This is a discussion post for managing stress. Just please cite all references that you may have to use.

In your opinion: College is stressful. There are exams, quizzes and papers. Even preparing discussion postings can be stressful for some. There are many relaxation techniques for managing stress, including but not limited to breathing, meditation, yoga, massage, music therapy, just to name a few. When students have a deadline and are feeling stressed, what can they do to relax their mind and body to accomplish what they need to do? Which relaxation strategies would be most successful to achieve that outcome?

For each of the subsequent questions, please meaningfully integrate your readings including the text, articles, videos, and module notes in our conversation with each other.

For the remainder of this discussion, you will need to complete a relaxation technique of your choice. Choose one of the following meditations. All are freely available on the Internet, so you can return to them as often as you want.

• Mental imagery technique: UNH Health and Wellness. (2009) Take 5: The Forest Awakens – Guided Imagery for Stress Relief [Video File. 6 minutes]. Link is:

• Progressive muscular relaxation technique: . UNH Health and Wellness. (2011). Progressive Muscle Relaxation Meditation. [Video File, 11 minutes.] Link is:

• Rainbow meditation technique: Morris, S. Z. (2008). Rainbow Meditation. [Video File, 8 minutes.] Link is:

• Autogenic technique: Buraik, Y. (2011). Autogenic Training. [Video File, 14 minutes.] Link is:

After completing the technique, we will consider the following questions together:

• Which technique did you select? What did you experience?

• These techniques may not work for everyone. Based on what we have learned so far this module, what strategies can we use to determine what would work best for someone? What pitfalls should we be aware of when introducing these techniques?

• An historical perspective reveals that every culture and/or religion practices some form of self-reflection and/or meditation. What are some of the differences between Western and Eastern cultures practicing these techniques?