DBT: De-Stress Now with Differential Relaxation (John Harvey)



Are you one of those people who carries tension in your muscles? Do you find yourself tensing up or ending up with tension headaches and discomfort?  I can relate to this.  I especially get tense around my shoulders and neck, but sometimes I notice I'm even tense in my arms, legs, hands, and feet!

Tension is one of our body's ways of reacting to stress, and it benefits us to notice it and then release it.

Do you tend to feel resistance when it comes to slowing down for fifteen minutes or so to do a relaxation exercise?  I tend to experience this, as I worry that it won't work and that I'll be too anxious to sit still and complete the exercise. It seem, inevitably though, that if I stick with it, the benefits are substantial.

Consider giving yourself the gift of a few moments of mindful, guided, muscle relaxation with this video.  Notice how you feel now before you start. Rate your tension and stress on a scale of 0-10, with 0 being absolutely NO stress, and 10 being the most stressed you've ever been in your life.

Now try the exercise.




After the exercise, please rate your stress level on a scale of 0-10, and feel free to share it in the comments below.

Stress management is an important part of managing our emotional health, and an exercise like this falls under the category of "Improve the Moment" in DBT.


Thanks for reading.
More soon.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.