Relaxation

Introduction
Methods of Relaxation
What Soldiers Can Do to Relax and Control Combat Stress

Three off duty servicemen relax outside their tent at the support base established for Operation Provide Comfort in N. Iraq and S. Turkey.

Maintaining general fitness during the course of life is always a challenge. Relaxation is essential for maintaining good physical and mental health. Relaxation can help in controlling the negative impact of the damaging effects of long term stress. Relaxation can also reduce negative habit patterns like taking drugs (especially painkillers), drinking in excess, and smoking.

Historically, military families have had to cope with numerous high stress events and transitions, perhaps more than is typical for their civilian counterparts. Military families experience deployments, family separations, foreign assignments, and frequent family relocations.

Studies have shown that

• One fourth of employees view their jobs as the number one stressor in their lives.
• Three fourths of the employees believe today's worker has more on-the-job stress than a generation ago.
• In the long term, stress contributes to migraine headaches, ulcers, muscle spasms, and high blood pressure leading to heart disease.
• Stress has also been linked to increased eating and drinking.

There are many methods of relaxation. Here are some methods for you to try:

Visual concentration and rhythmic massage:

Open your eyes and stare at an object, or close your eyes and think of a peaceful, calm scene. With the palm of your hand, massage near the area of pain in a circular, firm manner. Avoid red, raw, swollen, or tender areas. You may wish to ask a family member or friend to do this for you.

Inhale/tense, exhale/relax:

A U.S. serviceman relaxes in a hammock during the joint Thai-US training exercise Cobra Gold '92 in Korat, Thailand.

Breathe in (inhale) deeply. At the same time, tense your muscles or a group of muscles. For example, you can squeeze your eyes shut, frown, clench your teeth, make a fist, stiffen your arms and legs, or draw up your arms and legs as tightly as you can. Hold your breath and keep your muscles tense for a second or two. Let go! Breathe out (exhale) and let your body go limp.

Slow rhythmic breathing:

• Stare at an object or close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing or on a peaceful scene.
• Take a slow, deep breath and as you breathe in, tense your muscles (such as your arms).
• As you breathe out, relax your muscles and feel the tension draining.
• Now remain relaxed and begin breathing slowly and comfortably, concentrating on your breathing, taking about 9 to 12 breaths a minute. Do not breathe too deeply.
• To maintain a slow, even rhythm as you breathe out, you can say silently to yourself, "In, one, two; out, one, two." It may be helpful at first if someone counts out loud for you. If you ever feel out of breath, take a deep breath and then continue the slow breathing exercise. Each time you breathe out, feel yourself relaxing and going limp. If some muscles are not relaxed, such as your shoulders, tense them as you breathe in and relax them as you breathe out. You need to do this only once or twice for each specific muscle group.
• Continue slow, rhythmic breathing for a few seconds up to 10 minutes, depending on your need.
• To end your slow rhythmic breathing, count silently and slowly from one to three. Open your eyes. Say silently to yourself "I feel alert and relaxed." Begin moving about slowly.

Other methods you can add to slow rhythmic breathing:

• Imagery.
• Listen to slow, familiar music through an earphone or headset.
• Progressive relaxation of body parts. Once you are breathing slowly and comfortably, you may relax different body parts, starting with your feet and working up to your head. Think of words such as limp, heavy, light, warm, or floating. Each time you breathe out, you can focus on a particular area of the body and feel it relaxing. Try to imagine that the tension is draining from that area. For example, as you breathe out, feel your feet and ankles relaxing; the next time you breathe out, feel your calves and knees relaxing, and so on up your body.

Relaxation tapes:

Ask your doctor or nurse to recommend commercially available relaxation tapes. These tape recordings provide step-by-step instructions in relaxation techniques.

• Individuals must drink enough fluids, eat enough food, and attempt to get rest/ sleep as often as possible.

• Everyone should learn at least two relaxation techniques that can be used at times when physical exercise is not feasible.
  • One technique should provide quick reduction of excessive alertness without taking the mind, eyes, or hands off the task.
  • A second technique should provide deep relaxation for refreshing sleep, even under high-stress situations.

• Care must be taken to use relaxation techniques only at tactically appropriate times. Mental health personnel can assist in teaching these methods. Useful techniques which can be used alone or in combination include:
  • Visual imaging self-relaxation. Imagine yourself in a relaxing situation. Pick your own relaxing situation, then imagine it with every sense of your body - imagine the colors, shapes, textures, sounds, smells, temperature, and touch of it.
  • Brief or progressive muscular relaxation. Tense your muscles for a few seconds and then slowly release this tension while feeling the warm and heavy sensation that occurs when you relax. Either tense all your muscles at once or start with the muscles in your toes and work slowly up the muscles in the rest of your body.
  • Stretching. Stretch your muscles and joints, move them around, and shake out the tension.
  • Positive self-talk. Say to yourself, "Easy," "Take your time," "I can do it," "OK, go for it!" or any other brief words of encouragement.
  • Abdominal breathing. Breathe slowly and deeply, using the abdominal muscles (not the chest muscles) to move the air in and out. Even one slow breath in which you breathe in, hold for 2-3 seconds, and then exhale slowly (about 5 seconds) can steady the nerves and refocus attention.
  • Breathing meditation. Focus your attention on your breathing, especially each time you breathe out. Say the same word or short phrase once each time you exhale (such as the word "one" or "relax"), over and over, while passively letting all other thoughts drift out of your mind.

  A pair of seabees relax on part of the port's breakwater during Operation Restore Hope in Mogadishu, Somalia.

• Individuals should share feelings constructively ("ventilation").

• Individuals can also reduce stress by planning ahead, preparing for the mission, and ensuring readiness. The best way to alleviate stress is to take appropriate action. The above techniques should be practiced frequently until they become automatic.