"How to let go of anxious sensations" by Barry McDonagh

Here's sharing this article I came across recently which may be useful as a reference or reminder about learning to trust in our body to take care of anxious sensations that we experience at times. It is a reminder for me as well as I too experience anxiety symptoms such as palpitations before due to tensed situations or stressful circumstances such as at work over the years and so on, and I am learning to remember to breathe deeply where possible. 

http://www.panicaway.com/word/blog/letting-go-of-sensations-that-scare-you

I find some of the comments in the article encouraging.

"October 19,2013

Dil Mari @ 10:01 pm

I’m reading the comments with interest. I wake in the middle of the night with a severe epigastric pain. No one has diagnose or treated it, but at last the pain is so much less intense, plus it only lasts about 20 minutes now rather than the hours it used to. It used to happen if the phone or doorbell rang, or if I had even a slight surprise or shock. I’m accepting it now, and hoppe that, after having it for over 20 years, maybe it will now go away altogether. I hope so. hanks for all your good, sound advice. Dil Mari"

Another person commented below about how he or she learnt to deal with anxiety:

"January 8,2014

Lou Brown @ 12:23 pm

To all those who have commented that they feel ‘dizzy’—-I had the good fortune to watch the Dr Oz show last year where Depak Chopra was a guest. Depak suggested a natural remedy for headaches but I tried it the next time I felt dizzy from anxiety AND IT WORKED! It’s as simple as (sitting if possible) or just standing still and taking 2 or 3 long breaths in and out and then focusing all your attention on your heart-beat until you can really feel it and hear it… then you re-focus as hard as you can on your fingertips and try and FEEL your heartbeat in the very tips of your fingers. Apparently what this does is, it tells your brain to send the rush of blood from your head down to your fingertips – thereby taking the pressure out of your head. I’ve even done this while sitting at traffic lights or in a meeting and it’s quickly dispersed the dizzy feeling. Oh, I forgot to say that I am able to ‘feel’ my heartbeat in my fingertips after a while."

I suppose different people find different strategies work best for themselves. For me, when I experience anxious sensations such as stiff or tensed neck muscles and palpitations, I usually find listening to soothing music or taking a walk helpful to clear my mind, besides conscious breathing, and sometimes I would type mini journals in my office computer email program (and save them in the draft folder) as a form of therapeutic exercise - it also helps me to express or articulate my thoughts and feelings about things that cause anxiety.

Finding peace and relaxation naturally

You could try deep breathing exercises to relieve any kind of anxiety or discomfort. You could also try lying down and rest your eyes from the computer screen for a while.

Diaphragmatic Breathing

Step 1

Sit or lie in a comfortable position. Do not try this exercise while standing in case the deep breathing makes you dizzy.

Step 2

Put one hand on your abdomen, just below your rib cage, and the other on your chest. Your hands will act as guides so you know you are breathing correctly.

Step 3

Inhale as deeply as possible through your nose. You should feel your stomach expand first, then your chest. Hold this breath for 2 to 5 seconds.

Step 4

Exhale through your mouth. You should feel your chest deflate, then your stomach.

Step 5

Repeat the breath five times or until your heart rate drops and you feel calm. Check your heart rate with the heart rate monitor, by taking your pulse or by gauging your heartbeat.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/544800-how-to-lower-your-heart-rate-naturally-with-breathing-exercises/#ixzz2CLfjvG6f

According to this article, visualisation is also a good form of relaxation, besides deep breathing.  

http://goodrelaxation.com/2012/04/5-ways-to-relax-without-using-prescription-drugs/

2. Visualization Process

If you want to relax without using prescription drugs, try visualization. Visualization requires an individual to think of images such as a peaceful setting and mentally takes a journal to their favorite, calming place. This technique typically requires a person to sit in a quiet place and closing his or her eyes.

For example, if a person loves the beach, he may imagine himself taking a walk to the beach and feeling the warm sun on his skin. As he enjoys his day at the beach, he smells the salty water, listens to the waves crashing and feels the sand between his toes.

This video on binaural beats with the sound of ocean waves for deep relaxation is also quite soothing to listen to, and it shows a peaceful natural surroundings of a beach for visualisation.  

I learnt from this article that listening to the binaural beats together with music and natural sounds produces slower heart rate and decreased anxiety.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/12/binaural-beats-cataract-surgery-anxiety_n_2118031.html
"Researchers found that those who listened to the binaural beats plus the music and natural noises had a slower heart rate and decreased anxiety, compared with those who didn't listen to anything. And both the binaural beats and music group and the music-only group experienced lower blood pressure than the no-noise group."