Anxiety Attacks
- Relaxation Techniques

To get the most from these exercises, it's useful to pay attention to how you're experiencing a feeling, rather than any analysis or meanings you may attach to it. I know, you're thinking "wha..?". Well, simply pay attention to the feeling itself, not on why it may be there.

You don't need to do these exercises one after another. In fact, they work best on their own - you could try one today, another tomorrow if you need, and so on.

CORRECTIVE TAPPING

This is a great exercise you can do almost anywhere to take the edge off anxiety attacks and negativity.

1. Acknowledge the feeling - just the feeling, and where it is located.
2. On a scale of 1-10, how anxious are you feeling right now?
3. Hold your left hand out as if about to perform a 'karate chop'.
4. With your right hand, tap 2 or 3 fingers repeatedly against the bottom edge of your left hand.
5. Tap 10-30 times, gently but firmly enough to be comfortable.
6. Repeat the exercise the other way around, tapping on your right hand.
7. Notice the feeling of anxiousness - where is it on the scale now?
8. Clear your mind.
9. Repeat if necessary.

ALLOWING ENERGY TO FLOW

This is a simple exercise in just acknowledging a feeling without giving it any 'heavy' meaning. Anxiety attacks are just that - feelings, nothing more. Give yourself 5-10 minutes to follow your experience.

1. Acknowledge the feeling - just the feeling, and where it is located.
2. If it were a colour, what colour would it be?
3. If it were a shape, what shape would it be?
4. If you allowed it to move and flow, where would it travel to in your body next?
5. In this new place, it must feel different - what colour and shape is it now?
6. Continue to allow the feeling to evolve, acknowledging the subtle differences.
7. The energy will slowly re-integrate, as it is no longer held captive by a label such as 'anxiety'.
8. Thank your body for sharing this experience.
9. Consider what other energies may simply be trapped by possibly over-intellectualising them.

CONSCIOUS BREATHING

When you have anxiety attacks, you are almost certainly breathing shallowly. This is telling your whole physiology the wrong message. Take a few minutes where you won't be disturbed to do this conscious breathing exercise.

1. Sit or stand with your back straight, so that nothing is restricting your breathing.
2. Feel just below your ribcage with your hands - this is where you want to be breathing in to.
3. Allow your stomach to relax and expand as much as it needs.
4. Imagine you will be breathing in positivity and breathing out negativity.
5. Now, Take a slow and deep breath in for a count of 2 - filling yourself up with life and health.
6. Hold comfortably for a count of 2.
7. Breathe out any bad feelings for a count of 4 - steadily and deliberately.
8. Pause for a calm count of 2.
9. Repeat controlled breaths 5-10 times, then resume normal breathing.
10. Notice any changes in how calm and in control you are feeling.

SPINNING FEELINGS

We are designed to notice changes - if something is persistent, we stop noticing it after a while. For instance, a constant noise, an unpleasant smell, the regular pressure of fabric on skin. The same principle applies to feelings such as anxiety attacks - while they may seem constant, there must actually be some movement going on or we would stop noticing them.

1. Acknowledge the feeling - just the feeling, and where it is located.
2. As it has to be moving in order for you to keep feeling it, notice which way it is rotating or turning.
3. If you are unsure, imagine what direction it would be rotating or spinning if you could notice it close-up.
4. What colour is it? If you are unsure, what colour feels appropriate?
5. Now, imagine it coming out of you so it's spinning in front of you.
6. Change the colour to something completely different.
7. Flip it over so that it is spinning in the opposite direction - ah, interesting!
8. Start spinning it faster and faster like an aircraft engine priming for take-off.
9. When it's a crazy blur, bring back into yourself and spin it even faster still.
10. Allow all the positive, new coloured energy to spread through you and fill you up.

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