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Explore breathing techniques and meditation exercises to help manage anxiety.

Relaxed Breathing - When we feel stressed or anxious, ou breathing changes. Often we breathe in a shallow way - our breaths become smaller, shorter and, faster. This is part of our bodies natural fight-or-flight response to stressful situations. While this isnt dangerous, learning to relax your breathing in these moments can help you feel calmer and less overwhelmed. 

How to do relaxed breathing 

1 - To practice mke sure you are sitting or lying comfortably.

2 - Close your eyes if you are comfortable doing so.

3 - Try to breathe through your nose rather than your mouth.

4 - Deliberately slow your breathing down. Breathe in to a count of 4, pause for moment, then breathe out to a count of 4.

5 - Make sure that your breaths are smooth, steady, and continuous - not jerky. 

6 - Pay particular attention to your out-breath - make sure it is smooth and steady.   

Am I doing it right? What should I be paying attention to? 

Relaxed breathing should be low down in the abdomen (belly), and not high in the chest. You can check this by putting one hand on your stomach and one on your chest. Try to keep the top hand still, your breathing should only move the bottom hand.

Focus your attention on your breath - some people find it helpful to count in their hed to begin with ("in....two...three...four...pause....out....two....three...four....pause").

How long and how often?

Try breathing in a relaxed way for at least a few minutes at a time - it might take a few minutes for you to notice an effect. If you are comfortable, aim for 5-10minutes.

Try to practice regularly - perhaps three times a day.

Discover stress management techniques, mindfulness practices, and relaxation exercises for daily stress relief.

Our minds and bodies are closely linked. Stress and anxiety can lead to physical tension, and physical tension can lead to more stressful thoughts and emotions. This feedback loop can cause our stress level to increase over time. Fortunately progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is an effective way of breaking out of this cycle.

PMR is a type of relaxation training that can help reduce tension and achieve deep relaxation. It involves slowly tensing and releasing groups of muscles while focusing on the relaxation that follows. An anxious mind cannot exist in a relaxed body!

Preparation

Choose a quiet place where you will not be disturbed. You can relax while lying down on a firm bed or couch, or sitting comfortably in a chair with your head well-supported. Loosen any tight clothing and make sure that you will be comfortably warm.

Instructions

For each group of muscles you should:

1 - Focus your attention on that muscle group.

2 - Tense those muscles as instructed.

3 - Maintain the tension for about 5-7 seconds.

4 - Stay focused on that muscle group for about 20 to 30 seconds before moving on, noticing feelings of relaxation.

Go through the sequence three times:

1 - Tense and relax: tense the muscles, maintain the tension for a few moments, then relax.

2 - Lightly tense and relax: tense the muscles only very slightly, then relax.

3 - Relax only: just pay attention to each muscle group and decide to relax it.

 

Recommended sequence

1 - Right hand and lower arm (clench your fist and tense the lower arm)

2 - Left hand and lower arm

3 -Right upper arm (bring your hand to your shoulder and tense your biceps)

4 - Left upper arm

5 - Right lower leg and foot (point your toe and gently tense the calf muscle)

6 - Left lower leg and foot

7 - Both thighs (press your knees and thighs tightly together)

8 - Abdomen )pull your abdominal muscles in tightly)

9 - Chest (take a deep breath and hold it in)

10 - Shoulders and back (hunch your shoulders and pull them towards your ears)

11 - Neck and throat (push your head backwards against the surface on which you are resting)

12 - Lips (press them tightly together without clenching yur teeth

13 - Eyes (closing them tightly)

14 - Lower forehead (frwon and pull your eyebrows together)

15 - Upper forehead (wrinkle your forehead)

 

PMR   

Can help you relax and reduce feelings of tension in your body.

Feel less stressed and more in control of your anxiety response. 

Develop your ability to manage stress and tension.

How should I use it?

Use PMR regularly and try to build it into your routine.

Practicing once or twice a day is a good start.