Relaxation Techniques - Stress Management Techniques from Mind Tools

What This Section Gives You
Relaxation Techniques from Mind Tools

We all know the feeling of sickness in our stomach before an important presentation or performance. We have all experienced the sweaty palms, the raised heart rate, and the sense of agitation that we feel as these events approach. We have all felt our hearts pounding, and the tension and anger that come when we face severe frustration of our goals.

Introducing the Tools
This section gives you some good techniques for managing the fight-or-flight response that lies behind these feelings. “Imagery” is the first of these. As well as being a powerful mental rehearsal technique, it is also useful for relaxing when you are under pressure. Meditation, Self-hypnosis and use of Relaxation Tapes are also good ways of relaxing.

Finally, “Deep Breathing, Progressive Muscular Relaxation, and the Relaxation Response” are useful physical techniques for managing muscular tension.

Tip - Biofeedback in Stress Management:
We can see the effectiveness of these tools directly using biofeedback devices. These are electronic sensors that measure your stress levels and feed them back to you.

One of the most common approaches to biofeedback involves measuring the electrical conductance of your skin. We have already seen that the more you are under pressure, the more you sweat. Because sweat is largely composed of water, the more stressed you are, the higher the electrical conductivity of your skin.

One of the pleasures of using biofeedback devices is that you can actually see the relaxation techniques take effect. You can observe for yourself the real effect of techniques that can otherwise appear to be nebulous and theoretical.

For example, later on in this section we will discuss imagery. With biofeedback devices, you can see the objectively measured reduction in stress that happens when you create a mental image of relaxing in a garden. Similarly, you can measure the increase in stress you feel when you imagine something like being chased by sharks in a swimming pool.

One source of biofeedback devices is the Tools for Wellness web site.

Where to go from here:

Download and Print

To download this section in PDF format for use at your convenience, click here
Read the next article in this series, and learn how to change your stress levels with Imagery
Find out how to relax with Self-Hypnosis
Learn how physical techniques can help you relax
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Warning:
Stress can cause severe health problems and, in extreme cases, can cause death. While these stress management techniques have been shown to have a positive effect on reducing stress, they are for guidance only, and readers should take the advice of suitably qualified health professionals if they have any concerns over stress-related illnesses or if stress is causing significant or persistent unhappiness. Health professionals should also be consulted before any major change in diet or levels of exercise.


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