Methods for Calming Down, Relaxation & Feeling Better - Please Share!
Hey! I thought it would be cool to have a thread where people can share their ways of feeling better during a bad bit of anxiety! Feel free to share anything that may have helped you!
Something that I really like doing is breathing exercises. They help me calm down before performances and they might help you too! One I really enjoy is either puckering your lips as though you had a straw in between, or folding your tongue if you can to make a smaller air stream. When you breath in, the air should be cool. Hold the air for four seconds, then breath out for eight seconds or as long as you can, whatever comes first. The cool air helps to cool down your body.
Another method I like is tensing up different body parts, starting up at your head, and working your way down to your toes. Tense up each of your body parts for five seconds, and then release. When you have finished tensing and relaxing your toes, tense up your whole body. Relax. This exercise can increase your relaxation. I like to focus on the sensations around me while I do this. The sound of the heater or air conditioner. The quiet buzz of cars outside my window. The sound of birds chirping in the morning. The feeling of the floor on my feet, or my breath coming in and out. This also helps me fall asleep when I have a busy mind.
I hope some of these helped you! They help me calm down a lot! As I said, feel free to add any exercises you like to do to calm down! Stay strong!
I really like drawing because it helps me focus on what I want to draw instead of whatever I'm worrying about. Also, I absolutely love to meditate and what I like to do is that I focus on the breath going in and out of my body, which helps to calm me down. If I have any thoughts or feelings or any sensations during the session, I will just let them be because it's normal for things to happen during meditation. If I try to let them go it'll create more tension, so I just roll with it.
I like drawing to. Fun and therapeutic for me.
Check out the app: thisissand. It is so therapeutic and really fun!
I will! :)
I lke the app: calm. It is a 7 day meditation, only the first 7 days a free what is a Pity. So maybe it helps you calm down for a week
There's another app called 'Be Anxiety Free', I find it really useful. It's basically a kid of hypnosis meditation for anxiety, my anxiety's improved since then. Do it 4-5 times a week if you have the time.
Exercise can be a great stress reliever in itself, as it helps you blow off steam and releases endorphins. Taking a walk when stressed can bring you the benefits of exercise--both short-term and long-term, and it provides the bonus of getting you out of the stressful situation. This can provide you with some perspective so you can return in a new frame of mind. Walking with a good friend can be a nice way to find social support, and walking alone can provide you with some time to think, reframe, and return with a more optimistic frame of mind.
If you're not in a position to leave, you can feel better right away by practicing breathing exercises. Getting more oxygen into your body and releasing physical tension are two ways that breathing exercises can benefit you, and you can do them anytime or anywhere, even if your demanding situation isn't letting up.
If you can steal away a few minutes of peace, visualizations and guided imagery are a wonderful way to restore peace of mind. They're easy to do, and can relax you physically as well as mentally. With practice, you can easily access your "happy place" and quickly feel more calm when stressed.
I think that running is very important in relieving anxiety. Obviously it releases endorphins which helps, but its also empowering. No one messes with someone on a run. You are working hard and people respect that. Whetherit is just a nice, easy jog for a half a mile, or a 7 mile training session, it helps.
DISCLAIMER: run only at your ability. Do not put yourself in danger. Let people know where you are going and when to expect you back. Do not push your body too hard because it will come back to hurt you. You only have so many moments where you can use your adrenaline to push you past your limits and remain unharmed
I agree. And even with the right music, it helps pumps you to go farther and also to help clear your mind.
Centre for Clinical Interventions (CCI) - Psychotherapy, Research, Training - http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=54 I found the above DBT handouts very useful.
Although I have started another thread on what helps with anxiety - I would not of done have I found this first. Some amazing techniques in here.... Thank you so much everyone.
One thing I've found that works for me is to have peppermints on hand at all time. For some reason, they calm me down.
Another thing that works for me is to imagine a shape in my mind and focus on how to draw it. 3D shapes work better because they require more concentration.
It's been a while and I thought I'd add something else to this!
One thing I love to do is journal out my emotions. For me, putting everything on a page is so freeing. I think everything through, let it pour out, and move on. It's so helpful for me, and has helped me so much in my progress.
@RebeccaEmily I am so glad for you having found the freedom of the open page. It invites and liberates us to pour out what is in our hearts. I hope to see some of your creative works here in the future.
For all the people wondering why eating calms you down, I once found that it's a natural instinct, meaning that if you were in danger, you couldn't eat. :)
