forward and until the muscles are tense, again for 10 seconds. After this time allow your muscles to loosen and put your head back into a more comfortable position. At this point your head and neck should feel loose and relaxed with no tension remaining.

You can go down the rest of your body in this way from you shoulders, to your biceps, triceps, forearms and hands, then to your chest and stomach. Moving down to your buttocks, your thighs, calves and finally your feet.

This Progressive Muscle Relaxation exercise will take you between 5 and 10 minutes and when you are done all of your muscles will be free of tension.

One of the biggest causes of stress in peoples’ lives is undoubtedly work. In the workplace stress can come from almost every angle, whether it’s the tasks you are expected to do, the people you work with, your boss(es) or the lack of space around you. There are ways to reduce stress at the workplace so you can go home feeling much more calm than you normally would. All you have to do is use the following office relaxation techniques.

Breathe Deeply

If you feel things getting on top of you stop what you are doing and take ten deep breaths. This will properly oxygenate your blood giving you a new burst of energy while lowering stress levels. This is perhaps the most powerful office relaxation technique there

Eliminate Clutter

Don't let stress at work make you ill.

If you work at a desk or in a confined space try your best to keep it neat and tidy. Eliminating clutter can be very therapeutic and it also means that when you need to find something quickly you will be able to do so without turning the place upside down and creating unnecessary stress.

One Task At a Time

Multitasking creates a lot of stress as the mind struggles to focus on more than one activity at once. Some believe that multitasking saves time but this is a fallacy. Instead you should write a list of tasks you need to do and complete them in order of importance. You will be able to focus better on each task and your quality of work will actually improve without wasting any time.

For more about this read my previous article The Stress of Multitasking.

Take Your Break Outside

Most workplaces will give you two ten or fifteen minute breaks along with half an hour for lunch. First things first, no matter how much work you have to do you should always take your breaks. Time away from your desk will give you mind a chance to rest and you will feel refocused when you return.

To get the most from your break, if the weather is nice, you should take it outside. Fresh air is rejuvenating and you can take the opportunity to go for a quick walk. This is a great way to reduce stress.

Stay Away From Negative People and Conversations

There’s always going to be a group of negative people at any workplace. Do your best to steer clear of these kind of people as they will drag you down with them. Similarly negative conversations will also put you in a negative frame of mind so try to be positive at all times.

Learn To Say No

Unfortunately some people will try to take advantages of others at work by coercing them to do their work for them.  If a boss or colleague is heaping work on you faster than you can finish it you have to put your foot down, say no, and tell them that you simply can’t do it without the amount of other things you need to do.

You’d be surprised how many people try and pass work on that really they should be doing themselves. Don’t allow yourself to be a doormat in this way.

It can be hard to summon the courage to say no but one way to gain the mental strength required is with hypnosis. HypnoBusters sell an effective session on MP3 appropriately titled Say No Hypnosis.

Reducing stress at work can take some effort but it really is worthwhile. Most people spend around a third of their weekdays either at work or travelling to work so if you can reduce or eliminate the stress this causes you are well on your way to be a totally calm and relaxed human being.