Mental Relaxation Techniques
Do ideas and thoughts seem to flood your mind at bedtime? Mental relaxation
techniques will help you reduce them so you can relax and fall asleep. The following
relaxation techniques represent tips that may help.
Thought-Stopping
Reverse Psychology
Breathing
Counting
Creating Pictures
Floating
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Thought-Stopping
In thought-stopping, you willfully force your mind to think thoughts that keep
you awake. For example, you may think about your boss chewing you out tomorrow.
You mull it over, every detail.
Now, try, suddenly, ordering yourself to “Stop!” If the thought creeps
back, yell to yourself again, “Stop!” Keep interrupting your unpleasant
thought with unpleasant commands to yourself.
There are two explanations why the thought-stopping relaxation technique works:
- The word Stop! forces an immediate shifting of our attention,
which will lead us away from preoccupying thoughts.
- Thought-stopping proves you have control. That awareness can lead to self-assuring,
self-accepting thoughts — thoughts that are more conducive to sleep.
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Reverse Psychology
Worrying that you must sleep can cause performance anxiety — and actually
keep you awake.
Reversing the thought pattern, telling yourself you must stay awake for as
long as possible can help you become sleepy naturally without putting yourself
under pressure.
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Breathing
Inhale deeply through your nose. Then pucker your lips, and exhale slowly.
Breathe out as long as possible. Imagine the sound of your breath exhaling is
tension draining from your body.
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Counting
Counting is another popular relaxation technique
Close your eyes and relax. Count backwards slowly from 100 to zero. Visualize
the numbers being written slowly and carefully by a calligrapher, or on a staircase,
with the numbers descending with the steps. Use your imagination for other scenarios.
Continue until sleep overtakes you.
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Creating Pictures
Think of an object that you find simple and pleasing. Study every detail in
your mind.
Or picture a color shifting into beautiful patterns and hues, blending and
changing.
Imagine a quiet setting — snowflakes softly falling or a spring day in
the country, with cows and horses grazing in a meadow.
Feel the picture by engaging all of your senses. If you’re on
the beach, feel the sun on your face, your toes in the sand, the breeze on your
skin, the ocean air smell.
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Floating
Floating can be an effective relaxation technique.
Imagine you're floating on air.
Picture yourself floating like a falling leaf, or riding down a long escalator. The lower you float, the calmer you are.
Practice any of these relaxation techniques as often as you like.
Read about Muscle Relaxation Techniques
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