Muscles spasming? Do the old RSN trick, now!

Okay, okay. I have heard all the acronyms before. They really annoy me. I get in a fluster just trying to remember what they all mean. This is enough to get me feeling stressed and fed up with it all. I can feel my neck and shoulder muscles tightening. When I go to say something I’ve got a funny voice! Dear God! Will it ever end? I really need to dig into my emotional toolbox for some Reduce Stress Now formula.

Beyondblue’s Fact Sheet number 6 says “stress is a response to an event or situation. It can be positive or negative. Stress is common in daily life and may be associated with work, family or personal relationships. It usually means that something is happening that is causing worry and affecting how we are thinking and feeling.”

By following the link in the first paragraph and downloading the above mentioned Fact Sheet 6, you are able to explore simple ways to reduce stress in your life right now. The exercises are simple, able to be done in privacy, at work, in a group or wherever you are at the time when you need to do one or more RSN exercise such as:

- Slow breathing exercise.
- Muscle tension exercise.
- Muscle relaxation exercise.

This Fact Sheet includes other information about stress management strategies and lifestyle. Whilst you are in the Beyondblue site, take time to check out the Home page and other great fact sheets they have. Printing them and putting in a folder makes a good resource pack.

Hopefully, when I return to Brisbane for my next treatment for spasmodic dysphonia and also for cervical dystonia I will be relaxed enough to not swallow while the needle is stuck through the front of my throat into my vocal cords. That is most definitely when I need to remember the old RSN routine!

Sue Bayliss. Cairns, Australia.