JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Relaxation practices might represent helpful exercises to cope with anxiety and stressful sensations and they might be of particular utility when used in remote interventions during periods of social isolation.

Objective:

This randomized study aimed to test whether remote relaxation practices like natural sounds, deep respiration, and body scan may promote relaxation and a positive emotional state and reduce psychomotor activation and the preoccupation related to the COVID-19 pandemics.

Methods:

Participants were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions. Each condition was characterized by a single on-line session of guided Square Breathing exercise, guided Body Scan exercise, or Natural Sounds. The participants listened to one of the fully automated audio clips for 7 minutes and pre-post completed self-assessed scales on perceived relaxation, psychomotor activation, level of preoccupation associated with COVID-19 and emotional state. At the end of the session, qualitative reports on subjective experience were also collected.

Results:

Overall, 294 participants completed more than half of the survey and 240 completed the entire survey. Perceived relaxation, psychomotor activation/stress and preoccupation related to COVID-19 showed a positive improvement after the audio clips. The same pattern was observed for the valence and the perceived dominance of the emotional state. Square Breathing and Body Scan yielded enhanced results compared to Natural Sound in lowering perceived stress.

Conclusions:

This study provides a novel insight that can guide orient the development of future low-cost remote interventions to reduce preoccupation and stress in the general population. Clinical Trial: relaxation; guided meditation; internet-based intervention; social isolation