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The 9 best emotional self-control and relaxation techniques

People who practice relaxation or emotional self - control techniques often enjoy a better quality of life . In general, learning the ability to relax or keep emotions under control in specific situations is within everyone’s reach.

Once you have learned the techniques of relaxation and [emotional self-control], you can take advantage of this knowledge whenever you want, for example, in situations that cause tension or a [state of anxiety] .

This article is dedicated to, according to our experience, the best techniques for self-control of emotions and relaxation . They are simple and effective exercises that can be practiced anywhere and at any age. But first we can ask ourselves:
self control technique

Why do relaxation exercises?

Relaxation techniques are tools that help [control stress], anxiety as well as the symptoms that anxiety produces in the mind and body. They are beneficial exercises for health, since we know that anxiety is directly related to various psychological problems and certain physical illnesses.

Since learning the basic relaxation techniques is simple, costs little and improves health in many aspects, we can only recommend its practice.

Relaxation is the most natural method and with fewer contraindications to eliminate and prevent stress, anxiety, [anguish, [obsessions] , worries, [fears and emotional tension], returning the body to its natural state of balance, normalizing physiological, mental and emotional processes.

Here we mention some of the health benefits directly related to the practice of relaxation and emotional self-control exercises. The exercises usually;

  1. Improve sleep quality
  2. Reduce fatigue
  3. improve heart rate
  4. lower blood pressure
  5. improve breathing
  6. improve digestion
  7. Lower the activity of stress hormones
  8. get muscle relaxation
  9. [improve chronic pain]
  10. improve concentration
  11. improve mood
  12. [reduce anger]
  13. [control of emotions]

What kind of relaxation and emotional self-control techniques should I practice?

All relaxation and self-control methods are valid, but, as all people are different, it is necessary to find the one that best suits individual characteristics.

For this reason, the methods presented below will not be equally effective for everyone. Some of these are better suited than others to the particular features of each one. It will be the practice that will indicate the most appropriate exercises.

The 9 best emotional self-control and relaxation techniques

We recommend some of the best exercises and relaxation techniques that, based on extensive experience in [the practice of clinical psychology] and in the direction and formation of training groups in emotional self-control techniques, we have verified that they produce very good results and that you can practice anywhere:

  • Muscle relaxation is considered to be the easiest exercises to perform, since muscle tension is under the conscious control of the person.
  • Progressive muscle relaxation. In this relaxation technique, you focus on progressively relaxing each muscle group in your body.

muscle relaxation techniques

We have chosen the following 3 most effective muscle relaxation methods.

MUSCLE RELAXATION: TENSION – DISTENSION.

This muscle relaxation technique is aimed at gradually tensing and relaxing various muscle groups . In this way, you will learn to feel the difference between the sensations of muscle tension and relaxation and you will gain greater awareness and control over your ability to relax.

How to do this muscle relaxation technique? At the moment of putting the muscles in tension, it is necessary to make the greatest possible force with the muscle, so that the tension in the muscle is clearly noticeable, in this way, when it later relaxes, the difference between both sensations will be clearly perceived. .

MUSCLE RELAXATION BY DIRECT INDUCTION.

This technique advances a step in training. It consists in avoiding putting the muscles under tension and achieving muscle relaxation by ordering it directly .

With this method, it is intended that, using exclusively a mental order, you are able to relax the tensions that are perceived in the muscles under tension and muscle relaxation is achieved directly ordered by a mental order.

DIFFERENTIAL MUSCLE RELAXATION.

With this technique , it is taught to relax the muscles that are NOT necessary to perform a certain movement or maintain a posture, tensing only the muscles that are really essential at that moment.

With this technique you learn to enjoy intense sensations of muscle relaxation by keeping only some muscle groups relaxed. It is taught to discriminate and clearly differentiate the sensations of tension/relaxation in the muscle groups that are worked.

In clinical practice, muscle relaxation methods have been successfully applied to treat problems such as muscle tension, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, muscle pain, phobias, and depression.

breathing techniques

After the muscle relaxation methods, we move on to a very important element to achieve relaxation: breathing techniques.

BREATHING TECHNIQUES.

To achieve a state of complete relaxation, it is necessary to always breathe deeply, with the abdomen, fluidly and very slowly.

Breathing is a powerful relaxation technique in itself, it is the key and the real engine to achieve a state of relaxation. If the breathing is not done correctly, any relaxation technique will be practically ineffective.

Just as breathing properly contributes to good physical and mental health, not doing it correctly favors the appearance and maintenance of states of anxiety, fatigue and irritability.

THE AUTOGENA TECHNIQUE

The autogenic method is a combination of six exercises that help relax and reduce muscle tension .

