The quickest way to relax is to slow your breath and let your muscles go: breathe in for about four counts and out for about six, then tense your shoulders for a few seconds and let them drop as you breathe out. Relaxation techniques aim for what the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) calls the relaxation response: slower breathing, lower blood pressure and a reduced heart rate, the opposite of the stress response.
No single method works for everyone. The German health portal gesund.bund.de puts it simply: the best way to find out which technique relaxes you is to try. Below are 10 ways for body and mind, how to relax specific areas like the jaw, how to learn relaxation, and what to do if relaxing feels hard.
10 ways to relax at a glance
| Way | Time | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Longer exhale | 1 minute | Stress right now |
| 2. Tense and release | 2 to 10 minutes | Tension you can feel |
| 3. Unclench your jaw | 30 seconds | Clenching, desk work |
| 4. Body scan | 5 to 15 minutes | Noticing where you hold tension |
| 5. Guided imagery | 5 to 15 minutes | People who think in pictures |
| 6. Autogenic phrases | 5 to 10 minutes | Settling with calm words |
| 7. Move | 10 minutes or more | Restless energy |
| 8. Do something you enjoy | Any | Recovering from a full week |
| 9. Calm sound | Any | Winding down, masking noise |
| 10. A wind-down hour | 1 hour | Relaxing before bed |
1. Breathe out longer
Breathe in quietly through your nose for about four counts, out for about six. Five rounds. If six feels too long, use five. Slow and quiet matters more than deep. The breathing exercise on this site paces the rhythm for you, and our guide on breathing techniques compares eight methods.
2. Tense and release (progressive muscle relaxation)
Progressive muscle relaxation means tensing one muscle group at a time and then letting go. gesund.bund.de describes the method: tense a group firmly but not painfully for a few seconds, then relax it for about 30 seconds, and notice the difference. The portal calls it the relaxation method with the most reliable evidence.
A short version: hands (make fists), shoulders (pull up toward the ears), face (squeeze eyes shut), feet (press them into the floor). Five seconds each, then release as you breathe out. Our guide to progressive muscle relaxation has a full script with 14 muscle groups, and releasing tension in your body has a 5-minute routine.
3. Unclench your jaw
Many people clench without noticing, especially at a screen. Let your lips rest together and let your teeth come slightly apart, with your tongue resting softly. The NHS page on jaw problems says that apart from eating, your teeth should be apart. Check in a few times a day: when you open your email, when you stop at a red light.
4. Body scan
Let your attention move slowly through the body, from the feet up to the head, and notice each area without trying to change it. gesund.bund.de describes this systematic wandering through the body as one form of mindfulness meditation. It's less about relaxing on command and more about noticing where you hold tension, which often loosens by itself once you see it.
5. Guided imagery
Picture a place that feels calm, with as many senses as you can: what you see, hear, smell and feel. NCCIH lists guided imagery among relaxation techniques: you picture scenes associated with calm and try to bring a similar feeling into your body. Our guided visualization for sleep has a full script you can read aloud.
6. Autogenic phrases
Autogenic training uses short phrases you repeat silently, such as "My right arm is heavy" and "My breathing is calm". gesund.bund.de lists six standard formulas (heaviness, warmth, heartbeat, breathing, solar plexus, cool forehead) and notes that first results can appear after about two to three weeks of practice, though this varies. It's best learned with guidance, and the portal advises against it for some mental health conditions, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder or acute psychosis.
7. Move
For some people, sitting still is the opposite of relaxing. gesund.bund.de notes that techniques with more movement, such as yoga, tai chi or qigong, help some people find relaxation, and the NHS says exercise can reduce some of the emotional intensity of stress. A brisk ten-minute walk counts.
8. Do something you enjoy
Relaxing doesn't have to be a technique. gesund.bund.de mentions reading on the sofa, a walk in nature, a hobby or simply doing nothing. The NHS suggests setting aside a couple of evenings a week of "me time" away from work.
9. Listen to a calm sound
Calming music or a steady background sound can help you wind down and cover noise. The NHS sleep advice lists listening to calming music and background sounds like gentle music or white noise among things to try. Our guide to white, pink and brown noise explains the differences.
10. Give yourself a wind-down hour
In the evening, relaxation needs a runway. The NHS suggests relaxing at least an hour before bed, for example with a bath or a book, and avoiding phones, tablets and computers for an hour before sleep. Our guide on how to relax before bed has a 10-minute wind-down, and sleep meditation a meditation you can do in bed.
