Relaxation for Mind-body Connection
Fight-or-Flight
Relaxation Response
Brain interprets something to be a stressor
Brain tells body it is safe now and can relax
Brain releases chemicals that stimulate the body
Brain releases chemicals that relax body
Chemicals increase blood pressure and heart
rate, dilate pupils, etc.
Chemicals lower blood pressure and heart rate,
restrict pupils, etc.
Signs of Chronic Stress
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Anxiety
Back pain
Change in appetite
Chest pain
Constipation
Depression
Diarrhea
Dry mouth
Extreme tiredness
Frequent illnesses
General aches and pains
Headaches
Heartburn
Increased blood pressure
Irritability
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Feeling disconnected from your
body/dreamy
Fuzzy thinking
High blood pressure
Trouble sleeping
Lightheadedness
Feeling your heart pounding
Sexual problems
Shortness of breath
Stiff neck
Sweating
Upset stomach
Weight gain/loss
What symptoms do you have when you are stressed?
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1—EMBS-w©2014 Magellan Health, Inc.
Ways to Achieve the Relaxation Response
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Imagery
Progressive muscle relaxation
Repetitive prayer
Repetitive physical exercises
Breath focus
Mindfulness meditation
Focused Breathing
Before you begin: Test yourself to see if you are breathing deeply enough by putting one hand on
your chest and the other on your belly. Take a deep breath. If your hand on your belly does not rise,
you are not breathing deeply enough. Take some deep breaths and focus on expanding your lungs
downward so that your belly rises and falls with each breath. Determine a word, prayer or a mantra
that you can focus on while breathing. It doesn’t matter what it is as long as it is something deeply
routed in your beliefs.
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Sit in a relaxed position.
Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose while counting to five (your belly should raise).
Now, fully let your breath out while slowly counting to five again (your belly should deflate).
With each breath focus on a word, prayer or a mantra.
Do this for 10-20 minutes per day.
Steps for muscle tension and relaxation
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Sit in a relaxed position.
Begin with your facial muscles. Frown hard for 5-10 seconds and then relax your muscles.
Work other facial muscles by scrunching your face up or knitting your eyebrows for 5-10 seconds.
Release. You should feel a noticeable difference between the tense and relaxed muscles.
Move on to your jaw. Then, move on to other muscle groups—shoulders, arms, chest, legs, etc.—
until you've tensed and relaxed individual muscle groups throughout your whole body.
Mindfulness Meditation1
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Body – Notice how your body is positioned. Is there’s any tension anywhere?
Emotions – Focus on your feelings. Are you angry, frustrated, calm, happy, sad, stressed?
Thoughts – What are you thinking about? Are you worrying, stewing, or rehashing? Are you
stuck in the past or future?
Location – Where are you? What is your environment like; is it hot or cold? Look for something
new in your environment, something you never noticed before.
Experiment with yourself; try doing this once an hour for a day and see if it makes a difference in
your relaxation level.
What did you learn about yourself after completing these activities?
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2— EMBS-w©2014 Magellan Health, Inc.
Resources
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American Institute of Stress: http://www.stress.org/
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Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine: http://www.massgeneral.org/bhi/basics/
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Iowa State University Student Counseling Center Mind/Body Spa:
http://www.counseling.iastate.edu/relaxation-and-self-help-exercises/mind-body-spa
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Mindfulness: www.mindful.org
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Mindfulness Exercise: How to get started http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mindfulnessexercises/MY02124
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Magellan Health: www.MagellanHealth.com/member
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Mindfulness Stress Reduction and Healing - John Kabat-Zinn:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSU8ftmmhmw
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National Institute of Health:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/magazine/issues/winter08/articles/winter08pg4.html
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Relaxation.com: www.relaxation.com
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UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center: http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22
References
Benson, H. (n.d.). Relaxationresponse.org. Retrieved October 16, 2013 from http://www.relaxationresponse.org/
Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine (2013). Eliciting the relaxation response. Retrieved August 7,
2013 from http://www.massgeneral.org/bhi/basics/eliciting_rr.aspx
Carney, W (2003). You really need to relax: Effective methods. Retrieved August 7, 2013 from
http://www.med.umich.edu/painresearch/patients/Relaxation.pdf
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Goldstein, E (2012). A mini-mindful challenge. In Mindful. Retrieved May 29, 2013 from
http://www.mindful.org/mindfulness-practice/meditation-in-action/a-mini-mindful-challenge
The Harvard Medical School Family Health Guide (2006). Relaxation techniques: Breath control helps quell errant
stress response. Retrieved August 20, 2013 from
http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update1006a.shtml
Magellan Health, (2011). Mind & body health. Retrieved October 16, 2013, from
https://www.magellanassist.com/mem/library/index.aspx?topicID=436&tab=3&contentID=18692
Minfulnet.org (n.d.). What is mindfulness? Retrieved June 18, 2013 from
http://www.mindfulnet.org/page2.htm#Intro
Neimark, N. (n.d.). Mind/body education center. Retrieved August 7, 2013 from
http://www.thebodysoulconnection.com/EducationCenter/fight.html
3— EMBS-w©2014 Magellan Health, Inc.