Health & Medical Anxiety

Managing Anxiety With the Help of Relaxation Techniques

Anxiety is that feeling of nervousness that allowed to persist can make you feel and look like that old pair of tired worn out shoes in the closet.
So getting a handle on this beast before it has chance to become a long lasting problem is essential to living a happy and emotionally healthy life.
One way side effect free way of managing anxiety is with the help of relaxation techniques.
Personally, I have benefitted greatly from managing anxiety with the help of relaxation techniques, and you can too.
The beauty of these types of natural alternative treatments for anxiety is that they can help diffuse the ticking time bomb of anxiety whether it is spiraling out of control or you've at least been able to temporarily get it under control.
Another benefit is that basic relaxation methods are often free of cost, easy to implement, and pose little if any risk of making your condition worse.
Anxiety attacks are as old as man and are part of our genetic survival mechanism known as the fight or flight mechanism.
Hey, if it wasn't for that extreme anxiety our cave man ancestors might have gone extinct thousands of years ago.
So the next time anxiety strikes maybe we should say thank you, embrace it, and then hit it with a healthy dose of relaxation therapy.
Generally speaking relaxation techniques involve redirecting your attention to something calming and increasing awareness in your body.
When successful at managing anxiety relaxation techniques can defeat anger and frustration, lower blood pressure, lower your heart rate, increase blood flow to major muscles, improve concentration, reduce nervous tension, alleviate muscle pain, and create a general sense of wellbeing.
According to the Mayo Clinic there are three main types of relaxation techniques.
Let's take a look at these three categories.
*Autogenic relaxation: Autogenic means something that comes from within you.
In this relaxation technique, you utilize both visual imagery and body awareness to reduce stress.
You repeat words or suggestions in your mind to help you relax and reduce muscle tension.
*Progressive muscle relaxation: This technique focusing on slowly releasing tension and then relaxing each muscle group.
This helps you focus on the difference between muscle tension and relaxation.
The most well commonly used example of this is to start by tensing and then relaxing your toes and progressively working your way up to the neck and head.
Each contraction should last about 5 seconds with each relaxation lasting 30 seconds.
*Visualization: Visualization is transporting yourself into a peaceful, calming place.
Visualization is a cornerstone of hypnotherapy, which is a subject for another time.
When using visualization to manage anxiety you should try to use as many senses as possible, including smell, sight, sound, and touch.
Examples are the smell of freshly baked bread, the feeling of the sun beaming down on your body, or the sound of rhythmic waves crashing on the shore.
*Other common relaxation techniques include yoga, listening to music, exercise, meditation, diaphragm breathing, and massage.
What else might help when managing anxiety? Many have found that by combining relaxation techniques with a natural herbal remedy for anxiety they have been able to achieve even better results.
If you are searching for a side effect free way to vanquish worrisome anxiety once and for all this combination is certainly one worth learning more about.


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