This blog post is dedicated to teaching you stress management relaxation techniques because because studies have shown that stress worsens skin conditions like acne, eczema, vitiligo, rosacea, psoriasis and urticaria.
Therefore, take a few minutes each day to practice these stress management relaxation techniques so that you can reduce the effects of stress on your mind and body as this will help you cope better with everyday stress.
Stress Management Relaxation Techniques
The following are some of the relaxation techniques that you can practice regularly to manage stress effectively:
Abdominal Breathing
Abdominal breathing is also known as deep breathing or breath focus. It is a free relaxation technique that can be done almost anywhere.
To breathe deeply, breathe through your nose until your abdomen rises, holding your breath for a few seconds and then exhale completely until your abdomen falls. For optimum results, do it in a quiet place after losing tight clothing and while closing your eyes and you will find that focusing on your breathing will help disengage your mind from your stressors.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the used of essential oils for their healing effects on the body and mind. These essential oils are natural essences that are obtained from plants.
Lavender essential oil is one aromatherapy oil that has been proven by many studies to be effective for stress management. To use it, you can inhale it from the bottle or add a few drops to a tub filled with water for an aromatherapy bath.
To learn more, click on the link to read How To Use Essential Oils.
Autogenic Relaxation
Autogenic relaxation combines the use of visual imagery and body awareness to reduce stress. For example you can imagine a peaceful setting like a calm beach. You can also repeat words to help you relax. This is combined with focusing on slowing your breathing.
Body Scanning
Body scan is a relaxation technique that combines abdominal breathing (see above) and progressive muscle relaxation (see below).
To do it, spend a few minutes doing abdominal breathing and then focus on one part of your body to assess it for tension before releasing the tension.
Exercise
Rhythmic exercised is an effective relaxation technique.
Guided Imagery
Guided Imagery can help you manage stress because it helps you imagine yourself in a stress-free situation. For optimum results, use as many senses as you can (sight, sound, smell, touch, taste).
For example if you are stressed because you don’t have a job, imagine yourself working at your dream job, hear yourself being congratulated for your job performance, smell your cheques as you cash them and taste your favorite desert that you have bought with money that you have earned doing a job that you love.
Hydrotherapy
Massage
Getting a professional massage is one of the very effective stress managment strategies. If you are not able to do so, you can give yourself a self massage by using a wooden body massager.
For optimum results use a natural, aromatherapy body massage oil made from lavender essential oil and jojoba.
To purchase these aromatherapy oils visit our Nairobi Almasi Skincare Shop on Moi Avenue, Sawa mall, 3rd floor, shop C15. Call 0721 963 156 or WhatsApp 254 721 963 156 for countrywide/worldwide delivery.
Meditation
Meditation is a very effective relaxation technique because by fixing your mind to one word, thought or phrase, your heart slows down, tension dissipates and you are able to relax.
Therefore create time to meditate in the morning or evening. For the best results, choose a phrase that speaks to your stressful situation to meditate on.
For example if you stressed because of an illness, you can focus your mind on a phrase like, “I am perfectly healthy”. If your mind wanders, slowly draw it back and focus it on “I am perfectly healthy”.
Music and Art Therapy
Prayer
According to Harvad Medical School, repetitive prayer is an effective relaxation technique.
This strategy involves silently repeating a short prayer while breathing deeply.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation is another effective relaxation technique that focuses on tensing and relaxing each muscle group. It helps you become aware of the physcial sensations brought on by muscle tension and muslce relaxation.
To do it, simply tighten the muscles of your right foot for around 5 seconds and notice how it feels before and after relaxing them for around 30 seconds. Follow this with tensing the muscles of the left foot, registering the sensation and relaxing them. Do this for all the muscle groups as you work your way up your body to the neck and head all the while ensuring that you become aware of the sensations of tension and relaxation.
Visualization
Visualization can help you manage stress because it helps you see yourself in a stress-free situation.
For example if you are stressed because you don’t have a job, see yourself working at your dream job with your mind’s eye.
Experts recommended practicing a combination of these stress management relaxation techniques for 20 minutes each day as this will help you better manage everyday stress and improve your overall health and wellbeing.
Stress Management Relaxation Techniques Training
To receive individual or group training in these stress management relaxation techniques, call 0721 963 156 or WhatApp +254 721 963 or email almasiskincare@gmail.com
Relaxation Techniques Book
To learn more relaxation techniques read Rules of Relaxation by Dr. Miriam Kinai which teaches you 130 simple relaxation techniques. It covers the A to Z of stress management from Assert yourself, Breathe deeply, Cast your burdens, Drink herbal teas, Establish social support, Formulate realistic goals, Guard your heart, Have complementary hobbies, Identify personal stressors, Jaunt, Keep the Sabbath, Listen to music, Meditate on the Word, Nab a nap, Optimize stress, Pamper yourself, Quash sin, Reason rationally, Schedule news fasts, Trust God, Use cognitive restructuring, Veto worry, Work out, eXperiment with aromatherapy, Yield to God to Zap job stress so that stress will never distress you.
Click here to buy the Rules of Relaxation ebook
Relaxation Techniques Benefits
Regulary practicing relaxation techniques confers many benefits on the body because it evokes the body’s natural relaxation response. These relaxation techniques beneftis include:
*Slowing the heart rate
*Lowering blood pressure
*Slowing breathing rate
*Improving digestion
*Increasing blood flow to major muscles
*Improving focus and mood
*Improving sleep quality
*Increasing confidence to handle problems
*Controlling blood sugar levels
*Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain
*Reducing fatigue
*Reducing anger
*Reducing frustration
*Reducing effects of stress hormones. These effects of stress hormones include increasing sebum production by the oil glands which leads to acne breakouts. Click here to learn about the triggers of acne.
Share with us in the comments section your favorite stress management relaxation techniques.