How to Become Deeply Relaxed.
Relaxation techniques are a great way to help with wellbeing and stress management and when combined with creative visualisation they can be used to stimulate positive changes in your life and help you solve problems and achieve your goals.
Relaxation is a process that decreases the stress effects on your mind and body. Whether your stress is spiralling out of control or you've already got it tamed, you can benefit from learning relaxation techniques.
Practicing relaxation techniques can have many benefits, such as:
Slowing heart rate
Lowering blood pressure
Slowing breathing rate
Improving digestion
Controlling blood sugar levels
Reducing activity of stress hormones
Increasing blood flow to major muscles
Reducing muscle tension and chronic pain
Improving focus and mood
Improving sleep quality
Lowering fatigue
Reducing anger and frustration
Boosting confidence to handle problems
So how do you achieve a state of deep relaxation? There are many different techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation where you focus on tensing and relaxing each muscle group. Here, we will focus on a visualisation technique known as The Staircase Method. Follow the steps below to effortlessly drift off into a state of deep relaxation.
The Staircase Method:
Step 1 – Sit on a comfortable chair with your hands resting on your thighs. When you’re ready, close your eyes and take 5 deep breaths, slowing your breath down a little each time.
Step 2 – Imagine yourself at the top of a flight of 20 stairs and when you’re ready, as you exhale your breath take the first step down the stairs and internally count 1, on the next exhalation take the next step and count 2. Continue this until you reach the 20th step. As you are taking the steps, utilise your senses by noticing in your imagination what the stairs look like, how they feel under your feet, any noise they may make. And as you take the steps, notice how your breath slows down. You can tell yourself that with each step you take you can go deeper and deeper into a relaxed state. The voice in your head can lower it’s tone and slow down and regularly say ‘deeper and deeper’ as you take the steps.
Step 3 – When you reach the last step you can see a door, this door could be to the left, the right or straight ahead. Notice where the door is and what it looks like. Behind the door is a room with a comfortable chair where you can sit and see a small cinema screen. When you’re ready, open the door and walk through into the room.
Step 4 – Explore the room, take a good look around, notice any sights and sounds, pick any objects up and feel them. This is your special room so allow your mind to wander as you take a good look around.
Step 5 – Notice the comfortable chair and sit down on it. Next to the chair is a remote control which you pick up, point at the cinema screen and press play. On the screen appears a very relaxing scene. Enjoy the scene and as you watch it, you can become even more relaxed. Notice the colours, the sights, the sounds and how wonderfully relaxed the scene makes you feel. Sit there and enjoy the scene for as long as you like. When you’re ready, get up from the chair and somewhere in the room, you’ll find a table with an ornate box on it. You may or may not have noticed the table and the box when you were looking around the room before. You begin to wonder what is in the box.
Step 6 – You go and open the box and can be pleasantly surprised at what you find in there. Now, whenever you’re ready, it’s time to come out of your state of deep relaxation by reversing the stairs process.
Step 7 – Find the door and leave the room so you’re at the foot of the 20 stairs. Take the steps slowly back up and with each step count backwards from 20 to 1. As you get further up the stairs, you can give yourself suggestions for feeling awake, alive and full of energy so that when you’re on step number one, you can open your eyes and feel wonderful.
Like anything, becoming deeply relaxed is a skill that takes a bit of practice so I’d encourage you to give this a go and repeat whenever you have a few minutes spare. You can play around with what you watch on the screen, for example you could watch yourself achieving one of your goals or being on a wonderful holiday. Use your imagination and enjoy the process.
Oh, and I wonder what was in your box?
Written By a dear friend - Robert Brook