| A certain amount of irritability and agitation is | | | | pacing your breathing. Next, make a taut fist by |
| normal. However, if you are continuously or | | | | tensing all the muscles in your right hand, count to |
| chronically annoyed or irritable, you may have an | | | | eight, then totally relax your hand. |
| undiagnosed anxiety or depressive disorder. | | | | Remember, when making the fist, do not strain. |
| The good news is that you can reduce or | | | | Simply tense the muscles to make them tight, |
| overcome much of your agitation or grumpiness | | | | but not cause pain. Straining painfully, as in an |
| by learning and applying some proven coping skills. | | | | overdone workout, is ill-considered and is not |
| Scientifically proven relaxation techniques are the | | | | conducive to your goal. |
| most helpful of these drug-free methods. | | | | Next, comes your lower arm: Start tensing, then |
| Deep breathing is one of the most well-known | | | | relaxing the muscles there, then move to your |
| and effective relaxation methods. It causes you | | | | upper arm and continue the same exercises with |
| to reduce your level of tension by using paced | | | | your shoulder. Next, move on to your left hand, |
| breathing techniques to create a state of serenity | | | | arm and shoulder and do the alternate tensing and |
| and calm. | | | | relaxing with them as well. |
| Some people with overwhelming amounts of | | | | Proceed to your head and facial area. You can |
| tension, however, may report a harder time | | | | tense and then relax these muscle groups |
| getting the significant results they desire from this | | | | individually by lowering or raising your eyebrows, |
| method alone. If you have a difficult time as well, | | | | smiling or frowning and opening and relaxing your |
| do progressive muscle relaxation before you begin | | | | jaw. |
| your deep breathing exercises. | | | | Move on to your neck and tense those muscles |
| Progressive muscle relaxation is time-tested, | | | | by gently moving your neck to one side, then the |
| drug-free and scientifically proven; it is both simple | | | | other, forward and back, completely relaxing after |
| and effective. This technique involves tensing and | | | | tensing each muscle group. Progress down your |
| then relaxing your muscle groups in some sort of | | | | back, legs and feet until you have alternately |
| a pre-planned order. | | | | tensed and relaxed all of your muscle groups. |
| Relaxing a group of muscles after first tensing | | | | After finishing these progressive relaxation |
| them, has been proven to reduce more tension | | | | exercises, your breathing will have calmed and |
| than just relaxing them alone. The particular order | | | | deepened substantially and this is the perfect time |
| you use is completely up to you; the following | | | | to transition into your deep breathing exercises. |
| order is just one example to consider. | | | | Since you are starting them with your body being |
| To start, sit comfortably in a chair in a serene | | | | relaxed, the effectiveness of your deep breathing |
| setting, then gently close your eyes and start | | | | will be significantly enhanced. |