As the competition heated up, I popped in on the women in the She’s Got the Look loft to offer some of SELF’s relaxation tips. The contestants were game to interrupt their busy day and unroll their yoga mats for this progressive muscle relaxation exercise. Try it with or without a mat next time you’re feeling tense:
1. Tighten all the muscles in your face, closing your eyes forcefully and clenching your jaw. Hold for a count of five as you inhale.
2. Next, exhale and relax everything as if your face is a balloon, running out of air. Let your cheeks and jaw relax for a count of five. Feel the tension ebb.
3. Inhale again, tensing your neck and shoulders this time and holding that uncomfortable feeling for a count of five. Again, exhale and relax. Check to make sure your head, neck and shoulders all feel free of tension.
4. Repeat this process, isolating, tensing and relaxing each part of your body, one by one: your chest, then your belly, then your entire right arm and hand, followed by your left, and so on.
If you are pressed for time, you can do this exercise pretty much anywhere sitting at your desk at work, or in your car, parked in a parking lot. And you can divide the body into four quadrants and work on each of them, which will shorten the entire exercise to roughly a minute. First focus on your face; then your neck, shoulders and arms; then your chest and belly; finish with your butt, legs and feet. This deep relaxation reduces tension, of course, but it can even decrease blood pressure and perspiration rates, proof of its power. In fact, it’s been shown to help ease anxiety, insomnia, neck pain and fatigue, so it’s well worth doing regularly.
Here are a few other stress easers you can practice when the situation demands it:
Before a big event
Next time you have a speech to give or a performance to do, run up and down a few flights of stairs or do some jumping jacks before you rehearse. That way, when you’re in front of an audience, the heart-pounding feeling of stage jitters won’t throw you.
When you’re feeling frazzled at work
Bring on a smile by holding a pen between your teeth. This will trick your brain into thinking that you are grinning and, surprise, you’ll feel happier and more relaxed.
When you’re late and stuck in traffic
Inhale deeply. Then exhale loudly and imagine anything you’re worried about (missing a plane?) streaming out of your mind with the sound.
At the start of a busy day
Instead of jump-starting your jitters with coffee, wake up to a cup of warm cider or vanilla chai tea. Apple and vanilla scents increase the brain’s calming alpha waves.
There, aren’t you feeling better already?
-- Dana Points, SELF Executive Editor
