Relaxation

This chapter aims to help you understand more about:

•   What relaxation is

•   How relaxation can help with chronic pain

•   What can help you relax

•   How to practise relaxing

•   What can make it difficult to relax

What is relaxation?

Relaxation doesn’t mean simply sitting still and doing nothing. You can be very tense while sitting still. For instance, you could be watching a horror movie on TV, or you could be thinking about the frustrations of the day.

When you relax, the tension in your muscles is reduced. Reducing tension in the muscles can make you feel calm and comfortable. Relaxation also means allowing the mind to become less active, giving it a break, slowing down fast thoughts. Relaxation skills can be really useful for anyone, but particularly for people who are living with long-term pain.

How can relaxation help with chronic pain?

When muscles are tense, it can cause pain, or make existing pain worse. For instance, many people find that their shoulders or neck hurt after a stressful day. This pain is probably mainly due to tense muscles and altered body positions.

When pain is severe, it is natural to tense up in response to it. Learning to notice tension early, and reduce it, can be very useful. Being relaxed will help you manage pain more successfully. Relaxation can give you a break from tension in the middle of a difficult day. It can remind you not to rush or ‘overdo it’ and to use pacing skills (see Chapter 8).

Relaxation is a skill that does take a bit of practice to learn. Some people find it easier than others. However, relaxing is something positive you can do, even in the middle of a severe setback (see Chapter 16). It may even make flare-ups less likely to happen, and less intense when they do. It can be seen as another tool in your kit of coping skills to help you manage pain more successfully.

What can help you relax?

Here are a few things that can help you to relax.

Tick those you might like to try:

   Simple breathing patterns

   Exercise programmes, such as Yoga, T’ai Chi or Pilates

   Concentrating on reducing tension in various parts of the body

   Self-hypnosis

   Sitting in a beautiful garden, smelling the flowers

   Imagining pleasant images or pictures

   Listening to a relaxation tape

   Listening to a favourite piece of music

   Attending a local relaxation group

   Being somewhere comfortable

   Recorded sounds from nature, such as the sound of the sea or birds singing

   Focusing on a candle or looking at a simple picture

   Pleasant smells, such as aromatherapy oils

WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL RELAXED?

Write or draw your ideas in your notebook.

How to practise relaxing

Two useful approaches are described below.

Time out relaxation

For a ‘time out’ relaxation session, set aside about 20–30 minutes. Making time to practise and focus on relaxing will help you learn how to relax fully and deeply. When you first learn a relaxation technique, being in a quiet, comfortable place can help. Lie down on a bed or mat, or sit in your most comfortable chair. Try to find a time when you are unlikely to be disturbed. If you wish, a partner or friend could do the exercise with you. Or you may prefer to do it alone. Listening to a recording or going to a class can be called ‘time out’ relaxation. There are lots of relaxation tapes or CD roms available to buy. (Note: If you plan to use a relaxation tape, don’t use it while driving or operating machinery!) Try and look at your relaxation sessions as part of your treatment, in the same way as a daily exercise programme.

QUICK RELAXATION

As well as using a ‘time out’ technique, you can start to use relaxation in everyday situations. As soon as you notice any tension in your muscles, practise letting go of the tension, and relaxing. When you have had a bit more practice, you can use relaxation and breathing in more stressful situations – for instance, when you feel angry or frustrated.

You can also practise ‘scanning’. This means checking your body for tension by noticing your feet, your legs, your knees, your hips, your abdomen, your chest, your shoulders, your neck, your head, your face and your jaw. As you notice any tension, let it go.

You can also observe your breathing, and remember to breathe calmly and comfortably.

You can use ‘reminders’ – for example, put a sticker on the fridge or on your mirror, and check for tension each time you see the sticker.