V. Can I use these exercises with other treatments to help with my stress?
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Relaxation exercises can be used with other treatments to lower stress. As you have seen in this lesson, there are many ways stress and anxiety affect the body in our every day lives, both in the short and long-term, and in our minds and bodies. Thankfully, relaxation exercises counteract both of these effects. Research has shown that some exercises work better than other stress treatments, and reduce stress even more when combined with other therapies.
When combining anxiety treatments with relaxation exercises, you should bear the following points in mind:
- You can use these relaxation exercises with other forms of anxiety treatment as a complementary alternative therapy, such as: Breathing exercises, Movement therapy, or Cognitive therapy. The website has lessons on many of these complementary therapies. You can go to Breathing Exercises, or Cognitive Behavioural Exercises to learn more about specific treatment options.
- Relaxation is only one of many therapies that can lower anxiety. The best treatment or combination of treatments for each person is based on their own predispositions, lifestyle, and experiences.
- After trying other therapies or combining them with relaxation exercises, you may find that the relaxation exercises are all you need. You can always use relaxation exercises by themselves without other therapies.
- Relaxation therapy is more helpful for some anxiety disorders than others (please see Part III above). Combined therapy programs (mindfulness–cognitive combinations) have also been helpful for the effects of General Anxiety Disorder only. If you have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, it is even more important to select the treatments that have been shown to reduce the symptoms of your specific diagnosis.