These tips to relax will help you make the most of your relaxation experience.
Tips to Optimize Your Success With Relaxation:
1. Adopt a passive attitude. Approach relaxation with a “let it be” perspective. Don’t try to make anything happen.
2. Relax in a quiet environment with few distractions. As you become more familiar with relaxation and practiced in various techniques, you will learn to relax anywhere. To begin, however, choose an environment that is free of distractions.
3. Make sure you are in a setting that does not require your outside attention (keep yourself safe).
4. Make yourself comfortable. Position yourself on chair with neck and back support, a firm bed, or a comfortable mat on the floor. Make sure the room is warm, not too hot or too cool. Choose a comfortable position that you can maintain for at least 10 minutes.
5. Start with short relaxation sessions, about 5 minutes. With more experience, achieving relaxation will become easier and you will be able to relax for longer periods of time. With practice, 20 or 30 minutes is quite reasonable, and you may wish to relax for even longer sessions.
6. Relaxation is a skill that must be learned. Practice often – every day is best!
7. Set aside time to relax each day. Some people prefer to relax right before bed to help fall asleep. Others relax first thing in the morning to start the day refreshed and revitalized. Consider if there are times in the day when your stress level is high or your energy is low. These can be ideal times to schedule in a brief relaxation session.
8. Keep experimenting! No one method of relaxation will work for everyone. It is important to try out different strategies to see which ones meet your needs. There is no right or wrong way to relax. Try a relaxation quiz to find out which techniques may suit you best.
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