Five Minute Relaxation Exercises

Exercise 1

• Close your eyes and just become aware of your body in the chair. Place your feet firmly on the floor and let your hands relax and rest your legs.
• Take a deep breath and feel your tummy expand. Hold for a few seconds and exhale slowly with a slight sigh like a balloon deflating.
• Breathe in again, and as you breathe out imagine all the tension in your body begin to drain away. Listen to your breathing and set a steady slow rhythm - (even and quiet). Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out.
• Turn your thoughts to your feet and check that your toes, heels and ankles are relaxed.
• Now think about your legs, calves, knees, thighs and buttocks, feel all the tension leave your muscles. Relax.
• Now think about your back. Feel the tension drain away from your spine and let your tummy muscles relax and go limp. There is no need to hold your tummy in. Feel it rise and fall gently as you breathe.
• Think about your fingers. Are they gently curved limp and lying still. Let this feeling of relaxation spread up your arms to your shoulders. Now drop your shoulders, drip them even more, further than you thought you could and now feel them fully relaxed.
• Feel the relaxation continue up to your neck, and down into your chest. With each breath feel your body become lighter and free from pent up tension. Feel the tension go. Allow all the tension your body is experiencing to be released.
• Now think about your face. Smooth out your forehead, let your eyebrows drop and relax. There is no tension around your eyes and your eyelids are gently shut.
• Let your jaw relax so that there is a slight gap between your teeth. Feel how relaxed it is, no tension in your tongue and throat, let your tongue drop to the bottom of your mouth. Relax completely, release the tension around your lips, until they are slightly together with no pressure between them.
• Let the muscles in your face unwind and let go. Let your breathing be slow and relaxed and, each time you breathe out, relax a little more.
• When you feel ready to come back to the room don’t rush gently bring yourself back. Wriggle your toes and hands and open your eyes and slowly start to move again.

Constructive Time Projection Imagery

Think of an event you are finding stressful or a future event you are worried about.

1. Identify the aspects of the event you are most anxious about.
2. Think of ways you can overcome these problems.
3. Visualize yourself in the feared situation, coping the problems you are anxious about.
4. Visualize yourself in one week, one month, six months in the future – will you still be under as much stress about your current problem?
5. Visualize yourself in years …. Can you see yourself more positive and getting on with your life?

Stop Look and Listen to prevent unwanted thoughts

Stress is frequently caused by what we think about. If you find yourself either worrying about a future event or if you can’t get a bad experience out of your mind try the following.

1. Write down the worries or ruminations you want to stop, this raises your awareness of them.
2. The next time you find yourself dwelling on these unwanted thoughts interrupt the thought process by shouting in your mind (or out loud if you want to) STOP !
3. As soon as you shout stop bring yourself back into the here and now by looking at everything around you and listening to everything around you.

If you focus your attention on what you can see and hear in the present, it is impossible to worry about the future or past at the same time.

If you persevere with this exercise for a few weeks you will find you can banish unwanted thoughts that can cause you stress.

Are you planning your day?

Planning each day by writing down specific tasks keeps you organised and helps you feel in control. It feels good to tick off routine tasks you know you will complete as the day goes by. Remember those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

« Back to Stress Test And Management Tips