Relaxation Techniques
Guided Imagery, Deep progressive muscle relaxation, Deep Breathing
Ms. Boucher
8th Grade
Health
Stress Management is a skill that all people need to learn and apply at all ages and stages of life. Relaxation techniques can decrease the daily stressors that can build into larger physical and mental health issues.
Health Objectives: Demonstrate when, where and how to seek credible information for solving problems and making decisions. Include the use of technology.
Understand how stressful situations can lead to harmful mental, emotional, and physical issues.
Develop a personal plan, including goals, for maintaining and improving health.
Demonstrate appropriate interpersonal behaviors.
Communication Arts Objectives:
Standard #3: Students select, read, and respond to informational texts from a variety of
sources, and communicate their findings in ways appropriate for their purposes
and audiences.
Standard #5: Students write clearly and effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Standard #8: Students apply a range of skills and strategies to speaking, listening, and creating media messages for a variety of purposes.
Technology Objectives: Students demonstrate an understanding of basic technologies. Students use a variety of technologies to enhance productivity and produce other creative works. Students use a variety of technologies to publish and communicate with others. Students use technology responsibly and understand its impact on individuals
In the past, we have met the objectives and completed the research through class discussions and activities. Students in the past simply wrote their own relaxation technique. In this lesson, students will learn how to use the technology for parts of the research and to create their own final relaxation resource to use when they need a moment to reduce the stressors in their daily lives. Students will learn how to relax through several guided in-class relaxation techniques. Each student will self-assess as to which technique works best for them to finally decide on a method or combination of methods they will use to create their personal relaxation resource.
Time: 6 – 8 class periods and additional time to collect images, music, & other resources at home
Materials: computer lab time scheduled (minimum of 3 days), guided imagery resources, visualization resources, deep breathing resources, Photo Story, computer lab, writing utensils
Prior Learning: Students have been through lessons and activities in evaluating what common stressors are in their live and how it impacts them as individuals. Students have also reflected on some ways they have traditionally responded to the common stressors in their lives. While also looking at eustress and distress and each of the type stress plays a role in their health. We have discussed long-term effects of stress and how to best cope with stress and various stress management skills. Students have also learned what is necessary for a person to lead a healthy physical, mental, and emotional lifestyle.
Procedure: Students will experience various relaxation techniques that for many of the students is a new experience and method of stress management.
Day 1: Introduction to deep breathing exercises. (adapted from http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/relationships/stress/relaxation/breathing-exercises ) The way you breathe affects your whole body. Full, deep breathing is a good way to reduce tension, feel relaxed, and reduce stress.
Roll breathing
The object of roll breathing is to develop full use of your lungs and get in touch with the rhythm of your breathing. It can be practiced in any position, but it is best to learn it lying on your back, with your knees bent.
Place your left hand on your abdomen and your right hand on your chest. Notice how your hands move as you breathe in and out.
Practice filling your lower lungs by breathing so that your left hand goes up when you inhale and your right hand remains still. Always inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
When you have filled and emptied your lower lungs 8 to 10 times, add the second step to your breathing: Inhale first into your lower lungs as before, and then continue inhaling into your upper chest. As you do so, your right hand will rise and your left hand will fall a little as your abdomen falls.
As you exhale slowly through your mouth, make a quiet, whooshing sound as first your left hand and then your right hand falls. As you exhale, feel the tension leaving your body as you become more and more relaxed.
Practice breathing in and out in this manner for 3 to 5 minutes. Notice that the movement of your abdomen and chest is like rolling waves rising and falling in a rhythmic motion.
Practice roll breathing daily for several weeks until you can do it almost anywhere, providing you with an instant relaxation tool any time you need one.
Caution: Some people get dizzy the first few times they try roll breathing. If you begin to hyperventilate or become lightheaded, slow your breathing. Get up slowly.
Morning breathing-discuss this as being a morning ritual to begin the day on a positive note.
Try morning breathing when you first get up in the morning to relieve muscle stiffness and clear clogged breathing passages. Then use it throughout the day to relieve back tension.
From a standing position, bend forward from the waist with your knees slightly bent, letting your arms dangle close to the floor.
As you inhale slowly and deeply, return to a standing position by rolling up slowing, lifting your head last.
Hold your breath for just a few seconds in this standing position.
Exhale slowly as you return to the original position.
Clearing your head
Clearing your head is good for relieving neck tension or for when you have too much on your mind.
Begin with several very slow neck rolls. With your chin on your chest, or close to it, roll your head up and to the right, slowly inhaling until your head is leaning back and your chin is pointing toward the sky. If you have arthritis of the neck (cervical spine) or other diseases of the spine, do not point your chin to the sky.
Hold your breath for just a few seconds in this position.
As you roll your head down, slowly exhale until your chin is back on your chest.
Repeat, this time rolling your head to the left.
Journaling: Students reflect on how the breathing exercise affected them. Do you feel more relaxed after completing the breathing exercises?
See additional Deep breathing exercise at the end.
Day 2: On the second day we will explore deep progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery. See an additional Progressive Muscle Relaxation at the end of the lesson.
