Relaxation Beyond Meditation: Five Alternative Stress-Relief Techniques

[00:00:00] Sportscast.

[00:00:07] Modern Life is unbelievable stressful. According to a 2018 study, 9 out of 10 Indians

[00:00:15] feel they are suffering from stress because of work, health, or money but as many as 3

[00:00:21] or 4 or 75% of them said they don't feel comfortable talking to a medical or mental

[00:00:27] health professional for their stress. So how are these people managing this stress and finding

[00:00:31] wasted relax? Short answer is they are not and in all likelihood you are not either.

[00:00:37] So the most common suggestion for stress management is either meditation or medication

[00:00:42] but meditation doesn't work for everyone and medication comes with a list of side effects

[00:00:47] that can sometimes be unpleasant. So today we are going to walk you through 5 other methods,

[00:00:52] I have alternatives to stress relief, there are not meditation. I guess you can call it a guide

[00:00:58] to relaxation beyond meditation. Hello and welcome back to Vishnu Ki Secret Life.

[00:01:09] The show where you learn something new about nutrition, fitness, life or lifestyle

[00:01:14] choices and your host Vishnu Goopnath. Today we are exploring 5 ways to destress and

[00:01:24] relax. So if you don't feel like meditation try one of these other methods and the good

[00:01:30] thing is that you can do them anywhere and I have tried all of these. So I am going to tell

[00:01:35] you which one was most effective for me and which one is most likely to be right for you. We

[00:01:41] also spoke with Sri M, his meditation guru so I can help you understand exactly how these

[00:01:46] things can benefit you. But what's wrong with the little stress and why is it important

[00:01:52] to find a way to relax?

[00:02:02] Okay, in all honesty there are many benefits to keeping your brain relaxed and there

[00:02:07] are a lot of drawbacks from being constantly stressed. It takes a toll on your physical

[00:02:11] health and your mental health and if you don't manage your stress regularly by relaxing

[00:02:15] or unwinding in a healthy way you will be more prone to feeling overwhelmed or experiencing

[00:02:20] emotional outbursts or facing depression or even feeling like escaping from everything.

[00:02:26] So now that we know why you need to relax, let me start with number one of these 5 techniques.

[00:02:33] Also if you want to hear more about the importance of relaxation I'll leave a bit about

[00:02:37] that at the end of the podcast but now number one, Autogenic Training. Our first method

[00:02:47] helps reduce anxiety by creating a warm heavy feeling in your body. Sit down and

[00:02:54] a quiet comfortable place, loosen any tight clothes that you might have and get comfortable.

[00:03:02] Take a few deep breaths and repeat. I am completely calm. Now focus on your arms and repeat

[00:03:15] 5 times. My arms are very heavy. As you do this keep breathing deeply and comfortably

[00:03:29] and then repeat yourself. I am completely calm. Now focus on your arms again and repeat

[00:03:42] 5 times. My arms are very warm. Keep breathing deeply and comfortably as you repeat this.

[00:03:53] And then repeat yourself. I am completely calm. Now shift your focus to your legs and repeat

[00:04:07] this process. My legs are very heavy. Repeat this 5 times and then tell yourself.

[00:04:23] I am completely calm. Now move your heartbeat and pay attention to it. Now repeat 5 times.

[00:04:37] My heartbeat is calm and regular. And then end with I am completely calm. Shift your focus

[00:04:54] to your breath and do the same thing. Repeat this to yourself 5 times. My breath is calm and regular

[00:05:09] and then repeat yourself. I am completely calm. Now you repeat this process with your forehead,

[00:05:20] your abdomen, your torso and other parts of your body. Once you've done just stay in the moment

[00:05:29] and enjoy the feelings of relaxation. So this method uses affirmation to relax you.

[00:05:38] It's very effective in dealing with social anxiety. I will recommend this personally because

[00:05:44] it's something you can do no matter where you are with no external resources or help.

[00:05:49] Once you memorize the script and the pattern it's an excellent relaxation technique. In fact

[00:05:54] with enough practice you can sometimes become completely calm just by saying I am completely calm.

[00:06:04] This method will leave you feeling relaxation that can last anywhere from a few hours to half a day

[00:06:09] or even more in some cases. Now the second technique that I'm going to describe to you is a

[00:06:15] couple of deep breathing techniques that can be useful in most situations to relax.

[00:06:20] Deep breathing is also an essential part of most relaxation methods. This is called diaphragmatic

[00:06:27] breathing. To learn this deep breathing method you start by sitting or standing comfortably.

[00:06:34] Place 100-year chest and place your other hand on a stomach. Now breathe in through your nose

[00:06:41] from your belly. You should feel your belly expand while your chest stays fairly still.

[00:06:51] And breathe out through your mouth while gently pressing down on your stomach.

[00:06:57] This will teach you to make sure you're breathing deep from your belly or your abdomen and not from

[00:07:02] your chest. Why is this important? I asked Shree M. His meditation guru and an author.

[00:07:17] You need something for the mind to grasp. You can't keep the mind in a limbo.

