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Everyone can feel anxious now and then. From tense social situations that make your stomach clench to the nervous sweat some may get going into a dentist or visiting the doctor, in the current culture, there are many situations where we can expect that wave of anxiety. And for many, sometimes it's for no particular reason at all.
Thankfully, there are many interventions available to us to alleviate that burden. There are some simple steps you can implement immediately to help yourself relax and relieve the stress. Rachel Kaplan, LCSW, a clinical social worker at The Mount Sinai Hospital, shares three tools you can use anywhere—without signaling your distress to everyone around you.
Breathe mindfully
Mindful breathing is a very basic yet powerful mindfulness meditation practice. The idea is simply to focus your attention on your breathing—to its natural rhythm and flow and the way it feels on each inhale and exhale. However, mindful breathing is more than just holding your breath.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness involves being aware of the moment and not judging yourself. Just notice how you feel and allow yourself to feel that way. Try not to force yourself to be relaxed as that can backfire and make you feel more stressed. You want to remind your body that you are safe
When you’re anxious, you tend to take shallow breaths. This is part of our ‘fight or fight’ response that kicks in when our brains sense a threat. To counteract this and help relax the body, try a technique called belly—or diaphragmatic—breathing. Start by placing one hand on your chest and one on the lower stomach area. Take a deep breath, inhaling through your nose, for four counts. Hold your breath for three counts. Then exhale slowly, through your mouth, for six counts. Deep breathing helps to ground us and signals to our brains that we are safe, lowering our anxiety level.
As you breathe, watch to see which hand is rising and falling—you’ll want it to be the hand on the belly. Take another deep breath and imagine that you’re pushing air into that lower hand. Repeat this exercise 10 times.
- Remember - All mindfulness practices lead to a gradual calming of your mind, but the key word is gradual. If you aim directly to calm your mind, you endup frustrated and probably give up. Instead, accept that your mind is going to wander, and just keep bringing your attention back when it does so, perhaps with a little smile on your face to remind you not to be self-critical.Expect your mind to be rather wild and if you have a few moments of calm focus in the meditation, accept that as a bonus rather than a sign that you’re doing the process right or wrong.
Focus on your senses
One of the simplest ways to practice mindfulness and calm your mind is to connect with one of your senses. Use all your senses to focus on small details of the here. This will help you ground yourself and will take your mind off your anxious thoughts.
Think about the details of your surroundings:
- Start by naming five things you see around you. This could be the table you’re sitting at or your water bottle.
- Name four things you can touch: your sweatshirt, hair, necklace, or shoes.
- Acknowledge three things you hear, such as a car horn honking outside or the click-click of someone typing.
- Name two things you can smell, maybe the remnants of last night’s dinner or your cat’s litter box.
- Try the process this time with five different tastes.This aspect works particularly well while you’re having a meal or a drink.
By focusing on the exercise, you don’t have enough brain power to analyze and worry. Your concerns drift away, and you feel calmer.
Use your peripheral vision
This isn’t easy and requires concentration. A regular practice of soft eyes creates a way to manage moving oneself out of stress and into relaxation. Soft eyes utilizes working with peripheral vision, which is paying attention to the outside edges of your field of vision. Practicing calms you down, returns mind and body to balance, and boosts the immune system.
Start by looking straight ahead (not on a phone or computer screen) and pick one spot to stare at. It can be a mark on the wall, a doorknob, a tree branch—whatever jumps out at you. Focus your gaze on that spot for 5 to 10 seconds. Keep that focus, then widen your field of view without looking away from your focal point.
Notice what you see in your peripheral vision. Start on the right side and observe what you can see without moving your head or straying from your focal point. You may just see colors and movement or you may see objects. Do this for about 10 seconds. Then, for about 10 seconds, notice what you see on the left without looking away from your focal point.
By focusing on your peripheral vision, rather than your anxiety, your breathing will slow and your face muscles will relax. When you feel calmer, you can bring your attention back to the view straight in front of you.
Orig Story: https://health.mountsinai.org/blog/three-simple-ways-to-help-lower-your-anxiety/
