Download Relaxation By Michigan Medicine Pdf book free online – from Relaxation By Michigan Medicine Pdf book; Have you ever been told to “just relax?” Of course, feeling relaxed would be ideal– this is why we come to get help in the first place! But anyone who has felt panic or extreme anxiety knows “just” relaxing is much easier said than done.
Imagine a friend of yours telling you that she is planning to train for a 10K race. Even though she has never run a race before and does not jog regularly, she tells you her training will consist singularly of practicing running the full 10 kilometers on the day before the race. What would you think about this?
We know that the body needs time to learn how to run for long distances and build strength. She would need to practice at least a few times per week for several weeks to be ready. Relaxation skills are developed just like exercise: to see significant results, we must use them regularly over long periods. This is not a one-shot deal!
One set of skills used to supplement other CBT skills (such as exposure and cognitive skills) are relaxation skills. Relaxation skills address anxiety from the standpoint of the body by reducing muscle tension, slowing down breathing, and calming the mind. Relaxation skills can be structured; examples are slow diaphragmatic breathing, meditation, and yoga. Other factors, such as self-care and enjoying pleasurable activities, are also helpful to make us feel more relaxed. In this module we’ll explore some of these strategies, explaining how they are used and why they work.
As we will emphasize in this section, relaxation skills are best used in