Essentially, we are literally asking our client to just sit there and observe….. no thinking (but all thoughts are welcome), no action, just sitting there being still both physically and mentally. This is a core aspect of what is often referred to as mindfulness practice.
Sometimes you can allow anxiety and fear without resistance by sitting quietly and doing nothing. I strongly encourage doing this sometimes when the context allows. It's an EXCELLENT (though challenging) way to practice building this new recovery-focused reaction to and relationship with anxiety.
Distract yourself
Whenever you are experiencing anxious thoughts, doing something that 'fills your mind' and needs complete focus can be a good distraction. Small things like leaving the room or going outside can be effective. One other technique that some people use when calming their anxiety is counting backwards.
Sitting with fear looks like this: Focus on your breathing. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Just let the fear be. Don't try to make it go away, don't try to force yourself to calm down, just breathe.
Difficult experiences in childhood, adolescence or adulthood are a common trigger for anxiety problems. Going through stress and trauma when you're very young is likely to have a particularly big impact. Experiences which can trigger anxiety problems include things like: physical or emotional abuse.
One important step in reversing the anxiety cycle is gradually confronting feared situations. If you do this, it will lead to an improved sense of confidence, which will help reduce your anxiety and allow you to go into situations that are important to you.
Depression, stress, anxiety, or lack of sleep can make staying in bed tempting. However, staying in bed can worsen some symptoms of depression and insomnia. Where possible, it is best to try to get up at the same time each day.
As well as realigning the spine, it stops you feeling overwhelmed, allowing you to focus on yourself and providing vital time out to quieten the mind and process emotions.
We don't understand the links between sitting and mental health as well as we do the links between sitting and physical health yet, but we do know that the risk of both anxiety and depression is higher in people that sit more.
Lying down might seem like the best option, but instead of relaxing it can restrict breathing, making the attack worse. Try sitting down or standing up. This will allow you to take deep breaths or pace away excess energy.
feeling tense, nervous or unable to relax. having a sense of dread, or fearing the worst. feeling like the world is speeding up or slowing down. feeling like other people can see you're anxious and are looking at you.
Water has been shown to have natural calming properties, likely as a result of addressing dehydration's effects on the body and brain. Drinking enough water is an important step in managing your anxiety. Even if you're not experiencing anxiety, drinking sufficient water can create feelings of relaxation.
Anxiety disorders are the most common of mental disorders and affect nearly 30% of adults at some point in their lives. But anxiety disorders are treatable and a number of effective treatments are available. Treatment helps most people lead normal productive lives.
Get up and get moving — exercise is a natural way to break the cycle because it releases endorphins which relieve tension and stress, boost energy, and enhance your sense of well-being. You can also distract yourself by doing something completely unrelated and different that forces you to focus on something else.
A little anxiety is fine, but long-term anxiety may cause more serious health problems, such as high blood pressure (hypertension). You may also be more likely to develop infections. If you're feeling anxious all the time, or it's affecting your day-to-day life, you may have an anxiety disorder or a panic disorder.