Lupus Site - a guide for lupus patients and their families

We all know that stress can exacerbate lupus, but how can we deal with stress? Learning how to relax can help a great deal, and can also be a form of pain control.

Try to find time to relax properly at least once a day, even if it's only ten minutes of peace & quiet.

You can buy special relaxation tapes to guide you through the process, or follow the technique below.

Find a quiet place

Sit down or lie down somewhere comfortable

Close your eyes

Clear your mind

Breathe deeply in and out

Tighten the muscles throughout your body

Slowly relax each muscle starting with your head & eyes

Relax your mouth

Next, relax your shoulders...arms...hands

Continue, working your wat down your body, relaxing each muscle as you go

Breathing deeply, in and out, imagine all your pain, tension and stress being pushed out through your feet every time you breathe out

Lie still in this newly relaxed state

When you're ready, get up slowly

 

Whenever you feel tense or stressed, take a moment to relax & breathe deeply.

Concentrate on your breathing, take a deep breath in, then breathe out slowly, letting the tension and pain go with each breath.

Are you breathing correctly? You shouldn't breathe from your chest, but from your diaphragm. Try this quick test -
Put one hand on your chest & the other between your rib cage & abdomen,
Breathe normally & watch which hand moves up and down
The hand on your abdomen should be moving
If the hand on your chest is moving up and down, then you are not breathing correctly
Concentrate on breathing so that your abdomen moves up and down as you breathe.