1. Hardy Relaxation Physiological aspects of Performance, Morale, Conduct, and Health

2. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.2 Dimensions of Learning In this HardiTraining component you learn: How physiology can support or undermine your efforts to cope with stress and strain, How you can influence your performance effectiveness through optimal body arousal, How body arousal influences perception, and; Techniques that help you to maximize experience and to bring about the kind of life you want, and deserve.

3. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.3 The Central Nervous System The Central Nervous System contains the brain (neocortex) and the spinal cord. The brain’s neocortex acts in an executive function. Through its reticular activating system (ascending and descending brain stem fibers), it alerts body systems subordinate to it as to biological changes needed for body maintenance and performance.

4. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.4 The Peripheral Nervous System The Peripheral Nervous System contains two branches involved in regulating brain and body arousal. The somatic branch activates sensory and motor nerves, and muscles involved in brain and body arousal states. We can manipulate this system at will. If we do not want to see something, we decide to close our eyes. The autonomic branch regulates body processes that we cannot directly manipulate. Such processes include heart rate and blood flow, and blood pressure. The autonomic branch of the peripheral nervous system influences body arousal states through adjustments in heart rate, blood flow, and blood pressure. Peripheral Nervous System Autonomic Branch Somatic Branch

5. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.5 The Autonomic Branch Its sympathetic branch is responsible for arousing the brain and body in the service of a fight or flight response. It does this through stimulation of excitatory nerve chemicals that energize the system. How does it do this? An internal shift in inner and outer cellular fluids turn your cardiovascular system into a powerful pump that electro- chemically fires excitatory nerve chemicals and hormones to the body’s organs most involved in an arousal response (heart, muscles, and brain). The inner and outer cellular fluids shift in mineral makeup. In a resting state, your inner cellular fluid is primarily made up of potassium, whereas the outer fluid is primarily made up of sodium. This shifts in this process, which stimulates an electro-chemical potential that increases the rate at which your nerves fire. The cardiovascular system can now carry excitatory nerve chemicals (Norepinephrine, dopamine, and epinephrine) to their proper destination. Autonomic Nervous System Parasympathetic Branch Sympathetic Branch

6. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.6 The Autonomic Branch In contrast, the parasympathetic branch is responsible for inducing relaxation on a cellular level. It does this by activating relaxing chemicals that inhibit the fight or flight response. These inhibitory neurotransmitters include: Gamma AminoButyric Acid (GABA) and Glycine This shift returns the cardiovascular system to a relaxed state, increases immune function, increases digestion, slows down heart rate, and increases body temperature. Autonomic Nervous System Parasympathetic Branch Sympathetic Branch

7. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.7 Putting It Together Optimal Increase in energy, performance, morale, conduct, and health Promotes heightened awareness, Increases mental alertness, Openness to environment, Stabilizes mood, Facilitates positive social interactions, Enhances your ability to transform problems into new learning. Excessive Prolonged SNS chemicals and hormones results in physical, mental, and behavioral strain, Decreases concentration and alertness, Produces mental disorganization, Increases suspiciousness, anger, anxiety, and mood destabilization, Increases oppositional behavior, insomnia, and uncontrollable temper outbursts, Disrupts social interactions, Inhibits imagination and problem- solving.

8. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.8 Putting It Together Continued We need to activate our parasympathetic nervous system to counteract the negative effects of too much SNS arousal. Parasympathetic activation restores brain and body relaxation. Veins and arteries dilate facilitating blood flow, Body temperature rises due to increased blood flow, Stomach and intestinal fluids increase supporting digestion, Feelings of relaxation and well-being take hold and, Creativity, awareness, and problem-solving are enhanced. This increases your ability to observe yourself and other people, which enhances your social sensitivity. In addition, body relaxation strengthens your ability to cope with daily living stressors.

9. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.9 Relaxation Techniques Heighten Body Awareness When you learn how to relax your body, you become more sensitive to the subtle shifts and changes your body goes through in response to daily living situations. This permits you to cut off at the pass early signs of strain before you reach wellness breakdown, It further enhances your ability to regulate body processes vital to the coping process, And, you become more aware of the relationship between your body state and your social effectiveness.

10. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.10 The Mechanism Relaxation Techniques Use To Bring About A Relaxation Response? Breathe! Adequate respiration regulates the functioning of your entire body. It provides your brain and body with the right amount of oxygen to perform vital body processes. Adequate oxygen intake: Oxygenates your blood, Combines with food nutrients to create a metabolic effect that nourishes your entire body, Balances ph (phosphorus level) of blood gases and body fluids, Helps your body’s homeostatic mechanisms to restore functioning, Regulates sympathetic nervous system activity and, Helps your lymphatic system to clear away body toxins.

11. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.11 Where do you Breathe? Thoracic Breathing 1. Is not your lungs primary lung expander, 2. Expands a limited portion of your lungs, 3. Utilizes your rib cage and results in shallow and rapid breathing, 4. Inefficient energy converter of precious food nutrients, 5. Disrupts blood gas (oxygen/carbon dioxide ratio) and body fluid (acid-alkali) balance, 6. Heightens chance for cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disturbances. Diaphragmatic Breathing 1. Your lung’s primary expander--increases slow and deep breathing. 2. Brings oxygen to lower third of lungs where it mixes with blood and food nutrients for optimal energy conversion, 3. Increases parasympathetic nervous system activity, and balances blood gases and body fluids, 4. Decreases cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disturbances, 5. Strengthens hardiness, problem-solving, creativity, and openness to the environment.

12. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.12 Relaxation Technique 1: Breathing Control Where do you breathe? 1. Place one hand on your chest and the other approximately 1 inch below your belly button. 2. Breathe normally and observe if you breathe diaphragmatically (diaphragm muscle/stomach) or thoracically (chest) by your hand movement. Don’t adjust or change anything at this point. Controlled breathing 1. Place one hand on your chest and the other approximately 1 inch below your belly button. 2. Now, inhale to the count of five and exhale to the count of five. Do this for several minutes. 3. To decrease the rate of breath that you take in and exhale per minute, as well as to deepen and make more rhythmic your breathing, on the exhale slow down the rate at which you exhale your breath. Essentially, you create longer time gaps between each descending number as you count down from five to one.

13. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.13 Relaxation Technique 2: Muscle Relaxation Jacobsen’s relaxation technique trains you to identify the difference between muscle relaxation and muscle tension. Muscle tension is a form of strain. It can show up: Mentally: Thinking is less creative, less flexible, and problem-solving is uninspired. Physically: SNS arousal, vague aches and pains, and cardiovascular symptoms. Emotionally: Irritable, sad, hopeless and, Behaviorally: Less open to the environment, aggressive, anxious, and inattentive.

14. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.14 Relaxation Technique 3: Mindful Meditation Mindful meditation is a relaxation technique that helps you to observe the way in which the mind processes information. This technique helps you to resist your mind’s tendency to get caught up in ideas, images, and memories that take us away from the task on hand. How does this contribute to strain and undermine our performance, leadership, and health? Stressful situations can dominate our thoughts, which makes us less attentive and focused. This closes down our perception and increases the chance for social and performance faux pas. When this happens, we are apt to ruminate about emotional associations to the stressful situation that decreases our performance and health. Mindfulness makes us more spontaneous because it trains us to be open to the continuous, spontaneous risings from within us without getting caught up in any one thought or idea.

15. Copyright 1988-2007©, The Hardiness Institute, Inc.15 Relaxation Technique 4: Imagery/Visualization Once you relax, you can use visualization exercises to bring about a desired state, behavior, or other change. Like all relaxation activities, visualization uses deep breathing to activate slow down the nervous system. Deep breathing temporarily suspends linear thinking (critical thinking) as nerve firing slows down and moves from a Beta (13 Hz. And above) to Alpha (8 to 5-4 Hz) wave length cycle. This places your mind in a virtual reality mode where what you visualize seems real to it. Visualization exercises use five senses (sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste) to induce a “virtual reality” state. This state can influence future functioning in areas that include: Learning, Relaxation, Change in habits, Self-esteem and Actualization of future goals.