Posted by Racer on July 10, 2005, at 15:00:50
In reply to anything to help with anxiety (other than meds)??, posted by Spriggy on July 5, 2005, at 18:29:49
Well, not sure how helpful this will be, but here are a couple of things that help me, non-med things that is.
1. Checking my breathing: if necessary, I count during my breaths, "in-two-three-four, out-two-three-four", which really helps me make sure I'm really breathing. It also helps slow my breathing, which helps with relaxation.
2. This sounds nuts -- what? You're on psycho-babble, right? You expect me to be nuts, right? -- but making sure my hip angle is open helps a lot for me. Think about the angle between your thigh-bone and your spine, and open it out, so that it's as straight as it can be. In fact, before you think that I'm just loopy, stand up and try an experiment: first, close your hip angle, by bending at your hips -- feel yourself kinda tensing up? Now open it back up -- feel the relaxation starting a bit? Now try to open that angle when you've got your tummy muscles tensed. AHA! Can't do it, can you? I rest my case...
3. Stretching. Lots of stretches, just because they feel good, and because it helps you to learn to relax your muscles.
I hope those help.
Another thing I sometimes do is give myself a pep-talk/lecture: "OK, so you're tense. Why are you tense? What do you think is going to happen? And if that does happen, what can you do about it? Now what would happen if what you're afraid of DOESN'T happen?" etc. You know, right?
Good luck, and let us know what works for you, 'K? Maybe it'll be good for us, too...
poster:Racer
thread:523906
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050706/msgs/525821.html