Daily Stress Ritual
Relaxation is a learned art, but necessary for people with phobias and anxiety disorders to have as a part of their daily ritual. At first, it seems like a complicated intrusion, and a lot of people don’t succeed because they don’t give it their best shot. It’s not hard, it just takes perseverance. You deserve to have a relaxation ritual every day, so set aside fifteen minutes and relax. Not only does it replenish the mind and soul, but it is good for body, health, and the immune system.
Find a quiet place: Find a secluded place where you feel at peace. It can be in your home, in your garden, or anywhere that makes you feel relaxed and provides silence. If you choose a place outside of your home, make sure it’s accessible to you every day.
Find a relaxing position: Here’s where all of that yoga comes in handy. Sit up with a straight spine in the lotus position, or cross-legged. The lotus position promotes better breathing, sending more oxygen to all parts of your body. Don’t lie down in your relaxing place, because you may drift off to sleep.
Focus: Think of your favorite place in the whole world. Close your eyes, and build it in your head. For example, if your focus is the beach, picture the sand, the waves, and listen to the sound of the surf crashing. Don’t make your place too busy, or you will become scattered and loose focus. Also, if your visualizations skills are lacking, you can choose a sound, or word, and with long slow breaths, repeat it over and over again through your ritual.
Deep breathing:It’s important to breathe deeply during a relaxation ritual. Take long slow breaths in through your nose, and out through your mouth. If you are using a sound or word as your focal point, you would say the sound or word slowly with your exhale one time for each breath.
Don’t give up: In the beginning, we all have interruptive scattered thoughts come through, like driving in and out of radio frequencies. Don’t let that discourage you. Instead, let them come through, put them aside, and refocus. Over time, you will find that less and less thoughts interrupt your ritual. Persevere, and you will achieve.
