Are you mentally and physically exhausted at the end of each day? Do you find it difficult to focus on even simple tasks? Think back and try to remember when you last set aside time for yourself to relax and get in touch with your “inner-self”. Read on to learn how to set up a program of mind relaxation techniques that can help you live a happier, healthier, and more productive life.
What Is It?
Mind relaxation can be any type of mental exercise that synchronizes mind with body in a positive way. It is typically done by using a series of established relaxation techniques, which can be customized to suit your individual needs. These techniques allow you to temporarily escape from the demands and stress of day-to-day life. When your mind is relaxed your body responds by functioning more efficiently and in the best way possible.
Do It Because You Deserve It
We all deserve to be happy and healthy. Every day is precious but routine tasks and unforeseen challenges can take a toll on our ability to enjoy all that being alive has to offer. Mind relaxation provides an opportunity to clear your head of things that can become overwhelming and make it easier to enjoy life by dealing with obstacles in the most effective way. Each person is special in their own individual way and you owe it to yourself to be all you can be.
We Can All Benefit
No matter what you do, even if you are retired or never worked a day in your life, mind relaxation can make you a happier and healthier person. It benefits the young and the old as well as the healthy and the sick. The driving force behind all the various approaches to mind relaxation is the power of positive thinking. Being anxious or unhappy affects your body in a negative way over time. Depression lowers your body’s immune system, which can interfere with its ability to fight disease.
Mind Relaxation Can Have Positive Effects On:
- Concentration and memory issues – To learn more about improving memory see Improve Memory Loss – Supercharge Your Mind!
- Self-confidence, problem-solving ability, mood swings, anxiety, anger, frustration, and depression
- Sleep quality and duration
- Fatigue
- Hair growth – See How To Treat Male Pattern Baldness
- Side effects from medications
- Illnesses, such as:
- High blood pressure and fast heart rate (tachycardia) – See Stop Heart Palpitations – Stop Heart Palpitations – 15 Techniques That Really Work!
- Hyperventilation
- Diabetes (by lowering blood sugar levels)
- Digestion, diarrhea, and constipation
- Muscle spasm
- Urinary incontinence – See How To Help Urinary Incontinence – Things That Really Work!
- Chronic pain
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) – See Best Ways To Stop Tinnitus – 18 Things That Really Work!
Pick A Time, But Be Flexible
It’s a good idea to set aside a specific time each day to indulge yourself with a basic set of mind relaxation techniques that generally work best for you. This approach is valuable because it creates consistency and you will be more likely to repeat this pattern on a daily basis without missing sessions.
Different situations will often require you to reschedule your relaxation time. This can be pre-scheduled to accommodate an upcoming event or done at a moment’s notice to deal with an unexpected occurrence in your life. Once you become more experienced with mind relaxation you will find that you can do it on demand, if necessary. This can be very useful in reducing periods of stress and anxiety.
Name The Place 
Ideally, you should have a special place that allows you the privacy to isolate yourself in an environment that you enjoy. If you enjoy relaxing with others, small groups typically work best. It should be quiet and comfortable enough for you to relax both your mind and body. Make it a place that is easily accessible, like a room in your home, a favorite spot in your yard, or somewhere special close by. This will be your “go-to” option but plan on having alternate accommodations to use in a pinch, such as at work or when you are traveling.
Many Types And Techniques
There are many types of mind relaxation. It’s best to become familiar with a few basic techniques and then add more as you go along. You can enhance your session by adding calming sensory stimulation, like aromatherapy or meditative music. A variety of free or paid smartphone apps and computer programs are available to assist you with learning and applying various methods. As you become more skilled with each technique you will be able to spend less time to achieve the same desired effect.
Here are some of the most common approaches:
- Deep Breathing – Deep breathing helps you focus on one particular activity, which removes mental distractions and helps your body relax. Long, deep, equally spaced breaths work best, but talk to your qualified healthcare provider if you have a history of breathing or heart problems. This is often a good exercise to start your session because it synchronizes mind and body and prepares you for the addition of other techniques.
- Mental Visualization (Imagery) – This technique allows you to target mental images of people, places, and things that have brought you happiness in the past, or that represent your deepest desires and fantasies. They should be simple enough to help you relax quickly. This is a great technique to use when you need to reduce stress in a less than optimal environment, like a parked car or in your office.
- Muscle Relaxation – This method actually involves progressively tightening (or tensing) and then relaxing of some or all muscle groups of the body. Do this regularly for relief from illnesses or injuries that cause muscle spasm. To get the most out of this technique try doing it in a warm room or another relaxing environment.
