This is one of my favourite posts from last summer and I wanted to share it with all of you. Next time you’re sitting in your chair or in the car try to bring some awareness to your breath and see what your pattern of breathe is.
I don’t know about your anxious child but my daughter is terribly frightened to let herself relax. I have worked long and hard at getting her to do the same breathing techniques that I practice and up until now her little nervous system was in too much turmoil to let go. Lying down was even a problem for a while. She would actually fall asleep sitting up.
Have you ever realized just how much we tense up? When you are tired, sick, scared or anxious our bodies natural tendency is to go into the fetal position. This position provides better protection to the brain and vital organs than simply lying spread out on the ground, so it is obvious as to why it is an instinctual reaction to extreme stress or trauma when the brain is no longer able to cope with the surrounding environment, and in essence “shuts down” temporarily.
A few years ago, I worked with a middle-aged man (I’ll call him “Jim”) who was legally blind and suffered from social anxiety disorder (social phobia). Jim also experienced panic attacks. He wanted to learn to manage his anxiety better and to not have to take his anti-anxiety pills.
