relaxation?

[tricia56]

hi does any one do relaxation every day?and does it help you over come anxiety . as ive read of the internet that if you didnt do relaxation before you sufferd with anxiety why do it now? so im abit confused about the relaxation thing as some people say just do wat ever you used to do before the anxiety started , so just thought id ask people by the way i do it every day for a half a hour sometimes it helps sometimes it dont, so just curiouse about what other people think thks

[flori]

Hi Tricia.
I try to do it everyday and I believe it helps.

[Spot-the-frog]

I try to do some relaxation most days, not sure if it helps or not to be honest but feels good at the time.

[tricia56]

hi thks for replying i do it everyday but todayi was feeling okish not too anxiouse and i went to do my relaxation earlyer but now i feel quite anxouiseso im not sure if was because of doing my relaxation or if thats wat anxiety does one min you are ok and the next really anxuiose so im not sure

[flori]

I would say anxiety can be like that. I can be fine one hour and the next really anxious and start worrying if a full blown panic attack is going to follow.
That`s where the relaxation and CBT comes in. It doesnt work all the time for me either, but I am definitely going to give it a more of a go.

[jayjoe18]

For me personally I can't do any of the relaxation things, I just can't relax! In my case I think excercise would probably be best. I think you have to find what helps you reduce your anxiety as everyone is different.

[inCOGnito]

Anxiety is fear. What is your body's reaction to fear? To contract. Look right now. Bring attention to your shoulders, your head, your neck, your thighs. Once you bring attention to them they will drop and relax. Constant fear brings constant tension. Muscular relaxation will help. It will bring rest to tense nerves. A relaxed mind will sever the connection that tenses muscles.

[Tish]

Anxiety is fear. What is your body's reaction to fear? To contract. Look right now. Bring attention to your shoulders, your head, your neck, your thighs. Once you bring attention to them they will drop and relax. Constant fear brings constant tension. Muscular relaxation will help. It will bring rest to tense nerves. A relaxed mind will sever the connection that tenses muscles.

Great answer, that'swhy I find relaxation and meditation so helpful :)

[BobbyDog]

What I find really helpful in reducing my level of anxiety is - checking my body as I am walking around the house, if my shoulders are high, I drop them, if my jaw is clenched, I slowly release it, if I am sat and my arms are crossed in front of me in a defensive stance, I let them drop to the sides. I try and do this exercise when I am out as well, it really relaxes me.x

[HoneyLove]

The point of relaxation is this: stress & anxiety put your sympathetic nervous system into overdrive through different reactions in your body, but relaxation combats this by bringing you parasympathetic nervous system back into play and helping your body & mind to calm down.

It's really important for anxiety sufferers because our nervous systems are constantly on edge. A daily practice is essential and will definitely help in time.

It takes time to work, it takes time to unwind from weeks/months/years of stress so don't expect instant results. But if you work on it daily you will find it helps and over time you will be able to relax more. It's always hard in the beginning. It doesn't have the instant effect of calming you down, but it's a cumulative process that needs work.

Stress affects us all differently. I would say if you suffer with anxiety you definitely need to change something, and relaxation techniques are a must. Doing what you did before anxiety will hardly help, it's a signal that we need to make some changes in order to feel good. A therapist once said to me "if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got". And she was right, change is necessary if we want to recover.