Breathing & Visualization

There are two tools you can use RIGHT NOW to ease the symptoms of an anxiety attack. There are, of course, many treatments to consider that may generate more permanent recovery from anxiety. Examples are cognitive or behavioral therapy and anti-anxiety medications. There are also important life style changes that will help not only anxiety attacks but will promote overall well-being and health. If, however, you need something immediate to ease your anxiety symptoms, the two techniques that work instantly are BREATHING EXERCISES and VISUALIZATIONS.

BREATHING EXERCISES:
The first thing you need to do, of course, is to calm down. If you can reduce your anxiety, you'll be much more able to learn, remember, and integrate new strategies into your life. If you are able to relax a little more, your overall feelings of panic will diminish. I'm not suggesting as sometimes other people do, "Relax, it's nothing. Get over it!" They're wrong about that. Anxiety and panic attacks are a big deal. At bet they're frightening and generally they're terrifying. Clearly, you would relax if you could. Breathing exercises and visualizations are tools that therapists use to help their clients calm down. Try to calm yourself down and follow the directions here, as learning tools for relaxation will help you get a rapid handle on managing and reducing your symptoms.

Our thoughts are intimately related to our bodily functions. When you think anxious, upsetting, and aggravating thoughts, your breathing will become rapid and shallow. At the same time, if you are breathing in a "nervous" way, rapidly and shallowly, you will not be able to think rationally or clearly. Your ability to calm yourself is diminished because your irregular breathing is preventing you from thinking clearly.

Therefore, you have a choice:
1. Change your thinking - your breathing will get deeper and slower
2. Change your breathing - your thinking will get calmer and clearer

Here is an opportunity to learn both about your breathing as well as about your thoughts and how to control them.

Read through this exercise first and then try it on your own. If you can control your breathing, you will have an easier time controlling your thoughts.

Sit back in your seat.

Close your eyes.

Take a deep breath.

Good.

Breathe again.

Now make your hands comfortable, while keeping your eyes closed. You have a choice of any comfortable hand position. We suggest one of the following three positions:

1. One hand on your belly, one on your chest 

2. Palms of hands on your knees 

3. Hands folded in your lap

Now sit back, feet on the floor, hands comfortable.

Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose.

Feel your stomach expand as your lungs fill with air.

Now exhale through your mouth to the count of five.

Pause.

Repeat while inhaling through the nose and exhaling through your mouth and slowly count to five.

Again, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth counting to five.

Good. You should be feeling more settled. This kind of breathing is called diaphragmatic breathing. It means to breath from the depths of your belly, rather than from your chest and nose.

Sit and enjoy the calmness for a few minutes, and when you are ready, go on to the next lesson where we'll be working on relaxing muscles and learning to visualize.

VISUALIZATIONS:
Read through this section first and then try these visualization techniques to create deeper levels of relaxation for yourself.

Start by getting into a rhythm of deep breathing. Breathe deeply and exhale slowly three or four times, just as you learned in the breathing exercises above.

Now, sitting comfortably, and breathing deeply, close your eyes.

Think of a safe place for you - a sunny beach, your bedroom, the ocean, a quiet park, in front of a fire in a cozy room -- wherever you feel relaxed. Perhaps take someone or something with you: your cat or dog, your best friend, a parent, a lover.

Continue breathing and paint a picture in your mind of this safe place.

Feel a cool breeze against your skin, the sun's warmth, and the sounds of birds. You are the artist here; create an environment that is calming for you.

Feel the quiet.

Now beginning with your toes, flex and then relax each muscle set.

Visualize your toes growing less tense and then looser.

Now move to the ankles, loosen them and then allowing them to relax, move on to your calves.

Continue in this manner, repeating as necessary, until you feel totally relaxed and ready to take in some new material.

Remember: you can return to these breathing, muscle-relaxation exercises whenever you need them, anytime and anywhere.