Megan M. Paris, PhD
Dr. Megan Paris
Licensed Psychologist

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Deep Breathe Your Way to Relaxation...

9/13/2013

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You've heard me talk about the benefits of breathing exercises to reduce stress and increase feelings of well-being. (You'll hear me say it again...and again). Here is an exercise that you can follow step-by-step to practice the simple, yet effective, art of deep breathing. Although this exercise can be practiced in a variety of poses, the following is recommended:
 
1. Lie down on a blanket or rug on the floor. Bend your knees and move your feet about eight inches apart, with your toes turned slightly outward. Make sure that your spine is straight. 
 
2. Scan your body for tension.
 
3. Place one hand on your abdomen and one hand on your chest. 
 
4. Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose into your abdomen to push up your hand as much as feels comfortable. Your chest should move only a little and only with your abdomen. 
  
5. When you feel at ease with step 4, smile slightly and inhale through your nose and exhale thorough your mouth, making a quiet, relaxing, whooshing sound like the wind as you blow gently out. Your mouth, tongue, and jaw will be relaxed. Take long, slow, deep breaths that raise and lower your abdomen. Focus on the sound and feeling of breathing as you become more and more relaxed. 

6. Continue deep breathing for about five or ten minutes at a time, once or twice a day. Then, if you like, gradually extend this period to twenty minutes. 
 
7. At the end of each deep-breathing session, take a little time to once more scan your body for tension. Compare the tension you feel at the conclusion of the exercise with that which you experienced when you began. 

8. When you become at ease with breathing into your abdomen, practice it any time during the day when you feel like it and you a4re sitting down or standing still. Concentrate on your abdomen moving up and down, the air moving in and out of your lungs, and the feeling of relaxation that deep breathing gives you. 

When you have learned to relax yourself using deep breathing, practice it any time you'd like, but especially times when you feel yourself getting tense. 

Exercise from Relaxation For Dummies by Shamash Alidina



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Breathing to Release Tension

6/14/2013

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In a previous post, (Body Responses) I reviewed some of the great benefits of using relaxation to reduce stress. Often times, people get turned off by the idea of "practicing relaxation," as though it's just one more chore on the already long to-do list. Trust me--relaxation doesn't have to be complicated! Breathing techniques are generally the foundation for relaxing.

One of my favorite resources for learning and practicing breathing and other relaxation techniques is the Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook by Davis, Eshelmen, and McKay (2000). I'm sharing a few exercises from the workbook that I highly recommend.

Remember: Breathing exercises are portable. You can do them anytime, anywhere. Use the following exercises at any point throughout your day to enhance relaxation and release tension.
 
Breath Counting 
1.     Sit or lie in a comfortable position with your arms and legs uncrossed and your spine 
        straight.

2.     Breathe in deeply into your abdomen. Let yourself pause before you exhale. 

3.    As you exhale, count "one" to yourself. As you continue to inhale and exhale, count each 
       exhalation: "Two…Three…Four".

4.   Continue counting your exhalations in sets of four for five to ten minutes. 

5.    Notice your breathing gradually slowing, your body relaxing, and your mind calming as you 
       practice this breathing meditation. 


The Relaxing Sigh 
During the day, you probably catch yourself sighing or yawning. This is generally a sign that you are not getting enough oxygen. Sighing and yawning are your body's way of remedying the situation. A sigh is often accompanied by a sense that things are not quite as they should be, and a feeling of tension. Since a sigh actually does release a bit of tension, you can practice sighing at will as a means of relaxing. 
 
1.     Sit or stand up straight.

 2.    Sigh deeply, letting out a sound of deep relief as the air rushes out of your lungs. 

3.     Don't think about inhaling—just let the air come in naturally. 
 
4.     Take eight to twelve of these relaxing sighs and let yourself experience the feeling of 
        relaxation. Repeat whenever you feel the need for it. 
 

Letting Go of Tension
1.     Sit comfortably in a chair with your feet on the floor. 

2.     Breathe in deeply into your abdomen and say to yourself, "Breathe in relaxation." 
        Let yourself pause before you exhale.

3.     Breathe out from your abdomen and say to yourself, "Breathe out tension." Pause before 
        you inhale. 

4.     Use each inhalation as a moment to become aware of any tension in your body. 

5.     Use each exhalation as an opportunity to let go of tension. 
 
6.     You may find it helpful to use your imagination to picture or feel the relaxation entering and 
        the tension leaving your body.

Davis, M., McKay, M., & Eshelman, E.R. (2000). The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook. p. 26.
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Body Responses: Stress vs. Relaxation

3/15/2013

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Stress is an unavoidable part of everyday life, resulting from any change or situation you must cope with, both positive and negative. In fact, the body may react to the physical threat of danger in the same way it responds to the exhilaration of upcoming wedding or dream vacation. Sound strange? Well, not all stress is bad, but problems can arise when the amount of stress you experience over time exceeds your resources to cope. What’s important is to learning to recognize the signs of stress to respond in a healthy way so it doesn’t interfere with your life. 
 
Your body notices stress long before your mind does. Think about the last time you felt stressed out. Did you notice any of these common feelings?
Fatigue
Muscle Tension
Racing Heart
Shakiness
Sweating
Nail biting
Dry Mouth
Sleep problems
Heartburn
Jitters
Irritability
Overeating or Loss of appetite
Physiological changes during stress are truly remarkable. In fact, scientists call these reactions the “fight or flight response;” a series of biochemical changes in the body that prepare an individual to deal with threats or danger. Any problem we face, imagined or real, can cause the mind to signal an alarm that stimulates the sympathetic nervous system to make changes in the body. Imagine a zebra standing in the sun, who suddenly notices a lion approaching. The zebra needs to react immediately to survive. His body must be in optimal shape for the burst of energy required to flee to safety. It is adaptive for the stress response to kick into gear so the zebra can survive.
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Just like the zebra, our bodies react in the same way to threats and stressors: muscles tense, pupils become larger, hearing becomes more acute, blood surges to the brain and trunk and away from extremities. The body quickly gears up to peak efficiency to cope with the current threat and then, when the perceived crisis is over, the body returns to its normal state of functioning. Unfortunately, many of us live with so many repeated stressors that the body doesn’t always automatically calm down on its own. This is when chronic stress and burn out become a problem; the body wasn’t designed to linger too long in“fight or flight” mode.
 
Fortunately, the same signal that turns on fight or flight can also turn it off. Instead of maintaining the stress response, the relaxation response is naturally restorative. Metabolism, heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tension, and blood pressure all return to their normal levels. Consider the fact that it is physically impossible to breath quickly and slowly at the same time. Stress and relaxation are simply not compatible. One response cannot exist simultaneously with the other. Training the mind and body to enter a state of relaxation, to invite the relaxation response, leads to a reduction in physiological symptoms and is the key to managing and reducing negative outcomes of stress. 
 
Learning relaxation techniques like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, autogenics, meditation, imagery, and so on, provides the body with the steps to achieve the relaxation response. As with most skills, the more practice and experience you have, the easier it will become for you to tap into physiological and emotional. Stay tuned for upcoming posts with more information and examples of each of these techniques!
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    Megan M. Paris, PhD



    I'm a licensed psychologist in Houston helping adults
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