Is it Really All in My Head? - Part IV
When you have anxious thoughts, they trigger symptoms of anxiety that also can be managed. What is anxiety, and how can I manage the symptoms I experience as I manage my thoughts or ANTs?
Anxiety – is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, restlessness, etc.
Your Sympathetic nervous system is activated - sympathetic activation causes an increased heart rate, the force of contraction, and the rate of conduction, allowing for increased cardiac output to supply the body with oxygenated blood. People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns.
Which of the following experiences occur when you’re feeling anxious? Read through the list and check any that apply to you:
• Pounding heart
• Rapid breathing
• Stomach distress
• Diarrhea Muscle tension
• Desire to flee or withdraw
• Perspiration Difficulty focusing
• Immobilization
• Trembling
You may wonder why it’s important that you recognize these symptoms as being connected to the fight, flight, or freeze response. A key reason is that they can be involved in a feedback loop in which they heighten anxiety.
Many people who struggle with anxiety misinterpret these reactions as an indication that something negative
is happening or going to happen. These symptoms occur because the sympathetic nervous system is activated, releasing adrenaline and causing the symptoms, which can be frightening. The sympathetic nervous system functions like a gas pedal in a car. It triggers the fight-or-flight response, providing the body with a burst of energy so that it can respond to perceived dangers. There are some techniques you can implement to activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
The parasympathetic nervous system acts like a brake. It promotes the "rest and digest" response that calms the body down after the danger has passed. There are coping mechanisms we can implement to counteract
FIGHT/FLIGHT or FREEZE!
When the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) is activated, it slows our heart and breathing rates, lowers blood pressure, and promotes digestion. Our body enters a state of relaxation, and this relaxation breeds recovery. We will finally share these activators to help counteract the anxious symptoms.
5 TECHNIQUES TO ACTIVATE THE PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
1. Breathing – squared breathing
• Relax and focus on your breath as best you can.
• Breath into your stomach for 4 seconds.
• Hold your breath for 4 seconds
• Exhale evenly for 4 seconds
• Hold your empty lungs for 4 seconds
• Repeat until you feel content
2. Exercise- for 15-20 minutes; this completes the anxiety cycle.
3. Temperature - Tip the temperature of your face with cold water to calm down fast.
• Splash your face with ice water
• Zip-lock bag of cool water held over eyes and cheekbone
• Hold an ice pack on your face or the back of your neck.
4. Soft Eyes – Let your eyes physically relax. Instead of focusing on one thing, you allow that thing to be at the center of your gaze, while simultaneously taking in the largest possible expanse within your full field of vision.
• This includes peripheral vision both to the left and right, as well as above and below. By using soft eyes, you increase your awareness of everything going on around you.
This calms you down, returns your mind and body to balance, and boosts the immune system. In this relaxed state, adrenaline and other stress chemicals cannot endure.
• Other benefits of soft eyes include feeling relaxed; improved focus; relaxed facial, shoulder, and chest muscles; slow respiratory and heart rate; still mind; and reduced self-talk.
• Additionally, soft eyes contribute toward reducing the following: stress, tension/muscle tension, anxiety, panic attacks, eye strain, and tension headaches.
5. Yawning - Activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which attenuates the sympathetic nervous system, reduces stress, and lowers the risk for high blood pressure because yawning disturbs your current sympathetic tone and forces the parasympathetic nervous system to act in order to restore your body to a resting state.
Practice these techniques while learning to exterminate the ANTs (discussed in previous blogs)! While, yes, “it is all in your head,” you can manage the thoughts and anxiety symptoms.
— Tracy Lewis, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern