Everyday Life Relaxation Techniques: Peace Prevails Now
The human body is a complex system, regulated by two primary branches of the autonomic nervous system (ANS): the sympathetic system, responsible for activities, stress, and tension, and the parasympathetic system, which promotes rest, regeneration, and relaxation. Maintaining a balance between these two systems is crucial for overall well-being.
Two popular techniques for promoting relaxation and reducing stress are autogenic training and progressive muscle relaxation. These methods help activate the parasympathetic branch of the ANS, leading to physiological changes such as lower heart rate, reduced anxiety symptoms, and muscle relaxation.
Autogenic training uses self-suggestions and guided relaxation to trigger parasympathetic activation. Practitioners often repeat certain phrases to themselves and visualize areas like heaviness, warmth, breathing, pulse, abdomen, and forehead. Progressive muscle relaxation, on the other hand, involves systematically tensing and relaxing muscles, from head to toe. Each tension should last between 30 and 45 seconds.
These exercises can be done lying down or sitting, and they help to consciously imprint the state of relaxation and develop a sensitivity for it. By regularly practicing these techniques, individuals can improve their stress resilience and relaxation capacity.
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Engaging in health-and-wellness practices like autogenic training and progressive muscle relaxation, which promote relaxation and reduce stress, can activate the parasympathetic branch of the ANS, contributing to mental health by alleviating symptoms such as anxiety and muscle tension. However, prolonged periods of stress stemming from increased sympathetic activity can negatively impact mental health by disrupting the balance with the parasympathetic system, thereby undermining overall well-being.
