Peak performance goes beyond action and exertion. It’s also about mastering your ability to optimize stress. HPRC’s Relaxation Response Guide is for Service Members who’d like to integrate simple interventions for recovery and stress optimization into their routine. You may be looking for strategies to better manage your mental and physical health, enhance operational readiness, or improve your overall well-being. Whatever your goals are, there are multiple evidence-based practices you can customize and choose from to induce your relaxation response.
For each specific task and performance, everyone has an individual zone of optimal functioning that allows them to perform most effectively. For example, an upcoming mission, an injury or accident, quality time spent with your partner, or (if you have kids) your child having trouble at school all require a different level of energy, focus, and emotion for you to be at your best. And what allows you to perform optimally during a specific task will look different from what enables your battle buddy to do the same core task. When stress is too high, it can lead to poor health and performance. The good news? You can engage your relaxation response system to achieve optimal performance. Activating the relaxation response lowers your heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle tension while enhancing well-being for maximum military readiness.
To recenter yourself into your optimal zone of functioning, you’ll need to identify when your stress levels are too high. You might feel irritable, distracted, overwhelmed, or a loss of control, signaling that you may be yielding excess energy. It might even be a positive trigger, like a surprise visit or party, that’s making you feel overwhelmed. Whether the situation is positive or negative, engaging in a relaxation technique can help you reset. Many of these practices are field-tested, useful, and require no specialized equipment or help. Even those with the most demanding, unique schedules will find their own gold standard to induce relaxation.
Use the matrix below to choose the right relaxation response practice for your needs. Practices are categorized by duration, ease of use, equipment requirements, and whether provider consultation is recommended.
If you’ve never tried a relaxation activity, now’s a good time to start! Try something beginner-friendly (with no equipment needed) and go from there. Read through the guide to learn about the different practices, choose one, and follow the instructions. You may find some activities work better than others or what works for someone else might not be the best option for you. Trying a range of practices based on the scenario can help you build a personalized routine for stress optimization and relaxation in a variety of situations.