These tips will help you cope with stress if you need to recover quickly, and trying to calm down does not work. To keep ourselves safe from harm, we require tension and anxiety. The brain evaluates the surrounding situation. If something threatens our safety, it puts the body into combat mode to fight and flee. But most of the stressful circumstances we encounter on a daily basis don't result in death. Maybe we are fighting with colleagues, preparing for an exam, or going on a first date. In such conditions, body reactions only interfere; when we are anxious, we struggle to focus on our work, remember details, or be creative.
You need to let go of the tension and calm down. But how do you do it if you're worried? The brain is overexcited, and the self-conviction that everything is in order, and you need to pull yourself together does not work.
Relaxation and relaxation should not be confused. Nobody bothers to sit at the same time and do nothing, but at the same time worry and worry. So just taking a break from work will not help you slow down and calm your nerves.
The best option is to act from the body's side, that is, to relax the muscles and remove the effects of stress. The brain will decide that since the body is calm, there is no danger, then it can calm down. Try the deep relaxation method that "No Panic," a charity that helps people with anxiety and panic disorders, has to offer.
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Start relaxing
Find a place that is comfy, quiet, and where you won't be distracted for at least five minutes to get the most out of your first sessions. It is better to practice the technique at home, in comfortable clothes, so that later you can repeat it in other conditions.
Turn off the music and, if you can, the lights, and sit in a comfortable position. Breathe freely as you exercise, do not hold your breath or try to breathe deeply. Think that you only need to relax, nothing else.
Experience the Difference Between Tension and Relaxation
To calm down, you have to feel the tension. Start with your hands, clench your fists as hard as you can and count to 10. Then, relax your fists so that your fingers rest freely on your knees or any other surface. Feel the difference between your hands' moves when they are tense and relaxed; remember the moment of relaxation and leave your hands in a calm state.
Then you need to take turns tense and relax muscles throughout the body in the following order.
- Forearms. Bend your elbows and try to bring your fists to your shoulders.
- The muscles of the back of the arms. Straighten your arms as much as you can.
- Shoulders. Raise your shoulders to your ears.
- Neck. Tilt your head back.
- Forehead. Raise your eyebrows as if you are asking a question.
- Eyelids. Close your eyes tightly.
- Jaw. Grit your teeth.
- Tongue and throat. Press your tongue against the palate.
- Lips. Press your lips together tightly, as if you want to hold something small with them.
- Chest. Take a deep breath and hold your breath.
- Stomach. Tighten your abs as if you are preparing for a punch.
- Hips and loin. Arch your back and squeeze your glutes.
- Legs. Straighten your legs and pull your toes.
Tighten your muscles to the maximum for 10 seconds, and then relax them and listen for the difference in sensation.
Also read: 30 Useful Habits That Will Pump All Areas of Life
Let your body get used to relaxing
Sit in silence with your muscles relaxed for a few more minutes to remember how your body feels at rest.
You may not be completely relaxed the first time, but if you regularly practice and deal with anxiety using this technique, you will soon feel that you have enough five minutes to settle down and regain emotional control. Subsequently, you will learn to relax even on the go; for example, when you get to work, relax your arms and back, and when you sit at the computer, relax your legs.
Adapted and translated by The Cop Cart Staff
Sources: Life hacker
