Controlling the physiological conditions associated with the body's stress response is important. When you're faced with acute bouts of stress, learning simple techniques to promote calming and relaxation can greatly impact how stress will impact you.

Biofeedback practitioners often use different relaxation methods along with the information received from the biofeedback to help their patients learn to control their physiological conditions. The following are some examples of simple relaxation techniques you can do the next time you feel your stress level elevated:

• Diaphragmatic Breathing: This process involves teaching individuals to expand their diaphragm allowing room for the lungs to expand when they inhale, and relax the diaphragm when they exhale. This process slows respiration to 6-8 breaths per minute, significantly lower than the average 12-15 breaths per minute. This process promotes relaxation as well as restores the proper pH balance throughout the body. Click here for more information on the diaphragm’s role in breathing. 
• Progressive Muscle Relaxation: This process trains individuals to recognize feelings of tense muscles by contracting a particular muscle and then relaxing that muscle. This process promotes muscle relaxation, calmness, and elimination of tension. Click here for more information on a progressive muscle relaxation technique.
• Autogenic Training: The purpose of this training is to bring about a certain feeling or condition by repeating and visualizing the actions of words and phrases. There are 6 basic objectives related to awareness of calm breathing, feelings of heaviness and warmth in extremities, regular pulse frequency, warmth in the belly, and a cool forehead. Click here for more information on autogenic training.
• Guided Imagery: This technique involves assisting individuals to focus on mental images or scenes to relax the mind and escape stressful thoughts. Click here for more information on guided imagery.
• Meditation: This practice involves repetitively focusing attention to the individual’s pulse, breathing, or a calming word or symbol. This process helps with understanding of the mind, relaxation, and transforming our mind from negative to positive. Click here for more information on meditation.