Which finding indicates that relaxation techniques have been effective for a client with severe anxiety?

• A. The client states that he is using the techniques daily.
• B. The client sits with his eyes closed for short periods throughout the day.
• C. The client's pulse and blood pressure have decreased.
• D. The client asks the nurse to sit with him for a while.

Answer: (C)

The idea is that relaxation techniques reduce the body’s stress response, revealing themselves not just as feeling calmer but as real changes in the body’s arousal. When these techniques are effective, the parasympathetic system takes over and sympathetic arousal decreases, which commonly shows up as a slower pulse and lower blood pressure. So a decrease in pulse and BP is a concrete sign that the body is relaxing and the anxiety response is subsiding. Merely using the techniques daily shows practice, and sitting with eyes closed or asking the nurse to sit with him indicates coping or support needs, but they don’t demonstrate that the relaxation has produced a physiological calming effect.