The Benefits of Relaxation

Image source: NCCIH; “Relaxation Techniques: What You Need To Know”

#Stressed, #Anxiety,

#Depressed, #CopingStrategies

Life has various challenges thrown at us each day of our existence, our resilience and coping skills when we encounter psychosocial challenges  are  often challenged, and as a result we do not always use effective techniques to cope, and hence we find ourselves anxious, depressed and /or higly stressed. 

Often clients coming to therapy find incorporation of relaxation a waste of their time or a Western-based technique or they say something like; " I have no time in my hectic schedule to sit, relax and do nothing, I must work to make money"

Or, 

"How is relaxing going to make my marriage work better or my debts to go away?".

The truth is that when you are not overwhelmed by stress, when your body is relaxed your mind works better, and you should be able to come up with well thought out solutions to adress your challenge compared to when under a lot of stress. 

Remember; stress impacts your cognitions and rational problem solving ability, may trigger irritability, anger, depression, anxiety and more confusion which may lead to conflicts in your relationships. Stress may deplete your mental wellbeing, and severe stress may surpress your immune system and trigger psychosomatic ailments, with compromised immune system your body may not be able to fight off certain ailments.

There are however, well researched evidence based techniques that could be incorporated into your daily routine to buffer the negative effects of stress.

In this audio I talk about the benefits of practising relaxation, it's positive effects in reducting anxiety, depression and helping you to cope during stressful and frustrating situations (Dr Elisha Goldstein,PhD).

 Research shows that relaxation has the potential to even decrease heart rate, lower blood pressure, improve sleep and counteract inflammatory effects of stress as it improves  your general mental wellness. As Goldstein asserts; 

"When we relax the body, the mind tends to follow".

Make relaxation part of your mental health, self-care routine and you'll have yourself to thank for that.

To take a Listen and have a relaxing day click on this link 👇🏽 !

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1813802/episodes/16778483