The following was borrowed from http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/relationships/stress/relaxation/progressive-muscle
Jeannette Curtis
Content provided by Healthwise
The body responds to stress with muscle tension, which can cause pain or discomfort. Progressive muscle relaxation reduces muscle tension and general mental anxiety. Progressive muscle relaxation often helps people get to sleep.
Procedure
You can use a prerecorded audiotape to help you go through all the muscle groups, or you can just learn the order of muscle groups and work through them from memory.
Choose a place where you can lie down on your back and stretch out comfortably, such as a carpeted floor.
Inhale and tense each muscle group (hard but not to the point of cramping) for 4 to 10 seconds, then exhale and suddenly and completely relax the muscle group (do not relax it gradually). Give yourself 10 to 20 seconds to relax.
When you are finished, return to alertness by counting backwards from 5 to 1.
Muscle groups and how to tense them
· Hands: Clench them.
· Wrists and forearms: Extend them and bend your hands back at the wrist.
· Biceps and upper arms: Clench your hands into fists, bend your arms at the elbows, and flex your biceps.
· Shoulders: Shrug them.
· Forehead: Wrinkle it into a deep frown.
· Around the eyes and bridge of the nose: Close your eyes as tightly as possible. (Remove contact lenses before beginning the exercise.)
· Cheeks and jaws: Smile as widely as you can.
· Around the mouth: Press your lips together tightly. (Check your facial area for tension.)
· Back of the neck: Press your head back hard.
· Front of the neck: Touch your chin to your chest. (Check your neck and head for tension.)
· Chest: Take a deep breath and hold it, then exhale.
· Back: Arch your back up and away from the floor.
· Stomach: Suck it into a tight knot. (Check your chest and stomach for tension.)
· Hips and buttocks: Press the buttocks together tightly.
· Thighs: Clench them hard.
· Lower legs: Point your toes toward your face, as if trying to bring the toes up to touch your head. Then point your toes away and curl them downward at the same time. (Check the area from your waist down for tension.)
Progressive muscle relaxation is sometimes combined with meditation.
Imagery for releasing muscle tension
Close your eyes and imagine one of the following images:
· Wax softens and melts.
· A tight, twisted rope slowly unwinds.
· Tension swirls out of your body and down the drain.
· You hold a remote control and turn down the volume on your muscle tension.
Imagery as a mini-vacation
Take a 10-minute trip in your mind to someplace you enjoy. The place may be a quiet, peaceful scene or a fun activity. It may be a favorite place from your past or some place you have never seen but can imagine.
· Picture yourself there in as much detail as possible. Imagine the sounds, smells, sights, and feelings.
· Let your body and mind respond as if you were actually there. Your thoughts will be calmed or brightened, your muscles will relax, and a feeling of letting go will come over you.
Color imagery
Color imagery is good for combating daily hassles and tensions.
Close your eyes and scan your body for tension or discomfort. Picture the color red and associate it with this tension. Imagine all the tense parts of your body as red.
Take a deep breath and change the color from red to blue. Imagine the tension slipping away as the areas change from red to blue. Experience the relaxation associated with the color blue.
Now imagine the color blue becoming deeper and darker, and relax further with each shade of blue.
Practice changing the tension color from red to blue with each daily hassle you confront. Imagine the color blue as your cue to relax.
Lead students through one of the additional guided imagery exercises at the end of the lesson.
Assignment: Students will journal about their experience through both of these relaxation techniques.
Discussion: The type of writing used in the guided imagery to produce the feeling being on the beach or in the forest.
Day 3-5: Students will write their own guided imagery utilizing their creative writing skills and descriptive writing. This piece will create an atmosphere that will take an audience to a peaceful relaxing place to loose their common stressors and help them feel rejuvenated and relaxed. Students will utilize their previous knowledge and skills for writing, rewriting, and editing. While students are writing teacher will play various types of music that creates a relaxing calm atmosphere. Discuss the music selection at the end of each writing session, to allow for student feedback on the choice. This may take several class days to finalize for use in the final project.
Day 6: Begin final project of creating their own relaxation resource. Students will be in the computer lab. First part of period will be teaching students how to use Photo story and the second half of class time will be provided to gather photos and music they would like to use for their final project. Students may also use images and audio from outsides sources. Other avenues may even include students creating their own music if they are musically talented. Assignment: all images, audio, and guided imagery, & other sources for relaxation needs to be gathered and ready to put into a photo story for the final project. Students may choose to incorporate some of the deep breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation in to their final project. These can be written on their own or borrowed from other resources, if source is sited and given credit.
Day 7: Students will compile their written guided imagery, other relaxation technique sources, images, and audio into a video. Students can use photo story or any other program they are comfortable using. Such as i-move or Windows Movie Maker or Producer.
Assessment: Students will be assessed according to a rubric based on the required components of the assignments. Rubrics are not completed for midterm.
Extensions: Class discussions will follow the final project. Students will be asked to use their final project for distressing and to reflect on its efficacy. These may also be resources the teacher can compile to use with classes when needed to help reduce stress, possibly prior to an exam.
Deep Breathing: I
By: Jodi Caldwell, Ph.D.
Georgia Southern University Counseling and Career Development Center