[00:07:25] So the best thing to do is occupy it in an activity which is internal and which is neutral

[00:07:31] and a no connection with anything emotional or that is the breath. So this is the reason why

[00:07:38] breath is so important. First it studies the breath. Make sure your mind

[00:07:43] make it more oxygen into the system apart from that. Then the mind is allowed or made to watch the

[00:07:51] inhale and exhale. Another version of deep breathing is 4-7-8 breathing

[00:08:07] where you breathe in deeply for 4 seconds, hold it for 7 seconds and you breathe out for 8 seconds.

[00:08:16] This method induces a very deep state of relaxation very fast. So just be a little careful with

[00:08:22] it. Now I'm kidding, you can use it as much as you want it's very relaxing.

[00:08:27] The next thing I'm going to talk about is JPMR or Jacobson's Progressive Muscle

[00:08:34] relaxation technique. This is something my mom told me about. She's a psychiatrist.

[00:08:45] I never tried this still one day I was having an intense anxiety attack when I was about to leave

[00:08:51] on vacation and I did this when I was in a cab and good god I almost went to sleep after

[00:08:58] because I was so calm. Jacobson's Progressive Muscle relaxation technique or JPMR

[00:09:04] because Jacobson's Progressive Muscle relaxation technique is a mouthful. It's great for getting

[00:09:10] good sleep and relaxation. So in JPMR you progressively tense and relax each muscle group in your body

[00:09:17] one by one. You start with your feet or your hands and by the time we get your head your whole

[00:09:24] body is relaxed. This leaves you feeling good physically and mentally and this method has

[00:09:29] two great advantages which I personally experienced. It can be done with no script or reference point

[00:09:35] if you do it a couple of times and the second is that it relaxes you both physically and mentally.

[00:09:42] Enough build up, let's start.

[00:09:53] Begin by sitting or lying down in a comfortable position. Losing any clothing or accessories

[00:09:59] that are tight or restricted to. Now close your eyes and take a deep breath.

[00:10:06] Now start with your right foot, tense your right foot hold for five seconds and release.

[00:10:13] As you do this breathe in deep and breathe out. When it tense your muscle don't

[00:10:21] try to push the tension till you get a cramp, just tense it normally. Breathe in as you

[00:10:27] tense it breathe out as you relax the muscle. Now move your calf take a deep breath,

[00:10:35] tense your calf muscle hold for five seconds release and breathe out. Next we will do your thigh.

[00:10:48] Breathe in as you tense your thigh hold it for five seconds and release as you breathe out.

[00:11:00] Now repeat this process with your left leg start with your foot, tense hold for five seconds,

[00:11:09] breathe out and release. Move all the way up your left leg the same way you did with your right leg.

[00:11:22] Next we will do your hands start with your right hand, tense your palm and fingers hold for five seconds

[00:11:34] and release. Now tense your forearm hold, breathe out and release. Repeat this with your upper arm

[00:11:53] and then move to your left hand and repeat starting with your palms moving all the way up to your upper arms.

[00:12:03] As you move up slowly, tense in releasing the muscles in your body,

[00:12:08] you'll feel the stress and the tension that you held in, slowly release. When it

[00:12:16] down with both your legs and both your arms start with your abdomen work on your abdomen

[00:12:23] and stomach next, sucking it in and holding it, pushing it out and repeating the process

[00:12:29] with your abdomen your stomach, your torso and your chest. And now move your focus to your shoulders.

[00:12:39] Then your neck when you get your face stretch your facial muscles smile as wide as a can,

[00:12:46] squint your eyes make a grimace tense your facial muscles and release.

[00:12:51] The last part is your scalp, as you stretch out your face try and move and flex your scalp as well.

[00:13:01] Once you're done with all of your body parts which are eyes still closed, take a few de-prets

[00:13:07] and exhale deeply when you're done open your eyes. This method has been invaluable for me during

[00:13:21] nights that I have trouble sleeping. It's a pretty great way to just conquer the sleep like that if

[00:13:26] you find yourself tossing and turning in bed. Next up we have guided imagery.

[00:13:33] guided imagery is one of those relaxation techniques that's become extremely popular. It's

[00:13:38] even become a running joke in pop culture or those jokes about go to your happy place.

[00:13:44] Where do you think the idea of a happy place came from? Anyway, in guided imagery you use

[00:13:50] visualization or imagery to relax your body. You'll imagine a calm, serene setting

[00:13:55] usually something like a tropical beach or a cozy log cabin in the woods or a comfortable

[00:14:01] chair by the lakeside and you let yourself feel the feelings of relaxation that come from being

[00:14:07] in that place. Another approach that you can take is visualizing positive results and outcomes

[00:14:12] to your efforts. I asked Shree once again for his two cents on guided meditation.

