According to Dr. Ariel Alarcon, there are many different types of relaxation techniques ranging from the simple act of removing shoes, break up a clip, said some expletive or whistle a song, to the ancient techniques used in India and the east, associated a deep religious experiences such as transcendental meditation, Zen Buddhism, yoga, or biofeedback techniques complex equipped with electrodes connected to the body or virtual reality experiences through computer controlled. Between these extremes lies wide range techniques with different degrees of effectiveness, however, as we said, no one can say that all techniques used to anyone. Whether a particular technique or not to serve a person depends on personal aspects of the individual who wants to relax, educational characteristics, culture, level of consciousness and perception of their own body and mind, as well as severity, the level and characteristics of the condition you want to remedy.
The techniques of “relaxation” can be used together or separately, depending on the situation we are trying to manage. We found that there are many and varied mechanisms to reduce or cope with stress, of which the most common are demilitarized. One of its important characteristics is that they are instantaneous or short duration (here is not going on holiday to the beach or to a psychotherapy), they act when we are under pressure to decrease, or when employees aware and programs, can be used just before the filing of a stressful situation that we can foresee.
Once it finishes its use, also ended its effect, it remains in us effects or permanent changes or long term. Its major effect is the reassurance and sense of mastery and inner psychological self. Like other more complex techniques such detente also plays the role of distance and establishes a virtual space between the event and we are stressing our stress response. In this space, generated by ourselves, we can interact with the stressor and eliminate or reduce their negative impact.
Relaxation techniques consist of a broad range of actions which are subdivided into two groups: The mechanisms of relaxation we perform automatically, without our conscious desires or our will and planned and carried out voluntarily. The first may be normal or pathological, depending on the intensity and the context in which they are used, but we should never be confused with the symptoms of stress (when a person, for example, sweaty hands in a stressful situation, that, although is an unconscious mechanism to “manage” stress, is an expression of pathology).
The difference is the fact that marks are not very severe and permanent and we can return voluntarily so that we serve to reduce tensions. Examples of these types of mechanisms may be the whistle or hum a song, the pronunciation (out loud or mentally) a bad word, nail biting or chewing the pen, scratching the head or nose, drumming his fingers on the table, hawking throat, hair grooming, moving the leg, routing clips, etc. These methods are valid, legitimate and usually do not bother anyone. The problem arises in the event they become tics, chronic use of indiscriminate or excessive, in which case it would be worth consulting a psychologist to see what else might be happening and to seek alternatives in understanding and managing stress.
