|
Attacking anxiety with
relaxation techniques can bring great success. When you are relaxed anxiety can't get
as firm a hold on you and your life. There are numerous ways
to help you relax. Let's explore these different techniques to see which
ones
are right for you.
Deep
breathing teaches you how to take good cleansing
breaths. This is a simple but effective technique
for relaxing. It is easy for you to learn and
can be done pretty much anywhere you are, helping to lower your stress
levels quickly. The deep breathing technique is often used in conjunction with other
techniques for relaxation too, and often music or aromatherapy can be added to
it. You just need an suitable area to stretch out when using
this
method for attacking anxiety.
The
secret
to deep breathing is to breathe in deep enough whilst using the abdomen,
to get plenty of fresh air into your lungs. When you breathe from
your abdomen you get more oxygen in your lungs than you do with
shallow breathing. The next time you feel anxious take some time out
to
do some deep breathing.
Progressive muscle relaxation
is another great anxiety reliever. This is where
you tense and then relax the various groups of
muscles in your body. By doing this you learn what
tension
and total relaxation is like for your whole body one section at a
time. This helps you identify the muscle tension when it first comes up
so you can alleviate it before you get stressed over it. As you
relax your body, you will also be relaxing your mind. A very
effective
technique for attacking anxiety.
Mindfulness meditation also
relieves anxiety, depression, stress and other
negative feelings or emotions. Mindfulness is all
about being completely aware
of the present surroundings but not overly thinking the situation. This helps you
to quit fretting about what has gone on in your past or worrying
about the future. Instead it shows how to focus on today. There are
several techniques you can learn for doing this they include walking meditation,
body
scan, and mindful eating.
Walking meditation allows you to practice mindfulness as
you are walking. While being well aware of your surroundings, concentrate on each
movement your feet make, how you are breathing, and feel the air
as
it hits your body.
Body scan encourages mindfulness by concentrating your attention
towards different areas of the body. You usually start at the feet and
work up, and simply pay attention to how each area feels without
labeling
them bad or good.
Mindful eating is about
slowly eating
your meal and really concentrating on it. Turn off the TV, don't try
to read a magazine either, or eat in a hurry, just focus on
the meal. You really enjoy eating this way, and try not to eat
unless you are hungry. Stress eating leads to overeating and you can
feel
more anxiety this way.
Visualization is another way
of relaxing and attacking anxiety. With this
technique you envision a scene in
which you are relaxed, and have a easy time releasing tension and any
anxiety you are feeling. Select whatever scene you like it can be a
favorite spot at the lake, a field of flowers, or a childhood hideout.
This technique can be done with a therapist, by yourself, or whilst
listening
to an audio recording.
These
are just a few
of the ways to use relaxation for attacking anxiety. There many other ways
you can find that will accomplish the same thing. Most of the time
the biggest problems with attacking anxiety is knowing how to relax when you
are stressed. Once you learn this, dealing with stress and anxious feelings
suddenly
becomes a lot simpler.
.
|
