First of all, I love you so much! I value you as a person....your mind, your heart, your spirit.....and your beautiful skin of course :-) and I thank you so much for coming to read this blog today!
As we swim together through current events that are shaping our lifestyles this year, I see and hear the challenges and increased anxiety levels experienced in communities. It's important to remember the ways in which we can overcome and protect our mental health from being compromised, so I put together a list of techniques that may help provide relief.
Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension, uneasiness, uncertainty, or dread resulting from a real or perceived threat whose actual source is unknown or unrecognized.
It is normal to have some anxiety, as it is a healthy life force that can be necessary for survival. But anxiety can also manifest as severe, with pervasive cognitive dysfunction and impaired functioning. Anxiety can also be the result of a physiologic response to a medical condition.
Wherever you are on the anxiety scale, these are four of my favorite ways to protect my mental health, and soften any anxiety that comes my way. I hope they help you too! (and if you have any other ones that help you, please post here I would love to hear them!)
5 Techniques to Protect Against or Relieve Anxiety
1. Humor - Laughing relaxes the muscles and encourages deep breathing. Adapting a playful perspective on a serious situation can provide comfort. Finding humor in a serious situation may help improve communication by helping to articulate truthful words, even if expressed in a funny way. Humor has been found to boost the immune system and fight viruses, perhaps because laughter reduces stress, and can be contagious. Have you ever seen someone laughing and immediately you want to know why, and find yourself relaxing and even smiling without even knowing what they are laughing about? :-)
Sometimes just watching a funny movie on TV can change my whole mood!
2. Alternative Nostril Breathing - Sitting comfortably, hold your finger over one nostril and inhale counting to 5. Hold your breath for 3 seconds, then release by covering the other nostril. Repeat until your feel calm.
3. Guided Meditations - who can't use a little guided meditation? If you don't have someone who is willing to read you a script, you can find many on you tube to listen to, before falling asleep at night, or anytime during the day. Here's one I found for children.
4. Imagery - When you feel thoughts of stress or anxiety, take your mind on a journey. Recreate yourself in a favorite location, enjoying your surroundings. My go-to place? The Florida Springs. It is a place where I feel relaxed, happy, and purified. I go there to purify my body and mind. And recently I learned that I don't always have to physically be there to enjoy it, because I can envision that place in my thoughts and immediately it brings me a sense of safety and love.
5. Self-Care - of course I saved one of the best for last! Give yourself a masque, take extra time to massage that cleanser onto your skin, take 2 baths a day! Anything you can do to show your spirit you are showing up and ready to fill your heart with love, so that you can help spread that love to others throughout your day.
I hope you found these useful, and give yourself a nice big warm hug from me! :-)
Xoxo
Colleen
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