The Importance of Relaxation for Recovery

At a time when the world seems busier than ever, sometimes it can be difficult to get enough rest and relaxation. Many of us are in constant 'on' mode and have almost forgotten how to hit the off switch! But what impact is this having on our health?

We all know that stress can take its toll on our mind and body - whether it be psychological or physical. But stress is a natural part of life, and managing or reducing it isn't always practical. This is where the importance of proper relaxation comes in.

Entering a relaxed, calm or happy state actively counteracts the negative effects of stress and helps to make us resilient, allowing us to bounce back more easily from stressful events.

How does this work?

Fight or flight vs rest and digest

Our nervous system has two modes; sympathetic and parasympathetic. The sympathetic mode is also known as 'fight or flight', and this is what's activated when we're in a state of stress. The parasympathetic mode is known as 'rest and digest'.

When we're in fight or flight, our nervous system is preparing for us to fight or run away from a perceived threat, sending blood flow to our muscles and increasing our alertness. This means that other bodily functions such as digestion are deprioritised. On the other hand, when in rest and digest, the body's resources are available to be put into processes like digestion and repair.

Using Restorative Rest to Counteract Stress

A lot of us do things like watching TV or scrolling on social media to try and wind down or switch off. Although these things can feel like good ways of 'relaxing' they are not always enough to rebalance our nervous system and counteract the effects of stress.

On the other hand, restorative rest activities are those that help us to release happy or calming neurotransmitters (chemicals that send signals to our brain and nervous system).

Here are some examples:

Oxytocin, known as the love or cuddle hormone, helps to lower blood pressure and counteract the stress hormone cortisol. It's released when we hug, socially connect or laugh with others. Serotonin, known as the happy hormone, helps to guard against the negative effects of stress such as anxiety.

Though it's also worth noting that chronic stress can lower serotonin levels. Doing things that you enjoy, and spending time outside in nature with sunlight can cause the release of serotonin.

GABA is the neurotransmitter for calmness and has a direct effect in counteracting the stress system in the body. GABA is one of the most important neurotransmitters in combating stress and thus helps the body to recover from things like illness or injury. It helps our body switch from 'fight or flight' into 'rest and digest mode'.

Calming activities like meditation and gentle yoga are great for increasing our GABA levels. Though anything that helps you to relax like taking a bath or going for a walk will do this too. So, in summary, we should do restorative activities that involve social connection (ideally with hugs and laughter!) and allow us to truly relax to counteract the effects of stress.

This helps to balance our nervous system and allows our body to move into a state of repair and recovery rather than staying in 'fight or flight' where the body's priority is just to survive.

What forms of restorative rest and relaxation do you practice? let us know in the comments