Question:
I've been recently diagnosed with GAD.
I've done some reading about the symptoms and techniques to alleviate the
symptoms and found that relaxation techniques help.
Can anyone point out some of these techniques or where I can find
information about them? How about any other techniques to alleviate
anxiety?
Answer:
At the below link is alot of info on self help and there you will find a link
on relaxation exercises.
http://panicdisorder.about.com/health/panicdisorder/cs/selfhelp/index...
Lie down in a quiet room and get comfortable. Tense each muscle in
your body and then relax each muscle, one at a time. Starting at your
head, tense your forehead; hold it for a few seconds and then release.
Notice how relaxed the forehead now feels. Next move on to your jaw,
neck, shoulders, arms, hands and fingers. Move on to the chest, back,
stomach and abdomen. Then the buttocks, (most of us are sitting a
few inches higher because of the tension in that area). Next move on
to your thighs, legs, feet and toes. At each body part, tense and hold
the muscle, then release.
Pay close attention to how it feels when you release the muscles.
Do these exercises every day. As the days go by you will begin to
realize how tense you really are. In time you will be able to just relax
yourself on command.
These exercises can be very useful during a panic attack. When you
are having a Panic attack, all your muscles are tense. Now you will be
able to relax these muscles during a panic attack and this will give you
a sense of control.
Breathing exercise
The following are breathing exercises, you should lie quietly and try
to relax a much as possible, then try these exercises.
1.
Keep your tongue above and behind your upper teeth, breathe out
through your mouth making a sound. Then breathe in through your
nose to the count of 4, hold it to the count of 7 and noisily let it out to
the count of 8. Do 4 repetitions of this every day.
2.
Breathe in through your nose to the count of 4, hold it to the count
of 4 and let it out to the count of 4. Do 4 repetitions of this exercise
every day.
Cognitive Imagery
Relax and picture yourself in a pleasant environment. Imagine that
this place is the most pleasant place you can think of. This place
should give you a feeling of safety and comfort. Imagine all the sights
and smells that are associated with this place. If there are any other
people in this place they should be comforting to you. You can do this
in a quiet, dark room, or while listening to soothing music. Make this
a ritual to do when you are very tense and need to relax. Or make it a
daily ritual.
