How to relax at home: simple techniques
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Importance of Breathing to Achieve Relaxation States
The need for adequate rest, especially after physical or mental activity, is essential to recover the energy consumed. On the contrary, insufficient or inadequate rest can lead to mood alterations, physical exhaustion, mental confusion, etc.
Breathing is a fundamental and essential instrument for our body to achieve an adequate state of relaxation, both from a physical (muscular) and mental (emotional) point of view. There is a bidirectional link between emotions and the state of the muscles. A relaxed muscle sends information about its state to the mind (brain), which in turn benefits from this state and can influence the muscle to relax. It is impossible to relax mentally if the muscles do not also relax, just as it is impossible to relax muscularly if we do not achieve mental relaxation.
What Aspects Should Be Taken into Account to Achieve Good Relaxation?
Before starting a relaxation session, several aspects must be taken into account:
The place must be quiet. Make sure the phone does not ring, the door is not opened suddenly, etc.
Ideally, the exercises should be done on a hard surface, such as a mat on the floor, for example, but they can also be done on a bed.
The most appropriate posture is lying on your back, arms extended along the body and legs slightly apart with feet falling to the sides. The body should be as horizontal as possible, neck and neck well extended and straight. Mouth closed, but it is very important not to press the teeth, that the jaw is relaxed. Eyes, it is advisable to keep them closed or half-closed.
The room temperature should be adequate. It would be very difficult to relax in places with a lot of air conditioning or, on the contrary, where it is excessively hot.
The light should be soft, creating an atmosphere of semi-darkness.
It is advisable to establish a fixed schedule so that both the body and the mind get used to that situation and thus facilitate relaxation.
Clothing should simply be comfortable, loose, without pressure on the waist, chest, etc.
The time that relaxation should be practiced can be approximately 15 minutes at the beginning, and can be increased later with practice.
If for some reason an interruption occurs during the session, try not to get up and run out abruptly, as this would have a terrible effect on the relaxation process. It is advisable first to take three deep breaths, then open the eyes, stretch all the muscles (as if yawning) and, finally, get up. This is how each session should always end.
What Is Breathing and What Function Does It Perform on Our Body?
Breathing is a mechanical process that occurs through the rhythmic contraction of the respiratory muscles, causing increases and decreases in the thoracic cavity. It consists, first of all, of the entry of air through the respiratory ducts from the atmosphere to the lung (inspiration), which is where the true function of the respiratory system occurs, that is, the exchange of gases between the blood and the air. Subsequently, the blood loaded with oxygen reaches the different organs, and then the transport of carbon dioxide by the blood from the tissues to the lung occurs, from where the air is expelled out of the lungs (expiration) to the outside. This process that occurs one after another is called pulmonary ventilation.
Pulmonary ventilation depends, among other things, on the concentration of gases in the air, the amount of hemoglobin (the substance responsible for fixing oxygen to the red blood cell or red blood cell – red blood cells), the heart rate, etc. At rest, for example, normal breathing has a rhythm in which inspiration and expiration are similar in duration, so that the respiratory function is reduced to a minimum, since the oxygen needs at that moment are minimal, while during, for example, physical exertion, the oxygen needs of the muscles increase, as does the need to eliminate carbon dioxide, formed in greater quantity by the exertion. In these exercise situations, an increase in respiratory frequency occurs, just as it also occurs in certain situations of high activation or restlessness.
Therefore, the main mission of breathing is to ensure tissues receive sufficient oxygen supply and the elimination of carbon dioxide, and this is possible thanks, on the one hand, to the action of the respiratory system, which provides the necessary oxygen to the cells of the body and the elimination of carbon dioxide produced by the tissues, and, on the other hand, the cardiovascular system, which serves as a means of transport for these substances with the help of the red blood cells. We must not forget that the respiratory and cardiovascular systems are intrinsically related.
Breathing can be considered one of the most important functions of the body, as it is essential for life. The influence of civilization, customs and certain harmful learned attitudes have accustomed people to an incorrect and unnatural type of breathing, which has resulted, on many occasions, in an increase in some respiratory diseases.
How Can Breathing Techniques Help Us in Our Daily Life?
Currently, in our society there is a wide range of psychosomatic diseases, which are fundamentally a consequence of lifestyle or are associated, on many occasions, with stressful situations, or inappropriate behaviors; this is the case, for example, of essential hypertension, headaches, some gastric disorders, etc. Learning psychology has been studying this type of behavior for a long time and, as a consequence, has generated a multitude of useful methods for their treatment, with great successes on many occasions.
