Is relaxation important? Yes, a million times yes. Unfortunately, in today’s modern lifestyle, it can be stressful. You must juggle many things at once, from work, family, and social obligations to maintaining a healthy diet and exercising. Longevity Live Paid Content.
Do not underestimate the importance of relaxation
It’s a lot, but setting aside time to relax is essential because it improves your mental health. Relaxation can keep you healthy physically and mentally; it helps you recover from the daily grind and enables you to spring back on your feet if you take stumble.
Stress and other mental health symptoms, such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety, are reduced when we relax and make plenty of relaxation habits and techniques throughout the day.
Apart from that, we also experience many other benefits that are not immediately seen, which are:
- Lowering blood pressure
- Lowered breathing rate
- Lowered heart rate
- Mood improvements and better concentration
- Less anger and frustration
- Confidence boost
- Ability to rationally solve problems
Types of Relaxation Techniques with Crystals
There are various kinds of relaxation techniques that you can try to manage stress and anxiety. Doctors, health practitioners, healthcare professionals, and psychotherapists offer different methods based on the patient’s needs and their line of knowledge.
You can also administer relaxation techniques together with the vibrations of Energy Muse crystal clusters. Crystal clusters, which are a combination of different stones, help to refocus your attention on calming and increasing awareness of your body. It doesn’t matter what technique you choose, as long as you feel comfortable doing it and practice it regularly to reap its benefits.
Relaxation techniques prescribed by therapists and doctors usually fall into different categories.
Types of relaxation techniques include:
- Autogenic relaxation. This means something that comes from inside you. Using this relaxation technique requires the use of your visual imagery, as well as your bodily awareness. With this technique, you repeat affirmations and words that help you to reduce muscle tension, as well as make you relax. You can imagine a peaceful setting, focus your mind, and relax your breathing. Meditation is one such technique that uses autogenic relaxation.
Clusters: To help with your affirmations, place amethyst and lepidolite. Both these stones have high vibrations for good moods and euphoria.
- Progressive muscle relaxation. This relaxation technique requires you to focus on slowly tensing each group of muscles. This technique helps you focus more on the difference between relaxation and muscle tension. You begin by tensing and relaxing the muscles in your toes and then systematically work your way up to the neck and, finally, to the head. You can also begin from your head to the toes, tensing your muscles for 5 seconds, and then relax for 30 seconds. Through this, you can become more aware of physical sensations.
Clusters: Ideal crystal clusters for this type of relaxation are black jasper, known for its deep, grounding energy, and rhodonite, which helps to promote spirituality and self-love.
- Visualization. This technique requires some form of mental visualization, a journey toward a calming, peaceful, and serene space or situation. You should incorporate as many senses as possible when relaxing with visualization, such as smell, touch, and sound. If your relaxing space is on a beach, you need to visualize the water, the ocean, the waves, and the sand. You would be required to sit or lie comfortably in a quiet spot to imagine, with no interruption and with your eyes closed, and concentrate fully on your breathing.
Clusters: Aquamarine, to inspire good thoughts, selenite to support balance and freedom from stress, and amazonite, the stone of courage are perfect clusters to aid in visualization. Other relaxation techniques may include:
- Hydrotherapy
- Aromatherapy
- Deep breathing
- Massage
- Yoga
- Biofeedback
- Music and art therapy
- Meditation
- Tai chi
Becoming more aware
Remember that relaxation takes practice. As you incorporate more and more relaxation techniques, you will learn to become more aware of the physical sensations related to stress and muscle tension. When you are aware of what stress responses feel like, you can make a conscious effort to practice techniques of relaxation. They can bring you back to a relaxed mode, especially if you feel stress or panic symptoms are creeping up. This will help you keep your stress reactions from spiraling out of control.
Some people with more serious psychological issues or a history of trauma and abuse may experience some emotional discomfort when they go through relaxation techniques. If you do feel this, stop whatever you are doing and talk to your doctor.
Improving your body’s response to relaxation
What you do, what you eat, and even what you wear improves your body’s responses to the sensations of relaxation. Here are simple ways to increase the feelings of relaxation:
Drinking green tea
Instead of coffee, swap your afternoon caffeine with some herbal tonic with a side order of L-Theanine. This chemical found in green tea can help reduce the body’s stress responses, relaxing the muscles and mind. Plus, even looking at the color green can calm you too.
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Chill with Chocolate
A piece of dark chocolate can put you in a good mood in no time. Not only does the taste of chocolate spark all sorts of happiness receptors in your mind, but the texture of smooth chocolate on your tongue can also reduce stress.
Dark chocolate is also lower in sugar than milk chocolate, which means you can hit your sweet cravings without the calories and sugar.
Squeeze yourself
Take some notes from your pet dog or cat. Notice how they tense their muscles and then relax them? You can do the same. It’s called progressive relaxation, which involves releasing and tightening your muscles a few times, body part by body part. Doing this for 5 minutes can instantly elevate your mood and posture and increase relaxation.
Plan your time off
If you’re finding it hard to relax, it’s time to be serious about taking time off. Schedule 5 minutes at work to relax. During the weekend, set aside one or two hours to relax. This includes doing something you love, such as a bubble bath, or not doing anything but simply sitting in your comfy chair, looking out the window with a cup of coffee (or green tea) in your hand.
