Each person in the world experiences both stress and anxiety.  Whether it is a student experiencing stress from studying and anxiety for the test, or a mother struggling at work, both stress and anxiety play a big part in each human being’s life.

There are relaxation techniques that are designed to directly evoke the body’s relaxation response, a natural response that is the opposite of the response caused by stress and anxiety.  But before we get to those techniques, we will aim to better understand both stress and anxiety.

Stress is the response of the body responding inappropriately to emotional or physical threats, usually causing a state of alarm, increased adrenaline, and exhaustion.  Stress causes symptoms of irritability, tension in the muscles, inability to concentrate, and many physical reactions as well.

Anxiety, then, is a mood condition that is a common reaction to being stressed.  The most common symptom in people experiencing anxiety is the constant fear or worry about something that a normal person would not consider threatening.  Phobias, anxiety disorders, and panic disorders are all stemmed from anxiety.

As stated earlier, these techniques are aimed to reduce stress and anxiety and evoke the relaxation response.  The relaxation response is the body’s weapon against the stress response.  While the stress response attacks your body, causing emotional and physical disorders, the relaxation response counters it.  Getting your body to this state where stress, illness, and lack of energy are weakened can be beneficial to your health in many ways.

These techniques should be done 20 minutes to an hour every day, depending on what you can handle.  The rest of this article will focus on a few of these techniques:

1.  Deep breathing

Deep breathing is the classic technique used for reducing stress.  When an individual focuses on deep, full, cleansing breaths, it can be a sort of meditation.   A lung full of fresh air can provide your body with more oxygen and combat the shortness of breath associated with stress and anxiety.  Make sure to breathe deeply from the abdomen.  If you are sitting, make sure to sit comfortably with a straightened back, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.

2.  Muscle relaxation

Muscle relaxation is another strategy that has been widely used for stress and anxiety relief.  It is a process of tensing and relaxing many different muscle groups in the body.  Once practiced enough, muscle relaxation can become an instinctive process, reducing the negative symptoms that you may be experiencing.  A good way to begin the process is by starting from the bottom up, and going from right to left.  For example, you can start by tensing your right foot, your left foot, your right calf, and your left calf.  Continue doing so until you reach your face.  Hold the tension for 10 seconds, focusing on the relaxation that comes with the release.

3.  Meditation

Meditating can do wonders for both the emotional and physical symptoms of stress and anxiety.  It may also help with other negative emotions by clearing your mind and focusing on what is happen at the moment.  Doing so will help you drop some of the worry you are experiencing.  Start by closing your eyes and taking 10 deep breaths.  You can then take a walk, or focus your attention on one item or thought.