Mental relaxation techniques

  So far in this chapter the relaxation exercises described have focused on physical relaxation. However, there are a range of mental relaxation exercises that have also been demonstrated to be effective in reducing stress. Generally speaking they work by reducing the ‘mental chatter’ that people who are stressed are bombarded with on a daily basis and inducing an inner sense of calm and peacefulness. Some of the best-known techniques include meditation, mindfulness, mental refocusing and visual imagery and these are outlined below.

Meditation

  Meditation is often equated with Eastern mysticism and something that The Beatles did in the 1960s while on drugs. However, there is nothing intrinsically mysterious about meditation. It is simply a set of techniques aimed at helping the individual relax mentally. There is a wide range of meditative techniques but generally they involve sitting in a quiet comfortable environment, doing some preliminary muscle relaxation and breathing exercises to ensure a physically relaxed state and then practising a mental exercise which induces a passive attitude to the internal mental activity and external distractions that are being experienced. Meditation uses a ‘neutral’ focal device to engage the attention of the individual, such as a mental image (picture) or a ‘mantra’ (a chant or repeating a word or number over and over again). Focusing one’s attention on to the neutral focal device allows all other information to drift in and out of the individual’s consciousness without paying much attention to it at all. One example of a focal device is to imagine a translucent blue pyramid shape floating in three-dimensional space. Another is to imagine the word ‘RELAX’ in large bold three-dimensional letters revolving slowly in three-dimensional space. In some ways these examples are comparable to a screen saver on a computer, in that the image moves or rotates slowly on the screen while all other programs are shut down. An example of a mantra would be to the sound ‘Oommh’ over and over again. The result of paying attention to a neutral focusing device is to induce an inner sense or peacefulness and calm.

Mindfulness

  Mindfulness is a particular kind of mediation derived from the Buddhist philosophy. It is based on the observation that when we are in a tense or distressed state, our mind is usually somewhere other than the present moment in time. For example, anxious people tend to live in the future. They spend much of their time worrying about what might happen tomorrow, next week or some time in the future. They predict that disaster and catastrophe are just round the corner. Depressed people on the other hand spend much of their time focusing on the past, missed opportunities and losses. Mindfulness meditation techniques, however, involve teaching the individual how to be fully engaged in the present moment without excessively analysing or over-thinking the experience. So rather than worrying about the future, or dwelling on the past, mindfulness meditation switches the focus of attention to what is happening in the here and now. There is a range of techniques that can bring about a state of mindfulness and some examples of these are outlined below. Give them a try and see what it feels like.

MINDFUL EATING

  How often do you sit there at work eating your lunch while your mind is elsewhere? You may be worrying about the meeting that you have to go to later that afternoon, or you may be focusing on the memory of some event that has happened in the past. Because your attention is elsewhere it is likely that you have not even noticed the taste, touch or texture of the food that you are placing in your mouth. You may even be gulping the food down because you are in a hurry. Mindful eating involves paying full attention to the meal that you are eating. Try to eat slowly, taking time to fully enjoy the tastes, smells, colour and textures of the foods you are eating. Notice what it feels like when you chew and swallow each bite of your food.

BODY SCAN

  In some respects body scanning is similar to progressive muscular relaxation in that you focus your attention on various parts of your body, starting with your feet and then working your way up the body. However, it is different from progressive muscular relaxation in that in mindfulness you are simply noticing ‘what is’ rather than tensing and relaxing your muscles, or labelling sensations as good and bad. It is about observing all the sensations you are experiencing in your body without trying to change anything. For example, you may observe that the muscles in your neck are particularly tense but instead of trying to change the sensation, mindfulness is about accepting that this is the way your neck is feeling at the present moment in the here and now.

MINDFUL WALKING

  As for eating, how often do we simply rush from one place to another with our mind somewhere else? Mindful walking involves focusing your attention on the physical experience of every step that you take. Notice the sensation of pressure on your feet and in your shoes as your feet touch the ground. Experience the changes when you walk on different kinds of surface. Observe your body movements and sensations in your muscles. Notice the rhythm of your breathing and the feeling of the wind, rain or sunshine against your face. Soak up the sounds, sights and smells impinging on your senses as you progress on your journey.