The exercises are the following:

  1. feeling of heaviness
  2. Warmth sensation
  3. Reduce heart rate
  4. breath control
  5. Sensation of heat in the abdomen
  6. Sensation of coolness on the forehead

These exercises require to be performed with a high degree of attention so that any sensation that appears during the practice of the same can be clearly felt, no matter how slight.

They are directed

  1. to relax the muscles
  2. To regulate the respiratory system (breathing slowly and fluidly with the abdomen, while mentally repeating the suggestions)
  3. To increase blood flow to the surface of the skin
  4. To slow down the heart rate
  5. To relax the eye area

RELAXATION THROUGH SENSORY AWARENESS

In this exercise , a series of questions are asked that are answered by concentrating on feeling the answer and feeling certain bodily sensations that normally go unnoticed by consciousness. Focusing your attention properly on the perception of these sensations will induce a deep state of relaxation.

This method has been used successfully to deal with problems of anxiety, depression, hypochondria, increased sensitivity and self-awareness, improved attention and concentration.

RELAXATION BY SUGGESTION

In this method, suggestions will be induced that will generate penetrating sensations of tranquility, relaxation and inner satisfaction. Phrases that act as verbal suggestions are repeated mentally, concentrating on actually feeling the sensations that these phrases suggest.

Suggestion has been shown to be effective in clinical practice for the treatment of anxiety, muscle tension, chronic fatigue, mood swings, pain, and insomnia.

SELF-CONTROL TECHNIQUES THROUGH IMAGINATION

Imagination is one of the most powerful techniques to achieve a state of relaxation . [Thoughts and mental images greatly influence us] and if we use them to our advantage, we will benefit from their great therapeutic effect. To relax with visualization, we try to incorporate as many senses as possible, that is, smell, sight, touch and hearing.

With these exercises you learn to use mental images to generate deep feelings of well-being . For example, one can imagine being in a forest listening to some birds, smelling the trees, imagining the colors of the environment and becoming aware of a warm breeze that brushes our body.

For this method to be effective, one must concentrate as much as possible on clearly visualizing the images that are induced, trying to live them as if it were a real situation, feeling in the body the sensations that are indicated as if they were really happening. It is advisable to close your eyes and wear comfortable clothing.

Imagination has been used successfully in clinical practice for the treatment of stress, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and in general in all problems that require a change in mood.

MEDITATION AND MINDFULNESS

Meditation is a well-known technique that increases the ability to control the thoughts that come to mind. From this skill develops the ability to observe thoughts without disturbance and to cut off the flow of unwanted thoughts. With practice you can apply meditation to other aspects of life. Meanwhile, the mindfulness technique or “full awareness” is highly effective for learning to focus on the present moment. With [Mindfulness] you learn to focus your mind on the “here and now” and take note of everything that surrounds you at that precise moment.

Benefits of mastering relaxation and emotional self-control techniques

As you learn relaxation techniques, you become more aware of muscle tension and other physical sensations of stress. Once you know what the stress response feels like, you can make a conscious effort to practice a relaxation technique the moment you start to feel stress symptoms and thereby control or eliminate them.

With these skills, stress can be prevented from escalating and relaxation can be voluntarily triggered at any time, in any place, and in any situation.

Consequently, when a sufficient mastery of self-control techniques is obtained, the levels of tension and emotional disturbance can be reduced whenever one wants, with which one will have the possibility of enjoying the sensations that come from relaxation and from all its benefits.

Tips on how to practice relaxation techniques and emotional self-control

To conclude this article on the best emotional control and relaxation techniques, we will give some tips to help you practice relaxation.

  • Relaxation techniques and emotional self-control are skills that can be acquired. Achieving this mastery to relax our body and mind requires adequate and, above all, constant training. The intensity of the relaxation response achieved will depend solely on the level of skill acquired.
  • In the first phases of your training, it is convenient that you do the self-control exercises in a place where you can be alone without anyone and nothing bothering you. You should try to make it as quiet as possible and keep the lighting low. Take a comfortable position, whether sitting or lying down, so that you do not have to tense any muscles and wear non-constricting clothing that allows you to breathe easily.
  • The appearance of sensations such as tingling, weight, heat, loss of bodily sensations or weightlessness, are indications that you are doing the exercises correctly, as they are symptoms of relaxation. Do not interrupt these sensations, but concentrate on them and try to increase them. Nor should you be scared by the sensations that occur when performing the exercises, on the contrary, you have to let yourself be carried away by them.
  • You don’t have to fight with the thoughts that come to mind when you do a relaxation exercise, let them pass without paying attention to them, keeping your attention fixed on the exercise you are doing.
  • You have to focus on living in the present moment. Don’t get carried away by flashbacks or anticipatory thoughts.

Finally, learning the skills of emotional self-control and relaxation is easier, especially at the beginning, if they are done through a guided voice. So little by little you learn the technique until you have it completely under control.