Can You Train Yourself to Relax?

Would your life be less stressful if you new how to control your nervous system and just relax?  When we are relaxed our stress level decreases immensely and we have more energy and creativity.

In order to become truly relaxed it is necessary to turn off the adrenalin pump and turn on the relaxation response.  This can be accomplished by hypnosis, progressive relaxation, meditation or some other inwardly focused state.  The common denominator here is that the brain waves are slowed from the beta state to the alpha state or even slower allowing the mind and body to rest.  Achieving this state is easily learned.

The question often arises as to the differences between self-hypnosis, meditation and deep relaxation.  All turn on the relaxation response but there are differences.  The goal with meditation is some sort of spiritual experience.  With self-hypnosis, there is often another motive in addition to or rather than just relaxation.  Things such as improved memory, improved learning and so on.  The brain wave activity is very similar with all these methods.

Proper relaxation requires a comfortable place with no disturbances.  It may be necessary to unplug the phone or inform family members that you do not wish to be disturbed.  You must give yourself permission to not worry about the future or past while relaxing and that if necessary you will return to them later.

One source of stress is our thoughts; moving from one thought to the next, paying too much attention to our thoughts, or focusing on our thoughts entirely too much.  In other words, worry.  Deep relaxation requires one to imagine that our thoughts are just floating by and have no meaning at this time.  If you are going to become totally relaxed it is important to focus on specific things, like your breathing or something you say to yourself and if you notice that you are losing focus return the focus as necessary.  This becomes easier with practice.

Practicing relaxation on a regular basis has many benefits, one is that after a few weeks, you will begin to notice changes within yourself.  You have been training your unconscious mind to turn on the relaxation response instead of the adrenalin pumping nervous system.  You will have trained your unconscious mind to respond in a different manner to stressful situations.

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