As we have said, many of today’s diseases have their origin in the way the subject responds to certain circumstances. For example, in situations of high activation, such as stress, it is important to know how the subject acts, in order to be able to modify those behaviors that are inappropriate, or train them in those others that, being adequate, are not in their repertoire. For this, various techniques can be used. In general, relaxation and specifically progressive muscular relaxation has always been considered the method par excellence for the subject to reduce their activation levels, both in stressful situations and at rest. However, some recent studies have shown that the use of breathing techniques can be equally or even more effective than the progressive muscular relaxation technique when it comes to achieving control of activation by the subject. Obviously, the use of breathing techniques would become the procedure of choice in this case, for achieving reductions in psychophysiological activation, as it is a simpler and fundamentally faster method than relaxation techniques. The use of breathing techniques has a great tradition throughout history. The problem that has always prevailed is that these techniques have not been backed by controlled research that validates them, although currently there are already quite a few controlled studies that unequivocally demonstrate their effectiveness.
What Steps Should Be Followed to Self-Apply a Relaxation Technique?
Breathing should always be abdominal or diaphragmatic (that in which we mainly move the abdomen), so that the largest possible amount of oxygen reaches the lungs.
To know that you are performing correct abdominal breathing, you can follow the following instructions:
Place one hand on your abdomen and notice how with each inhalation (introduction of air into the lungs) it rises and falls with each exhalation (expulsion of air to the outside).
Gently press the abdomen to make the air pass to the chest and lungs.
Hold the air for 2 or 3 seconds.
Exhale the air through the mouth, gently and slowly. Check that the first thing that contracts is the abdomen. Then you will notice how the air leaves from the lungs to the mouth, while all the muscles of the chest relax and a slight and soft whistling sound is emitted as the air is expelled.
The steps to follow to apply a relaxation technique would be the following:
All sessions should begin with three slow and abdominal breaths, as explained. Try to make the breathing somewhat slower than usual, and the exhalation slower than the inhalation. The exhalation should last approximately twice as long as the inhalation.
Using Jacobson’s summarized progressive relaxation technique, begin by becoming aware of the tension and relaxation of the different muscles. The most appropriate way is to tense and relax each of the muscle groups listed below and, finally, take a deep breath as already explained.
Relaxation of face, neck and shoulders in the following order (repeat each exercise three times with rest intervals of a few seconds):
Forehead: Wrinkle, exerting tension on the bridge of the nose and around the eyebrows.
Eyes: Open and close. Notice the tension in the eyelids and on the outside of the eyes.
Nose: Wrinkle, exerting tension on the bridge and nostrils.
Mouth: Smile broadly. You will notice the tension in the upper and lower lips and in both cheeks.
Tongue: Press the tongue against the palate.
Jaw: Press the teeth, noticing the tension in the lateral muscles of the face and temples.
Lips: Pucker as if to give a kiss.
Neck and nape: Move the head YES-NO and right-left.
Shoulders and neck: Raise the shoulders pressing against the neck.
Relaxation of arms and hands with the following progression: Contract, without moving, first one arm and then the other with the fist clenched, noticing the tension in arms, forearms and hands.
Relaxation of legs: Stretch first one leg and then the other, lifting the foot up and noticing the tension in legs: buttock, thigh, knee, calf and foot.
Relaxation of chest, abdomen and lumbar region (these exercises are best done sitting on a chair):
Back: Raise arms until they form a right angle with the forearm and bring elbows back. You will notice the tension in the lower back and shoulders.
Chest: Inhale and hold the air for a few seconds in the lungs. Observe the tension in the chest. Exhale slowly.
Stomach: Tense stomach until you feel tension in the navel and surrounding area.
Waist: Tense buttocks and thighs. The buttocks lift off the chair.
Quick and complete relaxation: It consists of tensing and relaxing all the muscles at once. It can be done lying down or standing. It requires some experience, but once acquired, a correct state of relaxation can be achieved in just a few minutes.
The last step after each relaxation session is to take three or four deep breaths. Before finishing the session, it is advisable to spend a few minutes observing our breathing, until it becomes constant and regular.
When we are very well trained in this relaxation technique, which is achieved by practicing it many times, it is possible to practice only the quick and complete relaxation part and the subsequent deep breaths, thus achieving excellent results.
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