The anxiety it's a unconscious emotional state It makes us feel restless or anxious when faced with situations that we feel we cannot control. It is a constant sensation in a person's daily life that prevents us from fully enjoying the moment.
When anxiety is maintained for a more or less long period of time, a muscle tension It continues both during sleep and during wakefulness. This feeling of tension accompanies us and makes it increasingly difficult for us to be relaxed and comfortable.
That is why it is important to learn to reduce anxietyRelaxation exercises help us to free our body and mind and, in general, to enjoy our daily lives more.
Although it is widely recommended go to a professional To help us learn to get the most out of these techniques, it is true that they can be practiced at home with quite good results.
Breathing control
One of the symptoms of anxiety is shallow breathingyou may suddenly find yourself yawning uncontrollably or sighing deeply continuously. The moment you become aware of this, it is advisable to practice a simple technique that you can practice anywhere: breathing control.
- Breathe in through your nose instead of your mouth.
- Breathe gently and deeply several times. Notice how your abdomen expands as you inhale and how it narrows as you exhale.
- Take a couple of deep breaths in through your nose followed by slow, gentle exhalations through your mouth.
Diaphragmatic breathing
This technique requires a little more training and a quiet place where you can concentrate to carry it out.
- Get into a comfortable position and try to relax your muscles.
- Place one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach.
- Slowly inhale through your nose, bringing the air to the hand on your stomach. The hand on your chest should remain still.
- When you manage to get the air there, hold it for a couple of seconds.
- Release the air slowly through your mouth, so that you feel your stomach sinking and the hand on your chest remaining still.
- Repeat this exercise several times.
Try a free session
Discover how online therapy helps you control anxiety, anticipate crises and acquire the necessary tools to face it from a position of control.
Make an appointment
Leave the mind blank
This seems impossible, but it is a little easier to achieve if we try it while we are doing the breathing exercises. thoughts They often arise without us realizing it. With this technique we are not going to eliminate them, but it can help us to keep a certain distance from them.
- Choose one of the proposed breathing exercises.
- While you are doing it, concentrate only on your breathing.
- Count the exhalations slowly, at the rate they occur. That is, flood your brain with the number “ooooooooone” on the first one, and so on.
- Try to get to number five.
- If any thought crosses your mind, reset the counter to zero.
- As you master it, increase the number of breaths with a blank mind.
Schultz autogenic training
This relaxation training It is one of the most used in psychological therapy and, at the same time, one of the most extensive. Here you will find a reduced version of training, suitable to be carried out in a more or less short time.
- Choose a comfortable and quiet place where you will not be distracted by anything.
- Close your eyes and breathe deeply.
- With each exhalation repeat mentally «I am relaxed, increasingly calm.»
- Focus your mind on your right leg and concentrate on its warmth. Slowly relax it as you repeat to yourself, “My right leg is relaxing, more and more.”
- When that limb is relaxed, move on to the left leg and repeat the exercise. Then continue with the abdomen, arms and neck.
- When your neck is relaxed, move on to your head. Focus on it and repeat, “My head is clear.” At this point, your entire body should be in a relaxed state.
- Take a deep breath before opening your eyes. Retain that feeling of relaxation and, before getting up, stretch your muscles and activate your senses.
Jacobson's Progressive Muscle Relaxation
In a previous article we already talked about how this technique is useful in therapeutic processes, let's now see how to apply it directly for reduce anxiety.
This exercise requires a bit more time than the previous ones, so do it only when you have half an hour to spare. Try to do it every day, you will notice the results.
- Stretch in a comfortable and relaxed place. Try not to be interrupted or disturbed.
- Focus on your breathing. Inhale deeply and exhale slowly until you feel more relaxed.
- Focus on your right foot. Visualize it in your mind and tense it. Clench your toes and create a lot of tension in your right foot.
- Count to 5 and relax your foot muscles.
- Focus on the feeling of relaxation in your foot.
- Do the same with your left foot. Once you have done this, continue with your legs, knees, hips, abdomen, arms, hands, shoulders, neck and head.
- When you reach the head, pay special attention to relaxing the jaws, scalp, temples and forehead, since these are areas that tend to accumulate a lot of tension.
Display
This exercise combines relaxation techniques with those of meditation.
- Find a comfortable place where you won't be interrupted.
- Turn off the light and illuminate the space with a soft, pleasant light for you.
- Play relaxing music at a low volume, enough so you can hear it.
- Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Feel the air entering through your nose and exiting through your mouth.
- Think of a blue sky. Feel the energy that the sun gives you, focus your attention on the feeling that days like this provoke in you.
- Enjoy the view of the sky for a while.
- Add the sea to your vision. Listen to the sound of the waves.
- Flood your brain with that vision and focus on the feelings it provokes in you.
- You will become more and more relaxed. When you achieve this, visualize yourself, in that same landscape, lying on the grass or on the sand of the beach. With no one around you.
- Enjoy the feeling of relaxation and peace that floods over you for a few minutes.
- Visualize yourself rising into the landscape and begin to stretch the muscles of your body. Slowly and without opening your eyes.
- As you stretch, become aware of the music that surrounds you again, and when you are ready, open your eyes again.
If you feel that despite all these exercises Your anxiety state is not reduced or you would like to improve in the practice of any of them, it may be interesting for you to consult with a specialized psychologist. In Psychia you can find the one that best suits your needs.
Try a free session