Stress & Anxiety Resources
Tips and Tools to Help Calm Stress & Anxiety
Mindful Practice With Danica
Week of 9/21
Week of 9/14
Week of 9/7
The Cycle of Anxiety
When left untreated and unaddressed, anxiety has a tendency to grow. This is explained by the cycle of anxiety.
How to do Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is a relaxation technique that will help you reduce stress and anxiety. This video provides a brief description of deep breathing followed by guided practice.
Just Breath
Breath Bubble
Breath in, Hold, Breath out
Try some of these tips to cope with your stress:
Take care of yourself. Eat well-balanced meals on a regular basis. Drink less caffeine. Get enough sleep, and exercise on a regular basis.
Make a list of the things that are causing your stress. Think about your friends, family, school, and other activities. Accept that you can’t control everything on your list.
Take control of what you can. For example, maybe you don’t have enough time to study to get the grades you want. You may need to cut back your work hours. Or you might have to drop one of your activities after school.
Give yourself a break. Remember that you can’t make everyone in your life happy all the time. And it’s okay to make mistakes now and then.
Don’t over-commit yourself. If you’re already too busy, don’t promise to decorate for the school dance. If you’re tired and don’t want to go out, tell your friends you’ll go another night.
Find someone to talk to. Talking to your friends or family can help. It gives you a chance to express your feelings. If you feel like you can’t talk to your family or a friend, talk to someone outside the situation.
Tapping Technique
Proponents believe tapping has the ability to reduce stress or negative emotions and ultimately restore balance.
Self-Havening Technique
Anxiety is a very real phenomena and in the face of mounting fears about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Health Anxiety is sky rocketing. This video provides an experiential exercise utilizing self-havening to decrease stress, anxiety, and fears about the Coronavirus while harnessing the power of neuroplasticity to enhance an internal resource of personal strength and health empowerment.
Mindful Breathing Exercises for Relaxation
How Mindfulness Empowers Us
Mindfulness allows us to see our thoughts and feelings as they really are, freeing us from old ways of thinking.
Quick Mindful Breathing Exercise
Counting Breath Exercise
Forgiving Yourself Exercise
Guided Relaxation Before Bed Exercise
Why Does Relaxation Help Us?
Relaxation helps by calming the body down, helping us to think more rationally, relaxes our muscles, switches off the nervous system, stops the production of stress hormones (as an example adrenalin) and proves we are not in danger.
If we have been anxious for awhile relaxation can be practiced regularly to help the body to get used to being relaxed.
Become a Relaxation Expert
We all think we know how to relax. But chilling out in front of the TV or computer isn't true relaxation. (Depending on what you're watching or doing, it could even make you more tense.) What the body really needs is daily practice of a relaxation technique — like deep breathing or yoga — that has a physical effect on the mind. For example, deep breathing helps to relax a major nerve that runs from the diaphragm to the brain, sending a message to the entire body to let go and loosen up. (KidsHealth, 2020)
"Relaxation helps you to achieve a clear and calm mind!"
Connect with Nature
Heading out for a walk in the park or a hike in the woods can help anyone feel peaceful and grounded.
Get Enough Sleep
Want your mind and body to feel peaceful and strong enough to handle life's ups and downs? Get the right amount of sleep for your needs — not too much or too little.
Eat Well
Choose fruit, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains for long-term energy (instead of the short bursts that come from too much sugar or caffeine).
(KidsHealth, 2020)
Exercise
Exercise sends oxygen to every cell in the body so your brain and body can operate at their best.
(KidsHealth, 2020)