- Body Scanning – Body scanning is a more systematic way of focusing on the physical aspect of relaxation. Traditionally this method combines deep breathing with muscle relaxation, however, it can also be part of non-medicinal treatments, such as acute and chronic pain control. This technique typically uses a “top-down” approach, starting from the top of the head and moving down to the toes, but it can also be used to address specific areas that are especially problematic.
- Repetitive Focusing – This technique typically combines deep breathing with mentally focusing on a word, phrase, or simple concept in a repetitive (cyclic) pattern. Some people find this an easy way to help clear the mind of chaotic thoughts while others consider it a path to enlightenment. Short prayers and mantras are popular approaches.
- Mindfulness Meditation – Mindfulness meditation can involve components of all the above techniques to create awareness involving a particular thought or sensation. This approach can help discover and explore particular realities of life. Awareness can be centered around anything that enhances a meditative state, such as a memory, smell, sound, or tactile response. Mental focus and bodily comfort are often enhanced by incorporating things like a soft chair or loose-fitting clothing.
- Yoga and Tai Chi – Ancient curative practices such as Yoga and Tai Chi are often used to connect mind with body by focusing on physical postures and movements. These disciplines target things like flexibility and balance to improve relaxation, concentration, and bodily function. Yoga and Tai Chi are excellent choices to slow down and reverse many of the effects of the aging process.
Putting It All Together
Mind relaxation encompasses a wide variety of techniques that can be done by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Taking time out of each day to relax is one of the most important things you can do to maintain and improve your health and quality of life. Many of these techniques have been shown to have positive mental and physical health benefits. The key is to develop a flexible program that fits your particular needs and make it a part of your daily routine. Begin with a simple relaxation regimen and then customize it as your needs change.
For more information check out How To Beat Anxiety Naturally & Be Stress-Free! and Wikipedia’s Relaxation Technique.
Tell Us What You Think
Please let us know what’s on your mind in the comment section.
- Do you have any additional tips or suggestions?
- Are you currently doing mind relaxation?
- What type of relaxation techniques are you using and how are they helpful?
Mind relaxing pays very high dividends and I was much better about practising this process earlier in my life than I am now. However, I know from watching some of the older members of our family that getting uptight and tense seems to come pretty naturally as we age. Little things that used to go ignored are now upsetting and worrisome. When I mention this to them, especially an Aunt she replies with “I don’t know why that is upsetting now, it just is.” I will visit with her about this, I had forgotten how it helps.
This mind relaxation makes going out to eat with Grandchildren more enjoyable. There are so many ways you can use this practice after you are older, it isn’t just for people who get too uptight about career challenges. Thank you for reminding me of this helpful practice, and some suggestions to use to make adding this back to my day easier. Sami
Hi Sami,
I’m glad you found this information helpful! Mind relaxation is for people of all ages. I find that it is especially useful for the elderly. It can help bring balance and harmony to mind and spirit, which helps mitigate physical problems. Best of luck to you and your aunt!
Frank
I think I’ve been doing some of the techniques in the list here without knowing it. Two in the list actually. The use of sound and deep breathing.
Among these techniques, the mindfulness meditation is my favorite as it involves the use of sound. Reading through its description here where it was mentioned that sound is an integral part of it, I think it can be considered similar to what I do during sleep afternoons where I lie on the bed with closed eyes listening to some instrumental piano music with sparkling sound of a beach on the background.
To the other techniques in the list, maybe I should add them to my meditation using music. Soon, I will have all these complete in my arsenal.
Hi Gomer,
Thank You for commenting on my article! Sound can be an excellent mind relaxation technique and it is often used this way as part of music therapy. I listen to music almost constantly when I am at home or in my car. Out of all the relaxation techniques, I think sound and music are extremely effective. I’m glad that you found this helpful!
Frank
You have an excellent article; You add an image at each section to help speak up your content is a good practice. There is a long section, also with one image only. This long section telling all types of mental relaxation is the main content of your article. You can add pictures to help speak out the mental relaxation picture to add value for your content, as you have done for every section. Your article has systematically presented the benefits of mental relaxation for health and happiness.
I do not practice mind relaxation like your article yet, but I agreed it is a good and right practice. My leisure is taking a bath twice per day and working in my small garden in the morning and doing a power walk for 30 minutes every alternate weekday. I do not have stress in managing my website. I hope to have answered your questions.
Hi Stephen,
I really appreciate your comments and suggestions! I limited the number of images in the post because they were slowing down the page speed load time on mobile devices. I’m so glad you found the content helpful!
Frank