Relaxation Techniques and Strategies for Teens

Kids today are under an unprecedented amount of stress. Family issues, peer pressure, academic struggles, and an eagerness to fit in can create situations teens may not be emotionally prepared to handle. Without the skills to cope positively and de-stress, teens may turn to unhealthy coping strategies

Unhealthy Coping Strategies
Much of teen maladaptive behavior is actually an attempt by the teen to manage unpleasant feelings or experiences. Explosive or angry behavior, self-mutilation, drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, and school avoidance, for example, are possible ways kids may cope with situations or emotions they don’t know how to handle. Learning positive ways to relax and cope when under stress may help reduce some of these behaviors.

The Benefits of Relaxation Skills
Relaxation skills, once learned, are versatile because they can be used anytime, anywhere, and for practically any situation. For the most part, they don’t require any special equipment, and can be modified for the individual user. For teens, learning relaxation skills have several benefits. Beyond their use as a calming strategy, their mastery also empowers teens to feel that they have some control over their emotions, and they are simple enough to teach that teens can easily share them with others



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Types of Relaxation Strategies
There are three basic types of relaxation strategies. All are simple to learn and implement. They are:

Progressive Muscle Relaxation
This strategy requires teens to focus on one muscle at a time, alternately contracting and relaxing the muscle. Ideally, the teen should be either lying down or reclined in a comfortable chair. The room should be quiet, preferably somewhat dark, and comfortable. Starting at the toes and working up to the head, each muscle group is contracted, held for five to ten seconds, and then relaxed. As teens learn how to purposefully relax their muscles, as well as identify which muscles are the most tense when they are stressed out, they will gain the skills to relax their muscles during tense situations.

Guided Imagery
Teens should choose a relaxing scene at the focal point for this strategy. It should be a location that the teen finds personally meaningful and calming. It can be a warm beach scene, a walk through the woods, or a cozy, rainy day. It will likely be somewhat different for each person. The teen should make notes about what he or she finds relaxing about this scene.

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Be sure to utilize all five senses. What does this place smell like, feel like, and look like? List some words that describe what it feels like to be here. Choose words that imbue a sense of peace and calmness, as well as power and strength.

Teens may choose to tape themselves talking about this special place and how it makes them feel. The tape can then be played back either during or after a progressive muscle relaxation, or during a stressful situation where the teen needs a mental “break.”

Controlled Breathing
Teens are often surprised to find out that their breathing becomes quick and shallow when they are stressed out. This method of breathing reduces oxygen to the brain and heightens the body’s tension. Learning how to purposefully slow breathing down helps increase calmness and relaxation. Teens should breathe in through their nose for 3-4 seconds, and out through their mouths for 6-8 seconds.

The slower the better, but be sure the exhale is twice as long as the inhale. Breathe from deep inside the body, and be aware of the chest rising and falling during breathing. During the breathing, teens can either think about their peaceful place, or focus on one word (such as calm, peace, or another word of the teens choosing) that helps connect the brain to the breathing. Controlled breathing should be done for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Simple relaxation techniques, when practiced enough to become second nature, can have a great impact on teen’s ability to calm themselves during stressful situations. With such positive ways to manage their feelings, this may prevent teens from turning to more harmful ways of coping.



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