Relaxation Techniques for Anxiety

June 3, 2020

Most anxiety supports we find on the shelf are things that should be taken before bed. They help to calm the mind and lower the stress response. But when stress is really high in the daytime, taking pills for anxiety can decrease your focus and work performance. Here are 4 types of relaxation techniques for anxiety and high stress in the moment.

Please note that practicing relaxation techniques, such as meditation, require training. You wouldn’t just get up and run a marathon. You’d spend months training for it and being patient with yourself as your body adjusts to a new skill level. You can also expect to have a mix of good and bad days with training. Mindfulness, meditation and any relaxation technique are very much the same. Training your brain and your mind to cooperate take time, patience, compassion and repetition.

deep breathing for anxiety

Relaxation Techniques for Anxiety

Deep Breathing Relaxation

  1. Sit, stand, or lie comfortably
  2. Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest (optional)
  3. Inhale slowly through the nose, filling up (pushing out) your stomach then your chest
  4. Hold it for a few seconds
  5. Exhale through pursed lips, letting go of the air in your chest then your stomach
  6. Repeat 10 times or if limited in time, count to 10 very slowly while taking deep breaths.
  7. Begin to shift concentration from breathing to feelings of relaxation

Progressive Relaxation

  1. Inhale and tense the muscles of the brow, around the eyes and notice how it feels
  2. Exhale and release the tension and notice the difference
  3. Concentrate on the difference between the two (tension-relaxation)
  4. Tense all the facial muscles with the inhale and release with the exhale
  5. Progress through the muscles of the neck and shoulders, down through the arms, the back, into the torso and legs. Tense and relax each segment individually
  6. End with the toes

Meditation

  1. Sit comfortably
  2. Reduce distractions
  3. Mentally focus on one peaceful word, thought or image
  4. Breathe deeply and comfortably
  5. Don’t be discouraged by intrusive thoughts – let them wash over you and find your way back to your peaceful word, thought or image
relaxation for anxiety

Visualization Relaxation

  1. Picture a tranquil setting – real or imagined (can be anywhere, somewhere you’ve been before, somewhere you’d like to go)
  2. Imagine yourself in this setting
  3. Look around at the visual details
  4. Pay attention to specific smells, sounds, feelings, sensations – let it come to life
  5. Imagine how relaxed you can feel in this setting
  6. Let the relaxation wash over your entire body and mind