An easy way to relax and calm down in 5 minutes
'14.04.2021'
Source: Life hacker
These tips will help you survive stress if you need to quickly recover, and trying to calm down does not work.
We need anxiety and stress in order to protect ourselves from danger. The brain evaluates the environment. If something threatens our safety, he puts the body into combat mode in order to fight and run away. But most of the stressful situations that we face every day do not kill us. Say we are arguing with colleagues, getting ready for an exam, or going on a first date. In such conditions, the reactions of the body only interfere, because we are nervous and cannot concentrate on work, remember information or engage in creativity, writes Life hacker.
Need to turn off the voltage and relax. But how to do it if you are worried? The brain is overexcited, and the self-conviction that everything is in order and you need to pull yourself together does not work.
Do not confuse relaxation and relaxation. No one bothers to sit and do nothing at the same time, but at the same time worry and worry. So just a break in work will not help to relax and calm the nervous system.
The best option is to act through the body, that is, relax the muscles and remove the effects of stress. The brain will decide: once the body is calm, there is no danger, then you can calm down.
To do this, try the deep relaxation technique offered by the No Panic charity, which helps people with anxiety and panic disorders.
Start to relax
To feel the effect of the first lessons, find a comfortable and quiet place where you will not be distracted for at least five minutes. It is better to work out the technique at home, in comfortable clothes, so that later on you can repeat it in other conditions.
Turn off the music, turn off the lights if possible, and sit in a comfortable position. Breathe freely when doing exercises, do not hold your breath and do not try to breathe deeply. Think that you only need to relax, nothing more.
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Feel the difference between stress and relaxation
To relax, you need to feel the tension. Start with your hands. Clench your fists as hard as you can and count to 10. After that, relax your fists so that your fingers rest freely on your knees or on any other surface. Feel how your arms move differently when they are tense and relaxed, remember the moment of relaxation and leave your hands in a calm state.
Then you need to take turns tensioning and relaxing the muscles throughout the body in the following order:
- Forearms. Bend your elbows and try to press your fists to your shoulders.
- The muscles of the back of the hands. Stretch your arms as hard as you can.
- Shoulders. Lift your shoulders to your ears.
- Neck. Throw back your head.
- Forehead. Raise your eyebrows as if asking a question.
- Eyelids. Screw up your eyes tightly.
- Jaw. Clench your teeth.
- Tongue and throat. Press the tongue on the palate.
- Lips. Tighten your lips tightly, as if you want to hold something small with them.
- Chest. Take a deep breath and hold your breath.
- Stomach. Tighten your abs, as if getting ready to hit.
- Hips and lower back. Bend your back and squeeze your buttocks.
- Legs. Straighten your legs and pull the toe out.
Tighten your muscles to a maximum of 10 seconds, and then relax them and listen to the difference in sensations.
Let your body get used to relaxation
Sit in silence with relaxed muscles for a few more minutes to remember how the body feels at rest.
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You may not completely relax the first time, but if you practice regularly and deal with anxiety using this technique, you will soon feel that you have five minutes to calm down and control your emotions again.
Subsequently, you will learn to relax even on the go: for example, to relax your arms and back when you go to work, and your legs when sitting at a computer.
