Stress & more...

[Azarae]

Argh!! As if me picking at my own face wasn't bad enough...I had one bird nip the bridge of my nose about 7 times(really fast little booger) so I have 14 scabs on my nose to try & not pick at...

Then my other bird decided ripping out every little hair she can find on my face & arms is a LOT of fun(ouch on the eyebrow plucking, how do people DO that???).

Then I've been eating Xanax like it's candy to help quell the panic attacks I'm having about re-financing our house this week...so I sit like a stoned zombie & pick or I don't take my meds, stress & panic & sit like a speed freak ripping my face & body apart...

Stress is just the bane of my life these days...I used to thrive on it & then one day about 4 months ago I started having panic attacks...I'm such a mess

Okay, done babbling now...

Know any good de-stressing techniques or care to share anything you do to help relieve stress??

Thanks,

Karla B.

[e]

deep breathing. it's the best.

[pickles]

Concentrate on your breathing. Take a deep breathe right now and notice how your stomach expands a little bit when your taking your breathe in? Well, you could try doing it backwards. So when you breathe in, suck or pull your stomach in and then expand your stomach when you breathe out. Do it very slowly. My counselor recommendded trying it. It helps me if I do it long enough. It might not work for everyone though!

[angelkiss]

yeah i agree, deep breathing is so great, i do it all the time now.

also, progressive muscle relaxation.
basically, this requires being alone in a comfortable place though, so not always convenient. but if you get a chance, it feels really great. sit in a comfortable place and get relaxed. you go down your entire body and tense each muscle group for about twenty seconds, then relax it...start with hands, then arms, shoulders and back, stomach, legs, calves, toes, and even your butt. then after you do this tensing/relaxing phase, you mentally go over each muscle group again and concentrate on how relaxed your muscles are...tell yourself your legs are getting heavier, you can't move your arms, they are so relaxed, concentrate carefully on your breathing, not breathing too fast or too slow...and you can add visualization for a really thorough relaxation.

if you don't at least try it once, you're missing out :-)