Relax! (plus free deep relaxation tape to download)

Can you remember the last time you were truly relaxed?
Relaxation is one of the most effective things you can do to promote and protect your mental health. I often recommend that clients with symptoms of anxiety and/or depression get into a good relaxation routine while they are coming to counselling or therapy. Taking time to relax properly and deeply will help prevent the development of stress and anxiety, and if you do your routine at the end of the day it can promote a good night’s sleep.

Everyone experiences stress. It’s not just the corporate big wigs or alpha males who live like birds on a wire. Nurses, teachers and parents to name just three common occupations also suffer from this modern disease. Right now, most workplaces and business are in stress – looking over their shoulder for the next recession or ‘double dip’. It is also very stressful to be unemployed or under-employed.

We have lots of things to worry about, from the state of the world’s finances to the weird weather to what was behind the London riots. We live in a very fast society in the digital age, when texting, emailing and 24/7 availability by mobile has become the new norm. People expect instant answers and we don’t always even have the time to ‘sleep on’ our decisions. Using mobiles keeps us ‘on call’, often when we’re off-duty, or even on holiday.

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress – would you ever study for an exam if you didn’t feel anxious about passing? However, normal anxiety can start to become a worry in itself when it starts to stop you doing things. The good news is that it’s impossible to be anxious, tense or stressed when you’re relaxed, as relaxation is the opposite of stress. Many of us have forgotten how to truly relax and even sleep in a tense position, causing stiff shoulders and tight muscles.

And relax!
For best results, use a good relaxation tape on a regular basis, and it will soon become a lifelong tool. This month I’m offering you a free download of one of my favourite deep relaxation routines. It’s by hypnotherapist Claire Benson of Unstuck Thinking and it’s a Therapy-on-Thames exclusive – just for my clients and blog readers! It won’t hypnotise you, but it will lead you into total, utter, blissful relaxation in just 12 minutes.
Click the link below, and then on the picture of the tree blossom (in right-hand panel). On the Sendspace page click on the bottom box that says ‘Click here to start download from Sendspace’.
http://www.unstuck-thinking.co.uk/mind–body/promotions/therapy-on-thames-a-deep.html