Tranquility Techniques

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Our life is quite unpredictable and uncertain, and therefore situations that can cause anxiety are often encountered in it. And this emotion, like all the others, evolutionarily did not arise from scratch and, of course, is needed for something. So what is it for?

According to the comments of most authors, anxiety is an emotion that arises in situations of uncertainty, reflecting the expectation of possible negative consequences and encouraging the adoption of the necessary measures to protect oneself. The right emotion? I think yes. And you? Each of us periodically experiences anxiety in particularly significant and unfamiliar situations. This signal allows you to think and act more carefully, critically assessing the risks involved.

Sometimes the predisposition to anxiety states, due to negative life experiences, is so strong that a person expects the worst development of the situation quite often or even always. In such cases, it becomes a serious problem that cannot be easily dealt with alone. There are constant fears, doubts, worries, exhausting and interfering in everyday life to perform even any simple and necessary actions.

If suddenly you recognized yourself in the second version, this does not mean that your life is over and there is no way out. I have good news for you! This emotion is so dependent on thoughts and actions that with the help of them you can perfectly control it.

Yes, you can! Can you imagine?

And yes, you are right in your possible doubts - of course, it will not be limited to just the desire to end this hell. It is necessary to rejoice and be surprised, and also dream, sing and dance, whirl and have fun, if the soul asks for it, and also learn, study and study, learn new things and apply the old.

Where do you start?

So, there are different techniques for dealing with anxiety: these are techniques of relaxation, meditation, visualization, paradoxical intention, etc.

I can go into a lot of detail and describe how one is different from the other, but instead, I will just describe a few simple and effective techniques that have helped me and my clients cope with anxiety.

1. Breath. In those cases when it is already necessary to act, and the state of anxiety rolled at the wrong time, breathing techniques turn out to be very useful. They are easy to learn, convenient and do not require special conditions for use. The simplest and most comfortable breathing technique is based on deliberate slowing of breathing. To perform it, it is enough to inhale and exhale at the count of 4. Inhale (1-2-3-4) - exhale (1-2-3-4). At the same time, it is advisable to count as slowly as possible in order to make the most complete inhalation, and the output of the same duration. It is also important to breathe not with the "chest" but with the "belly". Make sure that your stomach slowly drops and rises.

This technique is based on the fact that during the process of anxiety and fear, breathing and heart rate increase in order to saturate a person's muscles with oxygen for fight or flight. The reverse mechanism also works: fear and anxiety speed up breathing, and slowing it down helps you feel calmer.

2. Movement. When you have missed the moment of the onset of anxiety and you are already kicked up well, motor techniques help a lot. Their main purpose is to burn off all the tension that was meant to deal with the situation, and to feel relaxation. Jogging, abdominal exercises, push-ups, pull-ups, burpees help well - in general, everything that can use as many muscles of the whole body as possible. It can be used both urgently and systematically.

3. Muscle relaxation. This group of techniques requires gradual mastering and improvement, therefore it is intended for systematic implementation. As you complete them, you gradually learn to concentrate, learn to control your heartbeat and breathing, and purposefully relax your muscles. All this helps to feel more relaxed and confident.

One of the most popular techniques is the muscle relaxation technique according to E. Jacobson. It is also based on the link between anxiety and muscle tension. It takes about 2 minutes to complete, so you can use the technique in stressful situations.

During this exercise, you need to alternately tense and relax the muscles. During the exercise, it is important to gradually increase the strength of muscle tension, then sharply relax them.

Start with the muscles in your arm. Slowly counting to 5, increase the tension in the muscles of the hand with each count. For a count of 5, sharply relax your hand muscles. You will feel how your hands are relaxed. Compare this to the feeling of tension in the muscles.

Now repeat this exercise, straining not only the muscles of the hand, but also the muscles of the forearm. Then connect the shoulder muscles, then the forearm muscles, then the shoulder muscles. At the end of the exercise, you will tense all the muscles of the arms and muscles of the back. When you learn to do this exercise with the muscles of the arms, you can learn to work out other muscles as well - the muscles of the legs, abdomen. When doing this, make sure to sit up straight.

Lastly, learn to do this exercise with the muscles of the neck and face.

4. Thoughts. Perhaps, at this point there will be a whole block of techniques, since positive thinking is the main and most effective tool for finding peace. Why? And because the main component of anxiety is cognitive (expectation).

I will give the top place to two technicians. The first is strengthening, bringing the situation to the point of absurdity. Since anxiety is an acute intolerance to uncertainty, an attempt to predict it, control it, this very uncertainty must be gradually accepted. Imagine the thought arises in your head: "I am afraid to call on the phone." How do you feel about this? What do you think? You are trying to "spread straws", control, control, control, shut up, cram the "wrong" so that it does not suddenly happen, and your emotions and impulses do not go away from this, and "Pshshshshshik" - the teapot has boiled over. Reinforcement is good because it allows you to let go of this very process. So, the essence of this technique is that you continue this thought, imagine it until it seems to you absurd, funny, ceases to be frightening. That is, if you continue the thought of a phone call, you can imagine that the worst will happen next. For example, how a fist pops out of the phone and kaaaak hits on the head.

The second is refutation, opposition. If you are overcome by some obsessive thought, you need to replace it with the opposite. For example: "I will not cope with the task, and everyone will see how bad I am" to "I will succeed, and everyone will see that I am great."

The third good technique is distraction. As soon as you notice that a disturbing thought comes to mind, simply redirect your attention to something else. You should not analyze it, develop it, and also resist it.

The fourth is dismissal. Any negative thought can dominate you only if you feel that you are one with it. Thus, you just need to separate from such thoughts as soon as you notice them. You can simply imagine how you are talking with the person who expresses these thoughts to you, write them down in a notebook, speak, draw, imagine and modify.

The fifth is a prescription. Set aside a specific alarm time every day (this can be 5 minutes, or maybe 25, depending on your need). At this time, pull out all your negative thoughts and think them, think while it works. Try to keep these thoughts and feelings arising throughout the allotted time. The rest of the time, chase bad thoughts away and enjoy life.

Also, the techniques of meditation, visualization and relaxation help to find calmness, but more on that next time.

I hope that the above techniques will help you deal with the manifestations of anxiety and fear. I will also be glad to describe the techniques that you use in the comments to this article.

Love yourself, take care of yourself and most importantly - stop reading the news already:)