4 Practical Relaxation Techniques To Reduce Anxiety

Anxiety is a problem that constantly affects us today. Our mind wants to control a situation or obtain guarantees that everything will turn out well, and ends up focusing entirely on the future preparing and anticipating for a scenario that, many times, may never actually happen.

Of course, mental anxiety has its correlate on the physical level. Our body perceives the effects of thought and reacts accordingly.

Recommended techniques to reduce anxiety

In this article we will see several relaxation techniques that will help you reduce anxiety by recovering awareness of the present moment, and along with it the fullness and happiness of being here and now.

1. Attention to breathing

Since ancient times, Buddhists have known the importance of paying attention to our breathing to calm the mind and regain happiness. Later, many of these techniques came to the West under the name of mindfulness to contribute to the treatment of anxiety.

The breathing attention technique to which we are referring proposes do not try to modify your breathing; not try to regulate it, but simply observe It is the technique known as Anapana in the Vipassana tradition of Buddhist meditation, taught thousands of years ago in the East and now also in the West.

To practice this technique, focus your attention on the nasal passage area, below the nose. Observe how the air enters and leaves, but without wanting to alter the rhythm of your breathing. If you become distracted by thoughts or mental images, return as soon as you remember to pay attention to your breathing, but without worry or frustration from distraction

You will see that after a few minutes, your mind begins to focus and thoughts stop being so turbulent, experiencing greater relaxation. You can practice with your body lying down, but it is recommended to do it sitting, either in a chair or on the floor in a comfortable position.

2. Attention to bodily sensations

Another powerful mindfulness practice to relax and reduce anxiety is body scans or attention to bodily sensations. This allows us to develop equanimity, that is, the ability to observe what happens to us without longing or rejection, which translates into greater presence and less anxiety.

To perform this exercise, you can be in a lying or sitting position. Starting from the top of the head or feet, you move your attention over each part of the body taking large or small portions as is more comfortable for you and from top to bottom, or from bottom to top.

In the event that thoughts capture your attention, you return to the bodily sensations as soon as you become aware of the distraction. This method will provide you with mental training capable of reducing anxiety or relaxing the body from accumulated tension. But remember: attention should be on the body and its sensations, not on thought. It is also important that you do not stop moving your attention. After a few minutes of practice you will see the results.

3. Grounding

Rooting or grounding is a central technique in various disciplines, both Eastern and Western. It consists of allowing our feet to sit firmly on the ground and the leg muscles to be activated This connection with our lower extremities has a therapeutic effect widely explored by various practices such as Qigong (Chi Kung) or Bioenergetics.

To do it, you must stand with your feet parallel, hip-width apart. In addition, it is suggested to close your feet slightly, about 5 or 10 degrees inward, to release tension in the sacral area. Then, slightly bend your knees. The general rule is that these should not exceed the toes.

Remain in this position, paying attention to the soles of your feet and legs, for about 5 minutes or more (although it can be tiring). It is a great tool to “stop the mind” reduce anxiety and relax the nervous system.

At the end, you can shake your legs slightly.

4. Pranayama

From the Eastern tradition of Yoga comes another wonderful technique to relax the mind and reduce anxiety: pranayama or breathing control.

Unlike the breathing attention technique, here we are looking for a regulation of the air that enters and leaves Numerous studies emphasize the importance of correct breathing to achieve a correct balance of the nervous system and promote a positive attitude.

There are various breathing regulation techniques, one of the simplest is known as “square breathing”, which consists of equalizing the times of inhalation, air retention, exhalation and new retention. There are 4 phases each of which must last the same amount of time.

To practice it, we sit comfortably with our back upright, exhale completely, and then inhale in 4 seconds. At the end of the inhalation, we also hold for 4 seconds (we can use the index finger and thumb to obstruct the nostrils, if we wish), then we exhale for the same duration and at the end of the exhalation we hold again for 4 seconds.

We repeat this process for several minutes, trying to make our breathing complete, that is, expanding the abdomen, ribs and chest. Then, we breathe normally. Without a doubt, when you do it you will see that this technique contributes a lot to your relaxation, calming the mind and eliminating anxiety. You can also increase or decrease the number of seconds as you see fit.

Conclusion

Reducing anxiety through relaxation of the body and mind is possible, and above all a daily practice. As Aristotle said: “We are what we do repeatedly.”

Incorporating these methodologies into your daily life, even for a few minutes, has lasting effects and extensive contributions to your psychophysical health.