[00:14:24] guided meditation works there is no problem about guided meditation but you say guided

[00:14:30] it means someone is saying okay do this, do this, do this. Now you suspend all other thoughts

[00:14:34] it down and continue doing it helps but again if your series exploreer into the sense of what's

[00:14:41] just spiritual thing is about then this may help preliminary but you need to go further

[00:14:46] and the idea is to make you independent and stand on your own legs. If you depend all the time on

[00:14:52] guided, maybe you depend on the guide. Now let's give a shot. Start by breathing deeply

[00:15:05] and imagine your on a beach. The sun is warm as it hits your face in body. The sand feels

[00:15:15] greeny and coarse and air-feet. You can feel the sand as it slips between your toes.

[00:15:23] You walk on the sand hearing the waves lap at the shore. You chance upon a wooden chair set on a mat,

[00:15:32] a big colorful umbrella, shelter as you and the chair from the rays of the sun.

[00:15:43] Do you understand what you're doing? It's not just about the scene or visualizing a scene

[00:15:50] it's about experiencing feeling, hearing, smelling and tasting the scene you have chosen

[00:15:57] and letting the sensations fill you up. You experience the different feelings you associate with this

[00:16:02] place and that's how guided imagery helps. Your mind enters a state of relaxation which helps

[00:16:09] calm you. When you're done with the exercise, it's slowly gone backwards from 10.

[00:16:15] Become more aware of your presence aroundings and open your eyes. Typically a guided imagery

[00:16:22] or meditation is done with a script or a company audio. Fortunately we have a podcast series called

[00:16:28] Escape with Zubin which involves guided meditation and visualization. I'm also

[00:16:33] only your link to that podcast in the show notes. guided imagery is very effective for dealing with daily

[00:16:39] stress and anxiety. When I used to listen to Zubin's guided meditation podcasts, I'd inevitably

[00:16:45] end up feeling way more relaxed and positive through the day. For me it's the second most

[00:16:51] effective relaxation technique or even the most relaxing one depending on what I want.

[00:16:56] Meaning if I'm trying to feel physically and mentally completely relaxed,

[00:17:00] JPMR is my first pick but if I'm in the middle of a very hectic work day, I'd pick guided meditation

[00:17:06] over most others. But again this is up to you. The final technique I'm going to walk you through

[00:17:12] is body's candle relaxation. It helps relaxation by identifying physical pains and distress that

[00:17:18] are tight your emotional state and breathing through the tension and the pain. To practice body's

[00:17:25] can meditation, sit in a comfortable position, close your eyes and start by breathing deeply.

[00:17:38] Once you've taken a few deep breaths and gotten comfortable, start by observing the sensations

[00:17:44] in your feet. Do you feel any tension or pain? I identify the sensations and start breathing through them.

[00:17:54] Breathe deeply and visualize the pain leaving your body. Once you're done with your feet,

[00:18:01] scan the rest of your body slowly. Do you feel any knots or stress? Any specific parts that

[00:18:08] feel tense? Breathe through the stress and the tension that you identify. This is a great relaxation

[00:18:16] method that can be done in short bursts through the day. That's how body's candle relaxation stands out.

[00:18:22] You can do this with just five minutes on your hands. Find a quiet place, close your eyes, take

[00:18:28] a few deep breaths and scan your body for pain and stress. And then simply breathe through them.

[00:18:37] This is great to do in addition to other techniques instead of just on its own.

[00:18:42] Imagine you're chosen daily relaxation method, whether that's a current meditation,

[00:18:46] JPMR or whatever, as your biggest meal of the day and body's candle relaxation

[00:18:51] is a snap that keeps you going till your next meal or till your day ends.

[00:18:56] Practice body's candle relaxation doesn't pretty useful de-stressing during those

[00:19:00] hectic days when you can hardly find time for yourself.

[00:19:04] And it will show benefits. Any one of these methods, all five of these methods will give you results.

[00:19:13] So anyway, there you have it. Five relaxation methods that go beyond meditation.

[00:19:18] Start today and you'll see the difference almost instantly. And remember,

[00:19:22] the key to being successful is consistency. I still have constant anxiety and stress from

[00:19:28] not sleeping enough, from working late, relationship problems and health problems. And needless

[00:19:33] to save without some form of relaxation either mindfulness or deep breathing or some of the other

[00:19:39] methods we discussed, this could get really bad really fast. And it would lead to panic attacks

[00:19:44] and there's this sense of impending doom. And like I told you in the beginning, the physical effects

[00:19:49] of stress can also be pretty double dating. If you're stressed off enough, you'll experience

[00:19:54] tiredness, headaches, sleeplessness and sometimes even a loss of sexual desire. In my case,

[00:20:01] all of it, sleeplessness, the lack of routine and stress eating, let me to gain 20 kilos in the

[00:20:07] past two years. When you practice regular relaxation and stress relief techniques, your overall

[00:20:13] state of mind, mood and performance will get better. So start today and give yourself just five

[00:20:20] minutes or 10 minutes every day for your piece of mind. You'll be shocked at the difference it makes.

[00:20:37] And on that note, I'm going to take care of you today. That's all we have for you on this edition

[00:20:41] of Fish Nookie Secret Life. Don't forget to join us again for the next episode of Fish Nookie Secret

[00:20:47] Life.