Do you feel like you can never really switch off? Do you feel like all the fun has been taken out of you?

“Just relax!” Sound familiar? It may sound simple, but trying to relax can sometimes put you under even more pressure. Relaxation does not mean just letting yourself go. Being relaxed means finding a good balance between the way you live your life and the various responsibilities you have. The opposite of relaxation is stress – and stress can be a heavy burden, ultimately impacting on your health. But don’t worry: You can actually learn how to relax!

Do you find it difficult to relax these days? Is your mind in a whirl and do you feel yourself constantly under pressure and ready for action? Then take some time out to learn how to stop that hamster wheel spinning in your head using our tips and exercises.

Balance makes you more relaxed

Having the right work-life balance is important for your well-being: If there is balance in your life, it usually means you are well-adjusted. Maintaining the right relationship between your work or study commitments and your relaxation and leisure time is key. If your life is balanced, you are also more productive and resilient, both physically and mentally.

Ensuring a suitable structure of your everyday life will help you to find your balance. This can often be particularly challenging for students. You have to structure your working day yourself and there is no ‘quitting time’ for you in the traditional sense. This often makes it difficult to find the right balance and also to switch off. Forming regular habits or making firm agreements with yourself can help; such as setting an alarm clock to remind yourself to take a break, performing short relaxation exercises throughout the day or fixing a regular time to play university sport with friends. Think about the best strategies you could use to regularly maintain your balance.

Exercise combats stress.

Did you know that sport is the most popular relaxation method for a lot of students? This is hardly new information: It’s well known that sport is good for you and taking regular exercise benefits the cardiovascular system. A workout stimulates the blood and oxygen supply to the brain – acting like an energy boost for your gray matter. It can also improve your mood. What’s more, regular sport helps you develop resistance to stress to some extent.

So go on, put on those running shoes or get out that yoga mat and do yourself some good! And who knows, maybe you’ll discover a new hobby along the way…

Get outdoors.

We’ve all done it before but it can be a real secret weapon against stress: Going for a walk. The relaxing effect is intensified even more if you go for a walk in the woods. Japanese scientists have demonstrated that this not only improves your well-being, but also strengthens the immune system for several days.

Learn how to relax.

Reassuring isn’t it? You can simply learn what does you good. Jacobson’s progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) technique is considered to be one of the simplest and most effective relaxation methods. You can become your own relaxation coach in just a few weeks.

Progressive muscle relaxation is very effective and can be used practically anywhere and anytime. The method involves tensing and relaxing specific muscle groups one after the other. It focuses on the transition between tension and relaxation – the aim being to enhance the perception of tension and relaxation in the muscles. Once you have learned this technique, you can also use it to relax your body in stressful situations, such as before or during an exam. And remember: Regular practice pays off!

Proper breathing can make all the difference.

Inhale, exhale – what could go wrong? When it comes to stress, a whole lot. When faced with intense physical tension, your breathing changes noticeably, becoming shallower and faster. This keeps the body in a constant state of stress. But you can counter this by controlling your breathing: Breath relaxation works through you having a conscious awareness of your breathing, allowing you to slow it down and take deeper breaths. Once you’ve practiced it sufficiently, this technique can also be used in acutely stressful situations, for example when giving presentations. Special yoga exercises also promote deep abdominal breathing and can reduce stress and even relieve pain.

A matter of mindfulness.

Do you rarely think in the here and now? Do you dwell on the past, contemplate the future or maybe daydream? Then you lack awareness. If you are more mindfully aware of your environment, you will be much more engaged with what is occurring in the present. By consciously perceiving automatic processes, you will be able to “slow down”. Mindfulness makes it possible to recognize signs of stress and react to them in time. According to Jon Kabat-Zinn, an American professor specializing in mindfulness and stress research, mindfulness is “the awareness that arises from paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.”

Know what it’s like to have a hamster wheel constantly spinning in your head? Want to learn more about the topics of relaxation and dealing with stress?

You can book an individual counseling session through the JGU Mental Health Services for Students. It also offers a workshop on stress management and blended counseling modules on the following topics: “Coping with stress” and “enhancing relaxation”.

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