What Is a Good Way to Relax and Remove Stress?

meditation

Sit on a boat, anchord out from the city. Stay there for hours…
sail in to land.

Exercise is execllent. Here are some techniques that might help too:

There are three major types of relaxation techniques:

Autogenic training. This technique uses both visual imagery and body awareness to move a person into a deep state of relaxation. The person imagines a peaceful place and then focuses on different physical sensations, moving from the feet to the head. For example, one might focus on warmth and heaviness in the limbs, easy, natural breathing, or a calm heartbeat.
Progressive muscle relaxation. This technique involves slowly tensing and then releasing each muscle group individually, starting with the muscles in the toes and finishing with those in the head.
Meditation. The two most popular forms of meditation in the U.S. include Transcendental Meditation (students repeat a mantra [a single word or phrase],) and mindfulness meditation (students focus their attention on their moment-by-moment thoughts and sensations).
How do relaxation techniques work?

When we become stressed, our bodies engage in something called the “fight or flight response.” The fight or flight response refers to changes that occur in the body when it prepares to either fight or run. These changes include increased heart rate, blood pressure, and rate of breathing, and a 300 to 400 percent increase in the amount of blood being pumped to the muscles. Over time, these reactions raise cholesterol levels, disturb intestinal activities, and depress the immune system. In general, they leave us feeling “stressed out.”

However, we also possess the opposite of the fight or flight response—the “relaxation response.” This term, first coined in the mid-1970s by a Harvard cardiologist named Herbert Benson, refers to changes that occur in the body when it is in a deep state of relaxation. These changes include decreased blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and rate of breathing, as well as feelings of being calm and in control. Learning the relaxation response helps to counter the ill effects of the fight or flight response and, over time, allow the development of a greater state of alertness. The relaxation response can be developed through a number of techniques, including meditation and progressive muscle relaxation. It is now a recommended treatment for many stress-related disorders.

What are relaxation techniques good for?

Research suggests that meditation can help improve a person’s quality of life and reduce stress hormone levels.

Studies also show that relaxation techniques reduce the perception of pain. One study found that among patients undergoing colorectal surgery, those who listened to guided-imagery tapes before, during, and after the operation had less pain and needed fewer pain medications than those who did not.

Meditation has also been used as part of the treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans and to break substance abuse patterns in drug and alcohol abusers. Relaxation techniques can also enhance coping skills in migraine sufferers and reduce stress as well as improve mood in those with cancer.

In general, studies show that with consistent practice, relaxation techniques can potentially reduce symptoms or improve outcomes in the following conditions:

premenstrual syndrome
pain
irritable bowel syndrome
anxiety
infertility
high blood pressure
high cholesterol
diabetes
panic disorders
chronic tension headaches
fibromyalgia
insomnia
psoriasis
arthritis
hyperactivity in children, as in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
It is extremely important that usual medical care and advice by followed for these conditions as well. Relaxation techniques are meant to complement usual medical care.

Is there anything I should watch out for?

Relaxation techniques are considered to be very safe. There have been unusual cases where people become more, rather than less, anxious when using the techniques because of a heightened awareness of body sensations. Even more rare are reports of pain, heart palpitations, muscle twitching, and crying spells associated with the use of relaxation techniques. When this happens, it is often related to the process of relaxing and reflecting inward such that emotions become very poignant.

Experts advise people with schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis (thought disorders that distort reality) to avoid relaxation techniques.

well first u need to take a little time out of your day to do something for u and nobody else.

Turn off the lights, lay flat on the floor with you knees up, close your eyes and concentrate on breathing for 15 mins. It will calm you down and completely relax you.

It will do wonders for a stressful day.

I relax watching a classic drama or romantic movie, eating popcorn and drinking an ice beer.
I try to forget everything that brings me trouble while I see the film.
you should try this.