Stress Relief Techniques To The Rescue
Activities that switch on the bodys natural relaxation response feel great, Buenaver says. And they have been proven by research to improve sleep. They help by reducing the release of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline and by slowing your heart rate and breathing. Your body and mind calm down.
Yoga, tai chi and meditation are helpful stress relief techniques. So are these two simple exercises that Buenaver recommends to patients who are struggling with sleepless nights.
Gentle breathing:
- In a quiet place, sit or lie down in a comfortable position. It may help to close your eyes.
- Breathe slowly in and out for about five minutes. As you inhale, breathe down into your belly. Focus on your breath.
- If youd like, repeat to yourself, Breathing in I am calm, breathing out I am coping.
Progressive muscle relaxation:
- In a quiet place, sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
- Take a few gentle breaths, in and out.
- Begin tensing groups of muscles one at a time as you breathe. Hold the tension as you inhale, then release it as you exhale. Take a few breaths as you notice how relaxed each muscle group feels.
- Start with the muscles in your head, neck and face. Move down to your shoulders, hands and arms, back, stomach, buttocks, thighs, calves and feet.
- Repeat for any areas that are still tense.
As you go through this exercise, feel the presence and absence of tension so you can spot lingering tension and do something about it, Buenaver says.
Listen To Good Mood Music
Music can have a powerful effect on your mood and on anxiety. They key however is to not just choose songs you like. but also make sure that you are listening to music that represents the way you want to feel. Happy or relaxing music can directly impact your mood and the way you feel.
While many people find it soothing to listen to angry music when theyâre angry or sad music when theyâre sad, the truth is that this type of music will only help you get in touch with those negative emotions. That won’t help you feel better. When you’re trying to stop anxiety, you should listen to music that will help you feel the way you want to feel.
Identify Pressure Points To Calm Anger And Anxiety
Going for a massage or getting acupuncture is a wonderful way to manage anxiety and anger. But its not always easy to find time in your day to make it happen. The good news is, you can do acupressure on yourself for instant anxiety relief.
This method involves putting pressure with your fingers or your hand at certain points of the body. The pressure releases the tension and relaxes your body.
One area to start with is the point where the inside of your wrist forms a crease with your hand. Press your thumb on this area for two minutes. This can help relieve tension.
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Ways To Relax Your Mind And Body From Anxiety
Having anxiety is one of the worst feelings in the world. There’s a sense of foreboding and impending doom, lack of motivation and focus, andabove all elsea really uncomfortable physical sensation that just doesn’t seem to go away. If you live with anxiety, then you know how bad it gets: constant tension headaches, nausea, muscle pain, insomnia
The good news? As much as anxiety can be overwhelming, it’s also an incredibly treatable condition. More people are seeking out professional help for their anxiety every day. And there are tons of ways to treat anxiety on your own at homeyou don’t have to rely solely on prescription medication or visit a therapist every week .
That’s why we’ve put together this list of techniques for how to relax your mind and body from anxiety. Pick and choose which ones work for you, or try them all! And remember: just because one of these methods doesn’t work the first time doesn’t mean it won’t worksometimes it takes a few tries before something really sinks in. So give yourself some time to practice. Once you know what works best for you, anxious moments will become much more manageable.
#1 – Relax Mindfully
Relaxing is an important part of relieving stress, whether that comes from anxiety or another cause. Meditation has long been recognized as a fantastic way to calm down, slow down l, breathe deeply…and even let go of stress.
#2 – Listen to Music
#3 – Make Self-Care a Priority
Listen To Relaxing Tunes
A Stanford University study found listening to music changes brain function to the same extent as some medications. Native American, Celtic, Indian stringed-instruments, drums, and flutes are most effective at relaxing the mind.
Want to go for a one-two punch? Pair sounds of nature with light jazz or classical music.
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A Stressed Mind Vs A Calm Mind
Stress was never meant to be a 24/7 experience. As Stanford professor Robert Sapolsky explains, youre really only supposed to feel stressed in the five minutes right before you die. When you are being chased in the savanna by a wild animal, your stress response is supposed to save your lifeit mobilizes your attention, muscles, and immune system to get you quickly out of danger. When animals escape, they come right out of fight-or-flight mode and into rest-and-digest mode, where the parasympathetic nervous system is working to replenish their resources.
That stress response is supposed to be short-lived because it wears down your body, your health, and your energy. It also impacts things like your emotional intelligence and your decision making. When youre tightly wound up, you are more likely to react to situations than to respond with reason.
Being able to attend more means that you notice more things about other people and youre able to communicate with them in more powerful ways. High stress and anxiety make us self-focused, for an evolutionary reason: When our ancestors were stressed, it was because they were in a survival situation. It was good to be focused on yourself so you could save your life.
When youre calm, you also manage your energy because youre not burning yourself up constantly, spending your days with your sympathetic nervous system in overdrive. Calm helps you focus on what you need to do and get it done much more quickly.
Harm To Our Relationships
Our connections to others often take a hit when anxiety is high. Its hard to connect when were agitated and preoccupied with thoughts of danger. Were also prone to irritability when were highly anxious, which doesnt tend to foster healthy connections. Thankfully, caring for others is actually an effective way to interrupt anxiety.
