There is no universal recipe for peace: after all, each of us is unique, and what is good for one may not be for another. Drowning water is useless. And the thirsty needs a sip! At the same time, it is useful for both to know why their mental balance is disturbed. And here the main thing is not to be frightened by your discoveries, but to learn to independently support yourself in times of anxiety. Find among the exercises the one that suits you.
1. Rolled towel
An extremely useful exercise in moments of despair, weakness, and in fear of speaking in public, and in other situations that cause excitement, says neuropsychologist and psychodramatherapist Tatyana Lyachina. Once this recipe was shared by one of the senior colleagues. Roll up a wet towel and with all your heart start hitting it on the floor. Three or four minutes is enough. If you want to scream, do not deny yourself this.
How it works? When we are in tension for a long time, the energy level noticeably decreases. This state is accompanied by a feeling of impotence, we become ineffective, lethargic, it is difficult for us to live. Usually this condition is explained by chronic fatigue, depression, learned helplessness. But most often the reason is different – we hold back or suppress negative emotions for a long time, “keep face”, we are afraid to show reactions (often – in order to save relationships, work, business ties).
Take care of yourself and make sure that no one is watching you for this action.
Towel exercise is a quick and safe way to give place to shadow qualities, relieve tension, break fears, release vital energy. Take care of yourself and make sure that no one is watching you for this action: this is your Shadow, the audience is superfluous here.
2. Boat
The exercise is suitable for situations when you experience prolonged stress and feel exhausted, anxious, tired. It is offered by family psychologist Tatyana Kotovich. The execution time is 3-5 minutes. First, carefully read the description and try to remember all the steps so that you don’t get distracted by the text later.
Prepare paper and colored pencils, crayons or markers in advance. Turn on some nice music. Get into a comfortable position while sitting in a chair. Feel how comfortable your back and arms are supported by the chair. Take a deep breath and exhale. Gently wrap your arms around your shoulders and rock from side to side as if you were rocking a baby. Close your eyes.
Slowly swaying, imagine yourself on a small boat that glides smoothly along the flow of a slow river. Your boat is on a long, long journey. On the road, she withstood more than one storm and storm, and therefore there are traces of these tests on her sides, and in the boat itself, perhaps there is something that does not allow her to swim and pulls to the bottom.
Examine carefully your boat and the marks that remain on it. Examine the bottom of the boat: what can interfere and pull it to the bottom? Maybe it’s sand, or mud, or old unnecessary tackle, or something else. The waters of the river along which the boat floats are very clean and transparent. They have a cleansing power.
Now imagine how transparent waters wash away these consequences of heavy storms and slowly wash away all the heaviness, everything superfluous and unnecessary. The healing waters of the river cleanse your boat inside and out. See how it becomes bright, smooth and clean. Look at the bottom of your clean boat to see if there is anything left there. Let the river wash that away forever. The bottom of your boat is shiny and free. The waves, slowly rocking the boat, carry it further downstream, filling you with peace and happiness.
Allow yourself to stay in this pleasant state, sway yourself, embracing your shoulders, to the beat of the music. Breathe smoothly. When the music subsides, turn it on again and draw your boat – clean, washed after storms and storms, floating on a calm river, and yourself in it.
3. Breathe
Practice proper breathing, suggests Tatyana Lyachina. In stress, we breathe rapidly and intermittently, often fading on inhalation or exhalation. Therefore, to counter stress, slow down your breathing, deepen your inhalation and exhalation, and learn to breathe with your stomach. When we begin to breathe deeply, feelings usually rise and tears often appear. Do not be afraid of them, even if they turn into sobs – old people say: when a person cries, his soul gets wet. So let your soul “speak out.”
4. Play with sand
If you like sand on the beach, get some kinetic sand – recommends Tatyana Kotovich. It is lighter and wetter than normal, making it easy to create structures and landscapes. This activity, like watching them swim slowly, calms and sets you up in a philosophical way. Playing with kinetic sand will help relieve emotional stress.
Take a handful of sand in each hand. Squeeze your hand into a fist. Inhale and as you exhale slowly squeeze the sand in your fists, watch how the sand seeps through your fingers. Imagine that tension is released with this sand. You can combine this with breathing practices or just watch your breath. The same effect can be achieved by playing with ordinary sand or semolina, using slimes (lizuna) or handgum (smart plasticine).
5. Get your body back
During this practice, there is not only deep physical relaxation, but also an attentive and careful acquaintance with a long, seemingly known body, and each time you will discover more and more amazing sensations, says analytical psychologist Maria Khodurskaya. The execution time is about 15 minutes.
You will feel how your long-squeezed zones are relaxing.
This practice can be done lying down or sitting. In the second case, put your feet on the floor. The pose can be anything. Before doing it, make sure that you are really comfortable. We start with the feet. Feel them. Are they cold or warm? What surface are they on? Can you feel the blood pulsing? Feeling tired, heavy or light? Are they relaxed or tense?
Gradually moving from one part of the body to another, from the feet to the calves, knees, hips, buttocks, back, shoulders, arms, stomach, chest, neck, head and face, take a little time for every inch of your body. Feel the most pleasant places. Explore discomfort or tension. Watch your breath and let the sensations follow each other. You will feel how your long-strained zones relax and your understanding of the needs of your body becomes clearer.
6. Give thanks
You can start this practice by simply saying the words to yourself, and the feelings will come. It is not so important how they are charged, the main thing is that you will move from the point at which your balance is disturbed, says Tatyana Lyachina. This practice brings the energy of peace and harmony. It’s easy to learn this – start with the main thing: there is a place to live, there is something to eat – thank you! Eyes see (you are reading this text) – thank you! What follows is a text from your life.