How to relax your nervous system
When people ask this, they usually mean switching from "alarm" to "rest". The alarm is the fight or flight response, driven by the sympathetic nervous system; rest and recovery are supported by the parasympathetic nervous system. Techniques 1 to 6 are all ways toward the relaxation response described by NCCIH.
You'll also find many promises online about "resetting" or "hacking" the vagus nerve. A 2018 systematic review of 15 studies in healthy people found that slow breathing was linked to signs of parasympathetic activity and to people feeling more relaxed. That supports slow breathing as a sensible tool. It doesn't support promises that a single trick resets your nervous system. For more on the stress alarm itself, see fight or flight response.
How to relax your muscles, and your pelvic floor
For most muscles, tense and release (way 2) is the simplest approach: you learn what tension feels like by making it stronger first. A warm bath is also on the NHS list of ways to relax before bed.
Pelvic floor relaxation is a specialist topic. If you have pain, problems with bladder or bowel, or pain during sex, talk to a doctor; a pelvic health physiotherapist can teach exercises suited to you. This page doesn't cover it.
How to learn to relax
Relaxation is a skill. gesund.bund.de explains that the relaxation response is usually not complete when you start and becomes fuller and faster with regular practice. Experienced practitioners can even link it to a cue, such as a piece of music. A plan that works for many people:
- Choose one method from the list above.
- Practice it daily for two weeks, five to ten minutes, at the same time of day if you can.
- Practice when you're calm, not only when you're stressed.
- Then use it in a stressful moment and see what happens.
When relaxing feels hard
It's common to find relaxation difficult at first, especially under a lot of stress. NCCIH says relaxation techniques are generally considered safe for healthy people, but occasionally people report increased anxiety, intrusive thoughts or fear of losing control. There have been rare reports of techniques worsening symptoms in people with epilepsy, certain psychiatric conditions or a history of trauma.
If a method makes you tense, switch to one with more movement or with your eyes open, keep it short, and talk to a professional if it keeps happening. If the problem is less your body and more a head that won't stop, how to switch off has ideas for that.
Relaxation sessions in the app
If you'd rather be guided, AI Meditation: Sleep & Calm has sessions for different kinds of relaxation:
- Mini-Reset: Arriving and Relaxing is a very simple beginner session: a short arrival and one exercise from progressive muscle relaxation.
- Body Scan for Deep Relaxation guides you through the body to release tension.
- Dream Journey with Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) combines tensing and releasing with a rest by the sea.
- A Beautiful Break: Coffee Pause for Body and Mind turns a coffee break into a mindful pause.
- After-Work Reset: Downshifting After a Full Day helps you close the workday.
You can set how long a session lasts within its range, and the voices are AI voices. The app also has white, pink and brown noise and other calm soundscapes. See how the app works, try it for free, no account needed.
When not being able to relax is a reason to see a doctor
If you can't switch off for weeks, sleep badly or feel constantly tense, it may be more than a lack of relaxation. The NHS suggests seeing a GP if you're struggling to cope with stress or if what you try yourself isn't helping.
Your health
This app is a wellness app and does not replace medical advice. If tension, restlessness or poor sleep last for weeks, or if you have pain, talk to a doctor. The NHS page on stress lists symptoms, self-help and when to get help.
Sources
All pages accessed on September 25, 2026.
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health: Relaxation Techniques: What You Need To Know (last updated June 2021). Relaxation response, types of techniques, side effects.
- gesund.bund.de (German Federal Ministry of Health): Entspannungsmethoden (as of March 27, 2026, German). Progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training, meditation, yoga, learning by practice.
- gesund.bund.de (German Federal Ministry of Health): Stress (as of January 14, 2026, German). Everyday ways to relax.
- NHS: Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) (page last reviewed June 20, 2023). Teeth apart, jaw massage, relaxation.
- NHS Every Mind Matters: How to fall asleep faster and sleep better. Calming music, background sounds, screens before bed.
- NHS: Insomnia (page last reviewed March 19, 2024). Relaxing an hour before bed.
- NHS: 10 stress busters (page last reviewed June 26, 2026). Exercise, me time.
- American Psychological Association: Stress effects on the body (last reviewed October 21, 2024). Sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
- Zaccaro A, et al. How breath-control can change your life: a systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2018. Slow breathing and parasympathetic markers.
