Monday, March 2, 2009

First Cardiac Rehab Group - relaxation

Well took the group today and it went really well

First i welcomed everyone and introduced myself, then checked to see if there were any new people. (there were note) If their was i was have talked about the benefits of relaxation more indepth. Instead i just mensioned the following:

Decreasing heart rate/rate of breathing
Lowering BP
Reducing physical fatigue
Improving ability to cope with tension, stress and pain
Can reduce frequency of headaches
Improve circulation to skin in muscles

So then i asked for feedback on last weeks session and asked if anyone had tried the techniques out for coping strategies with sleep problems..wasnt a great response however one person said that the thought stopping didnt work! But i reiterated that some things you find good, and some you dont - its about finding the one that works for you but not giving up on one if it doesnt work the first time because relaxation is a "learnt technique" and practice makes perfect.

Then i introduced visualisation as a technique - e.g. used for visualising yourself in a calm relaxing state, and it can also be about going in to a place that is peaceful and quiet.

Then we did the staircase relazxation technique, followed by discussing how everyone felt the technique went.
We got a good converstation going about how you know when you are relaxed as a man fell asleep! So i emphasised that relaxation techniques are working if it relaxes you to a point that makes you fall asleep.

I also added that if you were not interested in buying the tape/or didnt have anyone to read it too you then prehaps trying doing some deep breathing and practice visualising the quiet peaceful, special place and counting yourself down the stairs and think about the sensations of the place and relax all the muscles in your body. People seemed interested in doing this - or showed they understood what i was telling them.

All in all a good session - looking fwd to nxt week, and getting feedback about the process i used today

I was confident in talking and didnt get my words all mixed up. I had prepared myself with the information so i wasnt stuck for words.
I was able to get some discussions going but i guess its hard when people come in and out of the group. Anytime discussing is good time and it was good to hear their percpetion of how well things worked.

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