II. How do the relaxation exercises work and when should I use them?

Modern life today is much more stressful than in past generations. We are often inundated with responsibilities, in our work, in our home life, and in our relationships, all of which we have so little time to deal with. We multitask to meet these demands, which in itself is stressful enough, so our minds and bodies are kept in a state of constant activity without rest or respite.

Negative occurrences in our everyday life do not always lead to stress. On the contrary, positive events can bring it on since our body and brain do need some stress to best deal with situations. For instance, a promotion at work may be rewarding in pay and prestige, but a promotion also calls for increased responsibility which can be stressful regardless of its positive nature. Stress functions kick in when needed and without stress, we would not eat, we would not work, we would not get out of bed, and we would not have any motivation.

Our bodies also have a natural stress response, often called the “Fight or Flight”Response. In a stressful situation or emergency, the sympathetic nervous system (a system connected to the brain) activates this response. Our heart rate and breathing increase, adrenaline and other brain chemicals are released so that we are able to react immediately to protect ourselves from danger and to make decisions that will keep us from harm. Some people however, experience this Stress Response for no apparent reason. The sympathetic nervous system simply misfires, making the most trivial and petty things very stressful, like misplacing the television remote control or forgetting to pick up the dry cleaning. However, when this same natural stress response malfunctions, we cannot protect ourselves and we make erratic decisions under continuous stress. This build-up of stress can come from:

• pressure at work
• anxiety-prone events
• one-off traumatic event
• within our own minds and behaviours
• self-induced stress from an already stressful situation
• choice of lifestyles and activities
• overworking and not taking enough breaks
• an unwillingness to accept failure

Everyone experiences stress in some form or other, and no-one is expected to deal with it perfectly every time. What is important is that you recognise the stress for what it is, and that you have the tools to deal with it when anxiety is triggered. However, if you choose not to accept your stress and not handle it with care and understanding, it can become an anxiety disorder that will affect your daily life. Experiencing anxiety or have an anxiety disorder is a life-long issue for every one of us. Your experiences with anxiety will come and go at different stages of your life. Recognising this and putting into practice the skills you learn here will allow you to address it before it can disrupt your life, whether it is just for a moment, for an episode or for longer periods of your life.

Relaxation exercises can help calm the mind and body particularly when you are continuously stressed on a daily basis. Much like the stress response, they can bring about a ‘relaxation response’ for instant relief and momentary focus and to help lessen the worry about future events. It is time to put these exercises into practice and help yourself to relax if you experience some of the following traits and physical symptoms:

• Irritability
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Wanting to get away from everyone
• Feeling ‘keyed-up’ and distracted from loved ones
• Pounding heart
• Trembling hands
• Sweating
• Problems with sleeping (either too much or not enough)