Developing the capacity to relax can help to combat:

• Worry
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Insomnia
• Depression

Taking time out to relax on a regular basis will bring positive benefits to you both physically, mentally and academically.  

Physically

• Slows heart rate 
• Lowers blood pressure 
• Improves digestion 
• Reduces muscle tension 
• Boosts Immune system 

Academically

• Helps concentration 
• Improves Productivity 
• Increases energy 
• Enhances memory 

• Lowers stress  

Take some time to relax – do something that you enjoy and something that makes you smile. It may be exercise, a hobby, playing sport, spending time with friends, being creative in some way or chilling out watching TV, reading or listening to music. However you like to spend your time, remember that there are significant benefits in doing so and prioritise time out in your week. 

Sometimes, you may want to try specific relaxation techniques and we have a few ideas of ones which you can use in different settings. Relaxation exercises help you to be focussed on the present moment rather than worrying about the future of thinking about the past. Using techniques such as the ones below help you to physically and mentally relax which can bring about a sense of calm, reduce anxiety, help you to concentrate and feel more in control. 

Regular, scheduled and dedicated relaxation exercises are useful to maintain our physical and mental well-being. It can feel difficult to commit to undertaking relaxation regularly, but scheduling it into your day or week and prioritising a specific time is useful, as you would an important appointment. You may like to try different techniques, or find a combination that works for you. 

Here are some Relaxation exercises: 

Breathing exercises help slow the heart rate, which is common if you may be feeling anxious.  

Tips on relaxation

• This is a guide - do what works for you 

• Playing music you find soothing can help during relaxation 
• Recorded relaxations sessions can be downloaded from the internet or purchased from most health shops 
• Relaxing in this way may take practice - one sessions may not be wholly effective 
• Ensure you take any muscular (or other) conditions into account and look after yourself 

Visualisation

You may like to extend your relaxation to incorporate a visualisation. This uses the powers of imagination to create visual images which can aid deep relaxation. A visualisation can take you to as many and varied places as your imagination can reach which can be restorative or stimulating, as required. For example, you may imagine yourself floating up in a hot air balloon, or sitting on a beach, or resting in a forest glade....whatever works for you to help you feel relaxed. Focus on all the sensations of what you can hear, smell, feel touch, see, taste, sense in your unique imaged place. Try to clearly imagine details and qualities, (for example, it may aid your relaxation to imagine the feel of sunshine on your body). 

Longer Relaxation Techniques

Regular, scheduled and dedicated relaxation exercises are useful to maintain our physical and mental well-being. It can feel difficult to commit to undertaking relaxation regularly, but scheduling it into your day or week and prioritising a specific time is useful, as you would an important appointment. You may like to try different techniques, or find a combination that works for you. 

Muscular Relaxation

Allow 20-30 minutes to complete a muscular relaxation. You may want to plan only gentle activity (or sleep) after your sessions as it is hoped you will feel fully relaxed. 

Meditation

There can be a religious or spiritual element to meditating but not necessarily. Common to all forms of meditation is the aim of feeling calm, clear and accepting of self and others by stilling the mind and body. It can be particularly useful to reduce 'over-thinking', to improve levels of concentration, to develop self-awareness and to experience a sense of self-control. (You may also wish to find out about mindfulness) 

Apps such as Headspace have lots of information about meditation and relaxation, including guided meditations. You can find them on the app or by searching for Headspace on YouTube.

Tips for meditating 

• Try to meditate once or twice a day at the same time 
• Abstain from eating or drinking alcohol immediately before or after meditation 
• If you feel sleepy, perhaps let yourself sleep - you may need it 
• Keep to your schedule for meditating even if some sessions don't seem as calming or enlightening as others - commit to keep it up for at least a week 
• If you feel dizzy or ungrounded, try to focus your mind just below (2") your belly button and 'breathe' from there 
• Do not mediate if you are suffering from a severe psychological disorder 
• Enjoy the time you make for yourself and don't try too hard!