Ch. 20 Relaxation (exam 3 E-Res article) Flashcards
What is H.A.L.T.?
Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired
Introduced in AA to remind us of vulnerabilities that make us less resilient.
What are guidelines for beginning meditation (10)?
- Make time to meditate
- -desirable to meditate for 15-20 minutes at least once a day - Set the climate to meditate
- -quiet place, silence phone, tell others not to disturb you - Secure a comfortable place for meditation
- -body is to be supported by minimal muscular work
- -adjust room temp. (warm = relaxed) - Develop passive attitude
- -let distracting thoughts pass w/o becoming worried about their intrusion or your ability to meditate - Select a mental device
- -a phrase/word/sound that you repeat when meditating (“mantra”); assists in breaking stream of distracting thoughts - Relax your body
- -“relax your face; allow neck muscles to thaw; let head relax; take tension out of shoulders…”
- -working from head down to feet - Focus on your breathing
- -breathe through nose and focus on breathing
- -exhale slowly - Meditate for 10 minutes
- -start meditating at 10 minutes, increase the time to 15-20 as you gain experience in being still - Experience your unique meditation
- -no rules for what you will experience in meditation
- -enjoy peaceful break in which you can unwind and experience sensation of relaxing - End your mediation peacefully
- -pause before standing up and moving
- -don’t rush away
What are the steps of progressive relaxation (18)?
- find quiet room w/ soft light where you are unlikely to be interrupted
- sit in comfortable chair, feet flat on floor, arms supported at sides
- slowly being to take several deep breaths, focusing on your breathing
- tense facial muscles, close eyes tightly, hold mouth closed
- relax face, making muscles feel as though they are sagging
- clench right fist and tighten muscles in right arm
- open right fist and relax arm muscles, making arm feel loose and heavy
- clench left fist and tighten muscles in left arm
- open left fist and relax arm muscles, making arm feel loose and heavy
- tighten muscles in right leg and squeeze toes on right foot
- relax right leg muscles and toes
- tighten muscles in left leg and squeeze toes on left foot
- relax left leg muscles and toes
- tighten buttocks
- relax buttocks
- relax entire body. Allow it to feel free and heavy. You’re in a state of total relaxation
- pay attention to how your body feels in this state
- gradually open your eyes and slowly stretch. Experience this relaxation
What are strategies for immediate relaxation (6)?
- practice a few abdominal breaths (breathe in through mouth, focusing on making stomach bigger, breath out through nose, pushing stomach in toward spinal column)
- imagine a sprinkling shower and warm water
- picture a radiant ball of light just above your head creating a field of bright rays vibrating in a protective pyramid around your body
- picture a clear plexiglas shield that rises up to surround you when you sense danger
- -have room to freely move around in plexiglas shield - picture a sweeper (“magic broom”) that comes out of nowhere to sweep the tension from your body
- picture getting a massage
* At the end of these, as you relax, say to yourself: “This is relaxation. This is how it feels to be loose. This is what I want.”
What are brief stretching exercises (4)?
- high stretch and relax
- shoulder rotation
- shoulder shrug and relax
- arms out, up, relax
How to women respond to stress?
“tend and befriend”
How to men respond to stress?
“fight or flight”
What is stress the result of?
An interaction between a negative environment, unhealthy lifestyles, and self-defeating attitudes and beliefs
When you engage in relaxation practices, you?
Become more focused and alert, promoting safety for clients and yourself
What is relaxation?
A state of consciousness characterized by feelings of peace and release from tension, anxiety, and fear
What is one of the most frequently cited sources of stress in nursing?
excessive workload, which gives nurses the feeling that they are always in a hurry, as if in a race against time
Intensified by nurses’ day-to-day encounters w/ distressing and anxiety-provoking situations, as well as insufficient resources in these times of healthcare restraint
What is meditation?
Mind body practice w/ many methods and variations…grounded in the silence and stillness of compassionate, nonjudgmental present-moment awareness.
Although contemplative meditation practices are largely rooted in the world’s spiritual traditions, the practice of meditation does not require any particular religious or cultural system.
What physiological altercations accompany meditation?
Reduction of metabolic rate, reduction of breathing rate (to 4-6 breaths/minute), increase in number of alpha waves to brain, appearance of theta waves in brain, and a 20% reduction in BP of HTN patients
Mindfulness is an aspect of mediation that?
reflects the basic and fundamental human capacity to attend to relevant aspects of experience in a nonjudgmental and nonreactive way, which in turn cultivates clear thinking, equanimity (composure under stress), compassion, and openheartedness
What is progressive relaxation?
Method of decreasing muscular tension to promote relaxation response
