we can all learn to relax...

We could all probably do with a reminder...and some help with relaxing when things get a bit hectic. I know I could - but that's a very long story.

Apparently, UK adults can expect to spend around five years of their life feeling stressed out -and Brits badly need to calm down. But telling people to relax won’t solve the problem if they don’t know how. A new DVD called “Relaxation for Living” from the Relaxation for Living Institute might be able to help.

It shows people what stress does to them and what they can do to help themselves feel calmer and more relaxed.

The Relaxation for Living Institute (RfLI) has been teaching people how to de-stress for over 35 years. Its methods are not airy fairy rubbish - they are widely used and recommended by doctors and healthcare professionals and have helped tens of thousands of people cope with anxiety. Now, for the first time, its programme of posture, breathing and muscle-easing exercises is available to everyone on a fab new DVD.

It's not rocket science - tense muscles always tend to tense the muscles next to them: when the hand muscles are clenched, the forearm muscles will tense, the shoulders tense and so on. When anxiety kicks in and the muscles tense, breathing becomes faster and shallower, affecting the chemical balance of the body and leading to a wide variety of unpleasant symptoms.

Relaxation for Living helps people understand why they feel the way they do and shows them how to release tension to manage stress and take positive steps to feeling better.

Dr Ismat Nasiruddin, GP

“Doctors can’t just tell their patients to ‘go home and relax’ when they feel ill because a lot of people simply don’t know how to. Learning how to manage the physical side effects of stress through the Relaxation for Living method is one of the keys to coping and feeling better.”