How to Relax Your Body and Mind

How to Relax Your Body and Mind Stress Management Management Techniques Physical Techniques Print How to Relax Your Body and Mind By Elizabeth Scott, MS twitter Elizabeth Scott, MS, is a wellness coach specializing in stress management and quality of life, and the author of 8 Keys to Stress Management. Learn about our editorial policy Elizabeth Scott, MS Reviewed by Reviewed by Amy Morin, LCSW on January 27, 2020 facebook twitter instagram Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist, author of the bestselling book 13 Things Mentally Strong People Dont Do, and a highly sought-after speaker. Learn about our Wellness Board Amy Morin, LCSW on January 27, 2020 PhotoTalk/ Getty Images More in Stress Management Management Techniques Physical Techniques Relaxation Time Management Effects on Health Situational Stress Job Stress Household Stress Relationship Stress When we face stressors in life, we can carry physical and psychological tension, and these tensions can feed off of one another. Feeling physically tense can increase your psychological and emotional tension and vice versa. Conversely, relaxing your body physically can help relieve psychological stress, and relaxing your mind can help you to physically relax and release tension in your body. When your stress response is no longer triggered, it becomes far easier to approach challenges in a proactive, peaceful way. Learning to master techniques that enable both types of relaxation is a highly effective route to stress relief. How to Relax Your Brain and Body If youre feeling stressed and wondering how to relax, here are some simple steps for releasing tension in your body and your mind.?? Realize That You Need to Relax Many people just try to work through their stress by ignoring it and hoping the stressors pass quickly, even while stressors build up. Because of this, its not uncommon to be caught off-guard by stress when you reach the point of feeling overwhelmed or to be stressed to the point that its taking a toll without realizing that you need to work on managing some of the stress in your life and your psyche. Its important to know when you have too much stress and need to relax.?? Relax Physically Physically relaxing your body can lead to stress relief because it interrupts and reverses your stress response  and can stop a negative-feedback cycle where your mind responds to stress by signaling a physical stress response. The tension in your body that can result from this response increases the levels of stress you feel emotionally. There are several effective techniques to relieve tension in your body. Here are some popular techniques to physically relax:?? Breathing exercisesProgressive muscle relaxation (PMR)Exercise Relax Mentally and Emotionally Your experience of stress involves your thoughts and emotions. You may think that you cant adequately handle the stressors youre facing (thought), and experience fear (feeling) as a result, which can accompany and even perpetuate your stress response. Often, reexamining your thoughts can help you to relax emotionally. The following can help you to better understand your thoughts and alter this cycle as you learn how to relax as you face your stressors:?? Change your negative  self-talk  to positiveLearn how to  reframe  your thoughts so that the way you perceive potential stressors in your life is more positive and less stressfulFigure out what your  cognitive distortions  are, such as all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralizing, jumping to conclusions, focusing on the negative, labeling, and should statements, as well as how to correct themWork to  develop greater optimism How to Maintain a State of Relaxation Once youve discovered how to relax, you should experience less overall stress. The next step is learning how to maintain a state of relaxation  and learning how to relax again quickly after you deal with future stressors. Adding key features to your lifestyle can help you to amass more resources for dealing with stressors you face, and become less reactive to these stressors as well. The following can help you to develop a lifestyle that helps you to relax and more easily manage the stress of life: Make efforts to live  a low-stress lifestyle, such as learning breathing exercises, doing regular exercise, meditating, writing in a journal, and cultivating relationships??Learn how to be more emotionally  resilient. A Word From Verywell Its important to learn how to manage your stress in a healthy way. If youre feeling stressed out or youre struggling to make stress management techniques work for you, consider professional help. A licensed mental health professional can assist you in learning relaxation strategies that can work for you.