ABSTRACT
Top athletes use relaxation techniques to control their physiology. Pretty much the same applies when our minds begin to race. The opposite of stress is relaxation. They can’t both occur at the same time. Relaxation techniques are essential tools to control stress and anxiety. Stress is not just about major life events; there’s also a theory that it’s a build-up of minor, daily hassles that wear us down. Things that usually wouldn’t bother us cause us to ‘fly off the handle’ and ruin the day. A hassle in one part of our lives can have a knock-on effect on others. There are two types of stress. The harmful stuff, distress, is that mental state that overwhelms us so that we can’t think clearly. The stuff that gives us an edge is eustress. There’s a fine line between ‘going for the burn’ and ‘burning out’. The key is to keep stress in the productive range.
