The symptoms of stress and anxiety- muscle tension, your heart beating faster, headaches or your stomach churning, can be managed initially by having a couple of techniques that you are comfortable using and you know work for you. If you persistently experience these symptoms however, you should make an appointment with your general practitioner to discuss. Consider the following techniques that you might already know of or may wish to find out more about to help you.
Muscle Relaxation
Focus on a muscle group, eg. stomach. Tense muscles for 5 seconds relax for 15 seconds. Try doing this for 15 minutes a day and use with other muscle groups- arms, legs and buttocks.
Breathing
Slow your breathing before you enter a potentially stressful situation – count to 5, breathe deeply through your nose for the count of 5, hold your breathe for 5 seconds and slowly release the breathe for a count of five, repeat 5 times.
Meditation
You can use what are called Guided Meditation, Apps, CDs that will direct you through meditation instructions.
Try using some of these techniques to see if they assist you to relax. You need to practise for a while so the technique that suits you best will become an automatic response and part of your routine to help in times of stress and anxiety. For example if the breathing technique suits you best then allocate 10 minutes each day to practise so that when you find yourself in a situation of anxiety you can begin the breathing routine to help you re-focus and relax.