This relaxation technique is actually a combination of several techniques, taking the best of each to help create one effective strategy. It takes advantage of progressive relaxation, which involves calming each muscle group one at a time by concentrating on a feeling. It starts with the following steps:
- Close Your Eyes – Start by breathing calmly. Breathe in slow and deep with your eyes closed, using your entire diaphragm. You want to fill your stomach first and your chest second, and you want to breath slowly both in and out. At the peak of your breath (when you have filled up your lungs), hold for a few seconds before you exhale. Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through pursed lips, almost like you're whistling. It's a good idea to practice this type of breathing for a while to get used to it before moving onward. Once you feel your breathing is under control, move forward.
- Count Backwards – Slowly count backwards from five to one. You can do this in your mind, or you can do this out loud. Start over every time you reach one. Remember, slow, measured breathing is important. If you count slowly, you'll be able to breathe at a better pace. Repeat this until you feel your mind focus less on your stressful thoughts.
- Focus on Your Body – Try to concentrate on the way your body feels. Notice the areas of your body that are tense and relax them. You should feel yourself slumping in your chair. You should feel your muscles let go of your legs. Every muscle in your body should be let go, almost as if your entire body has gone limp and boneless and is now just a puddle of skin. If it helps, try to imagine yourself feeling heavy, warm, and tingly. You want yourself to feel heavy, as though your tense muscles are no longer holding you up. Remember to also relax your face and eyes. You may even want to relax your jaw. It's okay if it opens slightly.
- Turn Off Each Muscle – The best way to do the above step is to turn off each muscle one at a time. Start with your right foot. Relax it by imagining it feeling heavy and weak. Then move to your left foot. Then your right leg. Then your left leg. Keep moving your way up until you've reached your face. Then go through it one more round, and make sure that each and every muscle feels turned off.
- Start Visualizing – Your next step is to try to mentally transport yourself somewhere truly relaxing. Remember, your eyes should be closed throughout this whole process. Visualize yourself on a relaxing beach, or a pretty park. Try to imagine this place with all of your senses. Focus on the details. What does each flower smell like? What noises are you hearing? Envelop yourself in this location. Don't forget to continue your slow and measured breathing.
- Wipe Negative Thoughts Away – When you do have a negative thought or some type of stressor enter into your imagination, visualize it turning into some type of object, and then have some relaxing thing take it away. For example, a stressful boss could be lifted up and taken away by a dove until it's gone. Then go back to imagining all of the relaxing world around you.
- Start Positive Affirmations – Now that you're in a relaxing place, start giving yourself positive affirmations or suggestions. These are often the part that feels the most awkward to those new to the technique. But the goal is to make sure that you're thinking about and listening to positive things. It distracts your mind from the negative and provides you with something happy that you can focus on. Examples of these positive suggestions include:
- I feel calm and serene.
- I am having a good day.
- I am a great person.
- I have and will have a pleasant attitude.
- I will cure my anxiety.
- I love my body.
- I love my life.
- I believe in myself.
Continue this process until you can't focus on your negative thoughts anymore. Try to do it as long as possible, and any time stress or a negative thought enters, have it taken away and keep yourself transported into that new environment, breathing slowly.
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