Relaxation (Anti-Stress) Exercises: In the car

Despite heavy traffic, episodes of “road rage” and other stresses related to being in a car, driving can offer a time of solitude and privacy if people choose to take advantage of it. Anyone can use travel time to relax by using relaxation exercises such as the following:

Squeeze the steering wheel as tightly as possible for a few seconds, and then let go. Pay attention to how different it feels when not squeezing the steering wheel.
Tense up the arms hard (without pulling on the steering wheel). Hold this for a few seconds and then let go. Pay attention to how different it feels when relaxed.
Shrug the shoulders up high for a few seconds and then let go. Pay attention to how different it feels when relaxed.
Push the shoulders forward as much as possible for a few seconds and then let go. Pay attention to how different it feels when relaxed.
Open the eyes as wide as possible (blink as necessary) for a few seconds, and then let go. Pay attention to how different it feels when relaxed.
Frown as strongly as possible, clenching the teeth, so that someone who saw you might think that you were angry. Hold this for a few seconds, and then let go. Pay attention to how different it feels when relaxed.
Push the head as far back into the head rest as possible for a few seconds, and then let go. Pay attention to how different it feels when relaxed.

When people do these exercises, they may notice that they had been clenching muscles or holding in muscle tension without being aware of it. The exercise helps them to let go.

Introduction

Learning how to relax can greatly improve your health and well-being. That's why it is so important to find ways to introduce more relaxation into your everyday life. If you don't learn to manage stress, stress will manage you; and left unchecked, stress can be draining, cause anxiety, and even trigger health issues.

Relaxation exercises are a great way to relieve stress. The exercises in this site can work wonders on the stress knots in your shoulders and neck regions - on the stress that accumulates in your muscles - and even against certain stress headaches. These relaxation exercises are also great, because they are not strenuous.

Definition of Stress

Stress: Forces from the outside world impinging on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life that can help us learn and grow. Conversely, stress can cause us significant problems.

Stress releases powerful neurochemicals and hormones that prepare us for action (to fight or flee). If we don't take action, the stress response can lead to health problems. Prolonged, uninterrupted, unexpected, and unmanageable stresses are the most damaging types of stress.

Early separation from mother can lead to altered stress responses and depression later in life. The stresses of the mother can affect the stress response of the fetus, and perhaps predispose the child to psychiatric illness later in life.

Many of our ways in dealing with stress -- drugs, pain medicines, alcohol, smoking and eating -- actually are counterproductive in that they can worsen the stress and can make us more reactive (sensitive) to further stress.

Stress can be best managed by regular exercise, meditation or other relaxation techniques, structured time outs, and learning new coping strategies to create predictability in our lives. The management of stress depend mainly on the willingness of a person to make the changes necessary for a healthy lifestyle.