Relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety

Relaxation techniques to reduce anxiety

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health issues. Even without a clinical diagnosis, we all experience anxiety at various moments and stages of life. We might constantly worry about a particular situation, feel fear, or find ourselves lost and unsure of what to do.
In this article, Ivory Therapy aims to shed light on some relaxation techniques we can use to ease anxiety. But before diving into these techniques, let’s take a closer look at anxiety itself and the impact it has on us.

Anxiety affects us on multiple levels—biological, psychological, and social.

Physically and psychosomatically, anxiety can manifest in our bodies as chest tightness, headaches, irregular heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, or muscle tension. We might also experience changes in our eating habits, either overeating or restricting food intake. Psychologically, anxiety can trigger fear, anger, and concentration difficulties, making us feel unable to stop our thoughts. We may anticipate the worst and become overly self-critical. Socially, anxiety can strain our relationships, leading us to avoid communication or engage in arguments with friends or family.

It's important to understand that 1) anxiety causes discomfort but has a positive, useful side (e.g., it contributes to our safety and well-being). When we learn to use it in our favor, it helps us adopt pro-social and healthy behaviors; 2) feeling anxious should not be a source of shame, guilt, or judgment; 3) anxiety is a normal emotion that, to some degree, affects everyone, and we can learn to manage it; 4) anxiety-inducing situations are temporary, and so is the anxiety itself; 5) while difficult, it is possible to accept anxiety as part of what we are experiencing.

How can we accept anxiety?

Some strategies to help with this include focusing on the “here and now”—engaging in the activities we’re doing (such as cooking, reading, watching a movie, practicing yoga, or exercising); identifying the thoughts that are causing agitation and questioning the likelihood of them happening; talking about how we feel with close friends or family; and investing in pleasurable and leisure activities like watching a series, having dinner with friends, or going to the gym.

Learning how to relax is a valuable tool for maintaining physical and mental balance, and reducing anxiety levels. Relaxation is a psychophysical reconditioning method used across various age groupsAmong the most frequently mentioned relaxation strategies in the literature are Jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation (which involves muscle contraction and relaxation to raise awareness of bodily tension, allowing for better control in stressful situations), Shultz's autogenic relaxation (which promotes physiological balance and contemplative introspection), and Michaux's muscle relaxation technique (specifically designed for children).

Jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation technique involves tensing and then gradually relaxing a group of muscles. For example, you might contract the muscles in your legs and arms for about 10 seconds, focusing on the tension in those muscles. Then, you quickly release the tension and focus on the sensation of relaxation. This helps build awareness of the contrast between tension and relaxation in your body.

Michaux's passive muscle relaxation was developed during Psychomotor re-education sessions after observing children who struggled to stay still and focused. This method aims to regulate tension by performing passive movements in different joints and is recommended for individuals who find it difficult to relax. In passive relaxation, the goal is to progressively relax each part of the body.

How can we practice passive muscle relaxation?
  1. Sit or lie down comfortably.
  2. Clench our left hand tightly for 5 seconds, focusing on the tension in our wrist.
  3. Release the hand and relax our wrist for 10 to 15 seconds.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with our right hand, alternating between the two a few times.
  5. Flex our right arm muscles tightly for 5 seconds, paying attention to the sensation in our arm.
  6. Relax the muscle for 10 to 15 seconds, noting the physical sensations in your arm.
  7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 with your left arm. You can also apply this technique to your legs for a full-body relaxation experience.

In addition to relaxation, there are other very useful techniques for minimizing intense emotional activation and panic, such as abdominal or diaphragmatic breathing, grounding, and mindfulness.

Abdominal breathing for adults can follow these steps: 1) inhale slowly through the nose and comfortably fill your lungs with air; 2) silently repeat to yourself, “my body is calming down,” and exhale slowly through the mouth, completely emptying the lungs; 3) repeat this breathing process five times (i.e., deeply inhale and exhale).

Children can also perform breathing exercises. For example, we can guide them through the process step by step, paraphrasing it as follows: 1) "place your hand on your belly"; 2) "now let's breathe through the nose. When we inhale, we're going to fill the belly with air and hold it for a moment"; 3) "now we exhale through the mouth, and our stomach will shrink"; 4) "shall we repeat? Inhale slowly while I (the adult) count to three. Now exhale slowly, please".

Grounding techniques are particularly used when emotional activation is so intense that the person becomes unresponsive. In this situation, it’s important to bring the person back to the present. 1) We ask them to inhale and exhale deeply; 2) we ask them to tell us five things they are feeling; 3) then, we ask them to inhale and exhale slowly; 4) we ask them to tell us five things they are hearing; 5) afterward, we ask them again to inhale and exhale slowly; 6) we ask them to slowly look around and tell us five objects they can see. It’s important to perform grounding gradually, respecting each person's space and time.

Mindfulness can be described as a state of awareness of the present moment, cultivated through a deep focus on our breathing. It allows us to connect our thoughts with our emotions, accepting the latter with compassion rather than avoiding, controlling, or repressing themTo practice mindfulness, it’s important to choose a quiet place; set a specific time (for example, 5 or 10 minutes); place your body in a comfortable position; focus on your breathing, and let your mind flow freely. Sometimes, it can help to perform this exercise with calming music in the background.

Mindfulness, like all the other strategies mentioned above, helps regulate both our cognitive and emotional activation, enhancing our ability to concentrate and boosting our overall well-being.

However, if feelings of discomfort and persistent anxious thoughts last for long periods and become disabling in daily life, it’s important to seek help from a psychologist. Therapy can aid in regulating emotions and increasing our awareness of emotional activation. Ivory Therapy has an article that can help you understand “How to find a good psychologist,” and on their platform, they offer access to many certified clinical psychologists, available for therapy sessions in various languages and with a wide range of scheduling flexibility. Anxiety doesn't have to be a burden if we find the right path to self-regulation.

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