How to Use Biofeedback to Reduce Stress

Biofeedback is a healing method based on personal awareness of your own physiological responses. During stressful times, our bodies react a certain way, causing blood pressure and skin temperature to raise and sweat production and muscle tension to increase. Feedback helps you become aware of the body’s responses and then teaches you how to control them for your own benefit.

Instructions

• 1

  Find a biofeedback practitioner who uses Electromyograph readings to measure stress responses. This consists of a series of electrodes placed in different parts of your body to measure muscle reaction during stress. Understanding what causes the muscles to react will help you control that reaction and in turn avoid pains associated with it.

• 2

  Practice biofeedback on your own using a mirror. Simply stand in front of it and work on relaxing your face, muscle by muscle. Be aware of how your expression changes as you do it, and how this affects your overall feeling and predisposition. As you get better at it, you will not need to use a mirror anymore, but it’s a good idea to see yourself at the beginning, so you understand how the process is working.

• 3

  Work on lowering your own heart rate. A rapid heartbeat is the most common indicator of stress and one of the easiest ones to manage. As you notice your heart rate increasing, find a quiet place to sit and concentrate on your breathing. Focus your mind on positive things and pay attention to posture. Relaxing your shoulders and your neck can lower your heart rate. Use soft music if it helps.

• 4

  Buy a GSR Galvanic Skin Response monitor, which allows you to check changes in your skin (including temperature and moisture level) during stressful times by simply touching a pad with your fingertips. Small portable models are relatively inexpensive and can be extremely useful at home.