Practice Kindness: When you find that youre stuck in worry, think of something nice you could do for someone you know, whether a loved one or an acquaintance. What would brighten their day? Allow anxiety to be a trigger for acts of kindness, however unexpected or even undeserved.
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Aromatherapy And Essential Oils
Essential oils, the extract from plants, have been used for thousands of years to treat a number of conditions, including anxiety. Essential oils activate certain areas of your brain and release feel-good chemicals such as serotonin. They have been found to ease symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression, improve mood, and improve sleep.
Recommended use includes diffusing, inhalation, or topical treatment which can aid with anxiety symptoms. When diffusing an essential oil or essential oil blend you will need an essential oil diffuser to fill your space with the desired scent. Inhalation is used by deeply smelling the essential oil straight from the bottle or by applying a drop or two of the oil on something such as a diffuser pad or lava bead that is connected to a bracelet, necklace, or even keychain. You can also place a drop or two of essential oil into your hands, rub them together, then cup your hands and take a few deep inhalations to get the desired effect.
You should be sure that the essential oils you use are pure oils and not mixed with chemicals. Some good brands to use include: Mountain Rose Herbs, Plant Therapy, Young Living, Doterra. You can do your own research to find a brand that will best work for you and your budget. Remember that a bottle of essential oil will last a long time since you typically use only a few drops at a time.
Essential oils that are great for treating anxiety include:
- Lavender
- Vetiver
What Does It Mean To Conquer Anxiety
Anxiety is an unavoidable part of life, and actually a necessary experience in order to meet lifes challenges. A manageable amount of anxiety signals to you that something is important, and provides motivation and energy to take care of it.
Conquering anxiety doesnt mean getting rid of it entirely. To conquer anxiety means to live life on your terms, rather than anxietys. It means you do things because theyre important to you, not because they feel safe or help you not be anxious. It means anxiety doesnt dominate your life or dictate your actions.
Conquering anxiety isnt a once-and-for-all event, but rather a moment-to-moment choice. Its deciding to focus on the quality of presence you want to embody. Its choosing to move through the grip of anxiety instead of being paralyzed. Its recognizing the minds fantasies and choosing creation over consumption. Every one of these practices is an invitation to slay anxiety.
Ready to begin retraining your brain with mindfulness-centered CBT? Choose one of these daily exercises to practice, starting today, as you train yourself to conquer anxiety.
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References
Gillihan, S. J. . The CBT deck for anxiety, rumination, and worry. Eau Claire, WI: PESI Publishing.
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Letting Anxiety Dictate Your Actions
Anxiety is a noisy passenger, directing you to avoid anything that makes you anxious: “Careful! Watch out! Dont go there!”
Who’s Driving? Consider today whether you want avoiding anxiety to be the number one priority in your life. Is there something more important to you than being emotionally comfortable? If so, steer your life in that direction, and let anxiety come along for the ride.
Practicing Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Consult with your doctor first if you have a history of muscle spasms, back problems, or other serious injuries that may be aggravated by tensing muscles.
Start at your feet and work your way up to your face, trying to only tense those muscles intended.
- Loosen clothing, take off your shoes, and get comfortable.
- Take a few minutes to breathe in and out in slow, deep breaths.
- When youre ready, shift your attention to your right foot. Take a moment to focus on the way it feels.
- Slowly tense the muscles in your right foot, squeezing as tightly as you can. Hold for a count of 10.
- Relax your foot. Focus on the tension flowing away and how your foot feels as it becomes limp and loose.
- Stay in this relaxed state for a moment, breathing deeply and slowly.
- Shift your attention to your left foot. Follow the same sequence of muscle tension and release.
- Move slowly up through your body, contracting and relaxing the different muscle groups.
- It may take some practice at first, but try not to tense muscles other than those intended.
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Drink Something That Helps To Soothe You
Drink tea
Drinking caffeine free and herbal drinks like green tea, chamomile or lavender. Hot drinks are mostly preferred as they provide a certain soothing effect compared to cold drinks.
When it comes to soothing, the drinks when combined with soothing massages using oils could be perfect to cleanse the body, relieve stress and enhance ones mood.
Try Meditation Or Yoga
Meditate Or Do Yoga
Sometimes, we require a break from ourselves, stop worrying, stressing or from overthinking over different things in life. We can acquire this break by meditating, exercising and doing yoga.
10 minutes of meditation every day can be highly beneficial for relaxation as it helps in controlling stress, decrease anxiety and help in improving cardiac health.
Apart from this, yoga helps in fighting stress too by certain physical poses, controlled breathing, and different mind-body practices.
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Release The Anxiety Or Anger
Dehorty recommends getting the emotional energy out with exercise. Go for a walk or run. in some physical activity serotonin to help you calm down and feel better.
However, you should avoid physical activity that includes the expression of anger, such as punching walls or screaming.
This has been shown to increase feelings of anger, as it reinforces the emotions because you end up feeling good as the result of being angry, Dehorty explains.
A Meditation For Anxious Emotionsbob Stahl
- 20:36
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Count To Ten And Breathe
Anxiety can come out of nowhere, which can throw you off guard. When you feel anxiety creeping up and dont have anywhere to retreat to, the best thing you can do is count to ten and take slow controlled breaths. This will encourage your body to remain calm and prevent your mind from entering a negative state.
Once you have your breathing mastered, you will be able to calm your mind and body from almost any situation.