Mind-body medicine takes a ‘holistic’ approach to health. It looks at how your mind and body work together and work with each other. This includes the effect of stress on health in general. Understanding your body and how it works with your mind can help with learning how to manage stress. This can make every day life better. Below are some relaxation ideas to get you started.

Relaxation Methods

• Breathing. Breathing with your center and thinking about your breathing can be very powerful tools for managing stress.
• Muscle Calming. Tighten and relax each muscle group all the way up or down your body.
• Imagery. Use pictures in your mind to think of a place that feels safe, healing, peaceful, or whatever you need to get comfortable.
• Meditation. You can relax with prayer, chanting, silent conversation with yourself, or focusing on an object.
• Listening. Use sounds from nature like gentle ocean waves, bird calls, falling rain or thunderstorms to help relax. Soft music can also be calming and helpful for relaxation.

HealthPartners offers virtual events on stress management and more. To learn more about upcoming sessions, visit the HealthPartners event page.