Feeling stressed while relaxing? It's real. Know all about stresslaxing

Have you ever planned a relaxing vacation only to find yourself feeling more stressed than before? You're not alone. According to the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, around 30 to 50% of people experience such relaxation induced anxiety, leading to symptoms of stress (such as rapid heart beat, insomnia or sweating).

This counterintuitive phenomenon of 'Stress + Relaxing', is a pressure to rest while your mind is overwhelmed with a never ending to-do list, which has also garnered eye balls across the world, especially of researchers.

Understanding the disconnect:

When we're stressed, our bodies release stress hormones like cortisol, preparing us for a 'flight or fight' action. However, during stresslaxation, the mind desires relaxation while our brain is constantly scanning the environment for potential dangers and thus remains in a hyperactive state, causing dissonance between our minds and bodies.

Underlying causes that contribute to this counterintuitive state:

"People who are anxious and stressed try to read about relaxation, see how others are de-stressing followed by indulging in those activities and hobbies with a very goal oriented mindset, thinking this might help them loosen up too”, shared psychologist Dr Pulkit Sharma.

He added, “But since their approach is developed through the experiences of others over a personalised method, it is not able to bring them the desired levels of happiness or cheerfulness.”

More often than not, relaxation activities tend to consume a lot of time / effort / planning and thus, many of us feel guilty for not being productive; thinking other crucial tasks might gets affected. This pressure to 'hustle' even as you rejuvenate, adds another layer of stress to the situation.

Gunjan Ryder, clinical psychologist, said, “There's an intense influence of social media wherein people seek external validation and are overly concerned with how others perceive their relaxation, in addition to worrying if it's anything less than 'perfect'.”

Feeling overwhelmed by choices, even when picking a relaxation activity to slow-down, can lead to analysis paralysis and aggravate stress.

Finding solutions:

The first step is acknowledging the stress and its source. Remember it's human to feel stressed and you don't need to push your emotions under the carpet. Gunjan Ryder emphasizes on employing simple and easy to carry out strategies to prevent undue stress(like journaling your thoughts out or talking to a trusted friend).

Activities like meditation or deep breathing can help calm the body's stress response and promote relaxation than resisting the feelings of stress altogether causing you to remain in that emotional mess for longer.

“Figure out what is your notion of relaxation; unwind yourself through activities that you genuinely enjoy (not just what you think you "should" do), only then will it aid your overall well-being,” said Dr Pulkit.

Identify and reframe negative self talk associated with relaxation, like "I'm wasting time" or "Others will think badly of me."

Don't approach relaxation as a goal by taking unnecessary pressure to unwind, because then your mind would be perpetually occupied even when trying to relax. Gunjan Ryder says, “It's important to be flexible and go easy by incorporating different relaxing techniques depending on stress level, mood, motivation etc.”

By Kavya Vashisht