Welcome to my relaxation website!
This website is dedicated to all the teachers out there trying to get themselves and their students through the day. I have games, quizzes, and website links to the latest information on relaxation techniques, so sit back and enjoy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Relaxation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everyone deals with stress on a daily basis. In order for it not to overwhelm us, we must find effective ways to cope.
Relaxation techniques have been around for centuries. It has been just recently that we consider it to be a necessary therapy or possibly a survival skill. Consider the definition from the Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine:
"Relaxation therapy is a broad term used to describe a number of techniques that promote stress reduction, the elimination of tension throughout the body, and a calm and peaceful state of mind."
As teachers both we, and our students need to know relaxation techniques. Stress is something that builds up, like a clogged artery. It is reoccurring, and it will always be around. So we must learn to deal with it in order to lead happy, productive lives. There are several methods.
Progressive relaxation is performed by first tensing, and then relaxing, the muscles of the body, one group at a time. You start at the toes and move up.
Breathing exercises can both improve respiratory function and relieve stress and tension. The individual takes a series of long, deep breaths through the nose, while trying to raise the abdomen instead of the chest. Air is exhaled through the relaxed mouth.
Release-only relaxation focuses on relieving feelings of tension in the muscles. However, it does not use muscle tensing as in progressive relaxation.
Cue-controlled relaxation is a tension-relief technique. It uses a cue, such as a word or mental image, to trigger immediate feelings of muscle relaxation. The cue must first be associated with relaxation in the individual's mind.
Guided imagery is a two-part process. The first part involves relaxation through breathing and muscle relaxation techniques. The second part of the exercise is the imagery or visualization. Relaxation imagery involves imagining pleasant, relaxing images that rest the mind and body. These may be experiences that have already happened, or new situations.
Biofeedback is a self-guided treatment that teaches an individual to manipulate muscle tension and/ or thought patterns through relaxation, visualization, and other cognitive techniques. It involves placing non-evasive sensors of different parts of the body to pick up biological information such as muscle tension, heart rate, or brain activity, and then it is displayed on a monitor. The person then learns to control their biological functions as new or stressful stimuli is presented. They watch their on progress on a monitor.
There are also other wonderful therapies that promote relaxation, such as, meditation, yoga, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, hypnosis, massage, art therapy, and others.
But it doesn't stop there. Anything that promotes relaxation is therapeutic. Remember that and keep an open mind.
~PEACE~
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