HOW TO RELIEVE ANXIETY, WORRY, AND FEAR

How to Relieve Anxiety, Worry, and Fear

Many people are posting about anxiety, worry, and fear. I have found some very helpful suggestions from many sources on how to deal with these emotional problems that cause TMS. Mainly, they suggest practicing mindfulness, deep breathing, and laughing.

Mindfulness is a type of meditation that essentially involves focusing on your mind on the present. To be mindful is to be aware of your thoughts and actions in the present, without judging yourself. Research suggests that mindfulness meditation may improve mood, decrease stress, and boost immune function.

1. Find a quiet and comfortable place. Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor, or stand with your head, neck and back straight but not stiff. You can add soft, calming music if you wish.

2. Try to put aside all thoughts of the past and the future and stay in the present.

3. Deep breathing, or belly breathing, also called diaphragmatic breathing, is a yoga technique that has a profound calming effect to reducing stress and anxiety. Sit with feet on the floor, stand, or lie in bed. Inhale through your nose to the count of 4, filling your belly with air like a balloon. Hold the breath for the count of 7. Exhale through your nose slowly to the count of 8 and suck in your stomach saying “I feel calm.” Try to practice deep breathing for five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening. The goal should be to breathe this way all of the time.

Become aware of your breathing, focusing on the sensation of air moving in and out of your body as you breathe. Feel your belly rise and fall, the air enter your nostrils and leave your mouth. Pay attention to the way each breath changes and is different.

Breathing into the gut massages the internal organs to function well. It calms the emotions which directly affects the digestion system.

Read more on the health benefits of deep breathing: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/13-health-benefits-of-deep-breathing.html#ixzz3FfNN3IvI

4. Watch every thought come and go, whether it be a worry, fear, anxiety or hope. When thoughts come up in your mind, don't ignore or suppress them but simply note them, remain calm and use your breathing as an anchor.

Try to calm your mind. Forget about what you’re going to make for dinner tonight, the bills you have to pay, the pain you may feel, e-mails you still have to respond to, and the birthday gift you still have to get for your mother-in-law. Don't force it, just let go of any stressful thought that pops in your mind.

Some researchers suggest changing your stressful thoughts to thoughts that are more calming. One suggests how your brain can turn anxiety into calmness by imagining yourself to be in a favorite place such as on vacation at a quiet, sunny beach. For more on this, watch this youtube video:



5. If you find yourself getting carried away in your thoughts, observe where your mind went off to, without judging, and simply return to your breathing. Remember not to be hard on yourself if this happens.

6. As the time comes to a close, sit for a minute or two, becoming aware of where you are. Get up gradually.

For more on mindfulness meditation, visit this web site: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20669377_18,00.html

Two other excellent ways to relieve anxiety and stress are to SMILE and LAUGH.

Laughter really is the best medicine for health.When we laugh, the amount of air we take in increases and the muscles in our chest loosen. Laugh alone or find a laughter group and club or yoga that is based on laughter.

The Mayo Clinic says stress relief from laughter is no joke.

Whether you're guiltily guffawing at an episode of "South Park" or quietly giggling at the latest New Yorker cartoon, laughing does you good. A good sense of humor can't cure all ailments, but data are mounting about the positive things laughter can do.

A good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn't just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can:

• Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
• Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response and increases your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
• Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

Long-term effects of Laughing

Laughter isn't just a quick pick-me-up, though. It's also good for you over the long haul. Laughter may:

• Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers. Laughter may also break the pain-spasm cycle common to some muscle disorders.
• Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.
• Improve your mood. Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses. Laughter can help lessen your depression and anxiety and make you feel happier.

If you can’t bring yourself to laugh, just SMILE. Smiling has many of the same health benefits of laughing. Smiling during stress helps lower the body's stress response, regardless of how happy you actually feel.

I hope these suggestions help you. It would be great if you would reply with your thoughts and experiences about them.

 

I have two suggestions to yours:
1. If you aren't into somatic movement like yoga, go for a guided meditation class where you can either lay down or sit peacefully. Yoga Nidra is a wonderful guided tool for beginners. To find any style or level of class, the Yoga Alliance has a great directory.
2. Tensing/Releasing: (If high blood pressure, don't hold the breath): Inhale the breath, hold, and tense every muscle in your body (tight fists, everything). Release, repeat.

There are many ways to address anxiety. Slower-paced and spiritually-based yoga classes are a great help with issues such as these.

 

going to try this in the next day or two, I've got big-time anxiety issues. I also have to figure out how to activate my DLPFC as mentioned by Dr. Schubiner.