4 Fast and Simple Relaxation Techniques

There are moments when you need to relax. Some people find it hard to fall asleep after an emotional day, some people are exhausted by stress. There are four simple relaxation techniques that will make your life easier.

Psychological carnival

One of the fast relaxation techniques is “psychological carnival”. It means that you can try to be another person for a short period of time. No one should be warned about it and you can even dress up. It is better to try to think for a while, feel, and act as the owner of the chosen “mask”.  

For relaxation, choose quiet roles such as yogi or sage. This game will allow you start thinking outside the box and expand your understanding of yourself.

This metamorphosis stimulates many parts of the brain involved in the creative process, including the cognitive control network and the areas responsible for the action. You will build cognitive muscles with the help of each new role.

Two minutes to Zen

Each of us has our own irritants. It’s important to just notice when the automatic response to them is triggered. See if there are any physical changes in the body at these moments, or confused thoughts, or heightened emotional states, or difficulty concentrating. In any emergency, the following actions can provide quick help.

1. Just stop and watch what happens to you. (Approximately 20 seconds)

2. Breath – three consecutive deep breaths, take long deep breaths. (30 seconds)

3. Thoughts – mark which unproductive patterns have appeared, and let them go immediately. (20 seconds.)

4. Stay in the present moment – sit still in the present moment. (20 seconds.)

5. Now return to reality, repeat the principles of life: I choose acceptance, compassion, and sincerity to deal with this situation.

This Two Minutes to Zen emergency technique can be used at any time, several times a day if necessary.

Smell lemons

A simple and pleasant relaxation techniques is smelling lemons. One study found that inhaling the lemon aroma for 15 minutes normalizes heartbeat and pressure and it calms you down.

The volunteers actively inhaled the flavour of the lemon for 30 seconds, then rested for 30 seconds. They did it for 15 minutes to have the results.

Binaural beats

Binaural beats (from lat. bini – pair, two and auris – ear) – an artifact of the brain, imaginary sounds of controlled music that the brain perceives, although the real sounds of this frequency are absent.

Scientists have found that a daily half-hour listening to binaural delta beats has a beneficial effect on patients with mild anxiety disorders – the result was determined by the Spielberg STAI scale. Other scientists asked patients with preoperative anxiety to listen to binaural beats with the same frequency. After such sessions, STAI decreased by 26.3%.

The binaural beats industry is still evolving, and we do not yet fully understand how it works. However, it is unlikely that they can do more harm than ordinary music – you may like it as well.

Theta waves can help you relax after a hard workout and increase the intensity of the parasympathetic nervous system. Binaural rhythms in delta frequencies can help manage emotions, although further research is needed to prove their effect. You may be interested in waves of other frequencies to see which ones work best for you. Binaural beats are easy to find on the internet and choose what you like best.

You will probably need a little practice to make these relaxation techniques work. By doing the exercise a few times, you will learn to relax in a few seconds.