Learning to Relax

There are lots of ways that you can relax. Try some of these and see how they make you feel:

Calm breathing

If you make your breathing slower, deeper, and more steady then your body will relax:

Breathe in slowly through your nose

Pause for a moment

Then breathe out slowly through your mouth

Relaxing your muscles

You can relax by letting the tension out of your muscles. A great way to do this is to tense and then relax all of the muscles in your body. Sit in a chair or lie on the floor and then:

Clench your fists ... then release

Tighten the muscles in your arms ... then relax

Push your shoulders back and up ... then release

Tighten the muscles in your tummy ... then relax

Tense the muscles in your legs ... then release

Curl up your toes and clench your feet ... then release

Scrunch up the muscles in your face ... then relax

Use the power of your imagination

Imagine doing something or being somewhere that makes you happy. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, then imagine finding yourself in a place or doing something that makes you really happy. Picture all of the details – the sights, sounds, smells and tastes. Notice all of the sensations. Notice how your body feels when you are in this place.