Stress Relief for the Dentist's Chair

Today I'm doing something that's potentially very stressful: I'm taking my young son to the dentist to get a filling! While there are some things in life that are more stressful than this, for my son, these things reside mostly in his imagination (giant, bloodthirsty hamsters; the bad guys from Scooby Doo, etc.); in his reality, the dentist trumps almost everything else as far as stress goes. So dental trips have taken some preparation.

In helping him prepare to face the ominous drill, I've compiled some stress management techniques just for him in this occasion, and they've been very helpful. Why am I sharing this with you? Because any stress management techniques that can be effectively used by a small child, that can zap stress enough to make a visit to the dentist run smoothly, can be effectively used by you in times of stress as well. And, who knows? Maybe you can use these for future dental visits, too!

Music
Music can be a great stress reliever, with clinically proven benefits. We created a playlist of crazy old B-52's and Weird Al songs for my little guy to listen himself into a happier place than the dentist's chair.

Deep Breathing
Diaphragmic breathing can be a great way to release tension from your body, and is so simple, even a child can learn this technique!

Guided Imagery
Speaking of my son's 'happy place', we've worked with guided imagery to help learn how to visualize a place that's calming to him so he can mentally escape when he closes his eyes--at least a little bit.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation
This is a great technique that I perfected when I was preparing for the birth of this great child. My mom first introduced me to the general concept when I was a kid needing help falling asleep, but it can be used by kids and adults alike to release physical stress.

Social Support
For my son, it just helps to have his mommy there patting his leg. But for you, having a good friend can be helpful in getting through stressful situations. Yes, as the Beatles sang, you can get by with a little help from your friends.