Relaxation techniques that hold up between massages

Sit or lie somewhere quiet, put a hand on your belly, and breathe so that hand rises and falls instead of your shoulders. Slow the exhale. Even a couple of minutes may help, and you need no app, cushion or course. Mayo Clinic lists deep breathing among its relaxation techniques, and of all of them it asks the least of you.

The supporting research is real but uneven. NCCIH's reference list on stress includes the 5 breathing studies in the table below. For home practice the most useful is Toussaint's, which put deep breathing side by side with progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery.

A fair caveat: much of this research uses small samples and short follow-up, and the Twal study on inflammation markers is labeled a pilot. The effect on how you feel in the moment is reasonably well supported, and claims about long-term disease outcomes rest on weaker ground.

You tense one muscle group for about 5 seconds, release it for 30 seconds, and work your way up from your toes to your head. Mayo Clinic describes it as slowly tensing and then relaxing each muscle group, which helps you notice the difference between tension and release. If "just relax" has never worked for you, this gives you a script to follow.

It is one of the better-studied at-home methods. The Toussaint study measured relaxation from it, and a 2016 study on NCCIH's list, by Aalami and colleagues, looked at progressive muscular relaxation and breathing control on blood pressure during pregnancy. As with the breathing research, the samples are modest. Mayo's steps:

Both use your imagination instead of your muscles, and Mayo Clinic names both. Visualization means building a detailed mental picture of a calm place and stepping into it. Autogenic means self-generated: you repeat calming words in your mind, picture a peaceful setting, and focus on slowing your breathing or heart rate, or on relaxing each of your 4 limbs one at a time.

For visualization, Mayo's advice is to use as many senses as you can. Its own ocean example uses 3: the smell of salt water, the sound of crashing waves, the warm sun on your skin. Close your eyes, sit somewhere quiet, loosen any tight clothing, focus on your breathing, and try to stay in the present with positive thoughts. The sensory detail keeps your attention on the scene instead of letting your mind slide back to your to-do list.

Autogenic relaxation resembles the guided imagery in the Toussaint study, though Mayo and NCCIH describe the two methods in their own terms. Imagery is harder to test cleanly than breathing and asks more of you up front: expect your mind to wander the first few times. Start with breathing or muscle relaxation for a quicker result, and come back to imagery once sitting still feels familiar.

A few minutes most days, kept up over weeks. Mayo Clinic puts it plainly: relaxation techniques are skills, and like any skill, your ability to relax improves with practice. Be patient with yourself and don't let the effort to relax become one more stressor. If one technique doesn't suit you, try another. If none of them touches your stress, Mayo says to talk to a healthcare professional about other options.

Practice brings a second benefit Mayo points out. You get better at noticing the early physical signs of stress, such as muscle tension and shallow breathing, so you can use a technique right then, before stress builds and starts cutting into your quality of life.

Mayo also treats relaxation as one coping method among several. Its list of 9 others includes regular exercise, enough sleep, a healthy diet, time outside, and staying connected to supportive family and friends. How massage relates to sleep is a separate question, covered in our massage and sleep guide.

Mayo Clinic notes that these techniques are often free or low cost, pose little risk, and can be done anywhere. The easiest way to keep going is to attach the practice to something you already do:

For most healthy people, yes. NCCIH states that relaxation techniques are generally considered safe for healthy people, and that most research studies have reported no negative side effects. Its fact sheet on mind and body practices, a category whose 7 named examples include meditation, massage, yoga, tai chi and relaxation techniques, says they generally have good safety records when done properly.

There are exceptions, and they are specific. NCCIH notes that some people occasionally report negative experiences such as increased anxiety, intrusive thoughts or fear of losing control. There have also been rare reports that certain relaxation techniques might cause or worsen symptoms in people with epilepsy or certain psychiatric conditions, or in those with a history of abuse or trauma.

NCCIH adds 2 more cautions. Safe for most people doesn't automatically mean safe for you: a medical condition or a circumstance such as pregnancy can change the picture. And none of this is a reason to put off seeing a clinician about a health problem. If you have high blood pressure, keep following the treatment plan your provider prescribed and discuss any complementary approach with them first.

To begin, pick one technique (belly breathing is the easiest) and do it for 3 minutes today, attached to something you already do. When you want a regular appointment to anchor the habit, Wellness Massage Spa in southwest Gainesville is open every day from 9:30 AM to 10 PM.