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Tools to help with Anxiety
Breathing and Visualization
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                                                         BREATHING

Working with your breathing can really help you take control of your the feelings and how they are impacting your body.

Athletes use deep breathing before they enter a competition. Actors, singers, dancers and anyone about to take the stage often use deep breathing to become centered and focused before they begin.

Breathe control is a powerful tool for helping you deal with any feelings that are becoming
overwhelming.

By learning to slow your breathe down and breathing deeply from you belly, you can become centered and grounded.

We have provided you with a breathe exercise to help you get started.

BREATH EXERCISE
                           

When you are just learning breathe control it is easier to practice. this exercise while you are sitting or lying down.

First get comfortable and breath in and out for a few times. Then follow these instructions:

  • Take a nice breath in.
  • Sit up straight and breathe out (exhale).
  • Breathe in while relaxing your belly muscle. Let the belly fill with air. You can place your hand on your belly and feel it rise as you breathe in.
  • Hold your breathe and then begin to exhale slowly.
  • Relax your chest and rib cage while releasing the breath and begin to pull the belly in to force out the remaining breath.
  • Relax the muscles of your face.
  • Relax your mind. If a thought comes up, just go back to focusing on your breath. As you breathe in, think 'breathe in'  and then as you breath out, think ' breath out' . Just let the thoughts pass and focus on breathing in and breathing out.

Practice this routine for 5 minutes every day and soon you will be able to call on this exercise any time you are beginning to feel anxious or overwhelmed. 

You can do this exercise anywhere, any time. Controlling your breath is a very powerful way of helping you deal with overwhelming feelings.


VISUALIZATION EXERCISES
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             Visualization- Soft Blanket

Close your eyes and take few gentle breathes in and out.

With each breath your body releases tension and you relax your muscles.

Imagine yourself lying on a soft blanket on the grass. Feel the blanket against your arms.

Look at the beautiful shade of green in the grass.

Feel a gentle breeze blow across your body and stir the grass…see the blades sway gently from side to side.

Look into the blue, blue sky and see the fluffy, passing clouds.

Feel the soothing sensation of the blue sky and the white clouds.

You see a flock of birds flying in the distance and feel peace watching their wings in flight.

Now feel the blanket against your arms again.

Take a breath in and come back to the present.

Picture
Picture
           Visualization - Bird Song
Close your eyes and take few gentle breathes in and out.

With each breath your body releases tension and you relax your muscles.

Imagine that your anxieties are a mish-mash of loud animal sounds. Sounds you might hear in a barnyard.

Listen…Hear the oinks, moos, baas, clucks, braying. Hear a horse whinny and a dog barking.

Now…above the mass of animal sounds, imagine hearing the clear sound of a songbird.

Focus only the bird’s singing and notice that all the other noises fade away.

Listen only to the bird song until you feel peace.

 

 


                          
Visualization - Radio Dial
When we feel anxious, our worries can create a background hum that plays continuously in our minds.

Close your eyes and take few gentle breathes in and out.

With each breath your body releases tension and you relax your muscles.

Imagine yourself tuning in on a radio dial. You are going to tune into your own anxiety. Turn the dial down slowly to decrease the noise. Now you are going to move the dial and tune into the channel of pure silence.

Spend a few minutes enjoying the silence.

 
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