3 Ways to Reduce Anxiety with HeartMath
/HeartMath is a research based system of scientifically validated techniques, tools and technology to increase mental and emotional self regulation. You can learn various HeartMath techniques that can create a sustainable emotional shift by shifting the heart rhythm into a coherent pattern. Coherence is when both branches of the autonomic nervous system, the parasympathetic and sympathetic, become synchronized. Shifting our attention to the physical area of the heart, combined with generating a sincere positive feeling like love, gratitude or appreciation, is how the heart rhythm pattern creates coherence.
HeartMath has also developed user-friendly simple techniques to help you make quick, positive emotional shifts. HeartMath tools can help release anxiety as well as transform familiar anxiety patterns into healthier baseline patterns. As with any tool or technique, the key is to practice daily.
3 HeartMath techniques for reducing anxiety:
1. Notice and Ease
This basic tool helps you admit and name what you’re feeling. Once you honestly admit you're feeling anxious, you start to diminish its power over you. Even a bit of ease can help bring a more balanced perspective. You can learn to reduce anxiety or other stressful feelings which helps stop their energy drain.
Step 1: Notice and admit what you’re feeling.
Step 2: Try to name the feeling.
Step 3: Tell yourself to e-a-s-e as your gently focus on your heart,relax your breath, and e-a-s-e the stress out.
2. Power of Neutral
This tool helps you learn a simple yet powerful tool for refocusing emotions. This tool teaches you to use the rhythmic power of your heart to bring your mind, emotions and physiology to a state of neutral which can lessen many anxiety triggers. This tool helps you to clear your mind and see more options with clarity.
Step 1: Take a time-out, breathing slowly and deeply. Imagine the air entering and leaving through your heart area.
Step 2: Try to disengage from your stressful thoughts and worried feelings as you continue to breathe.
Step 3: Continue the steps until you have neutralized the emotional charge.
One thing you can ask yourself is “Do I really want to keep draining my energy and stressing about the situation?”
3. Attitude Breathing
This tool is designed to help you shift out of a negative emotional state into a positive emotional state. Attitude breathing helps you to learn to clear and replace negative attitudes in the midst of feeling stressed or anxious to gain a more intelligent perspective.
Step 1: Recognize an unwanted attitude; a feeling or attitude that you want to change. Some feelings or attitudes could be anxiety, anger or guilt.
Step 2: Identify and breathe a replacement attitude. Select a positive attitude slowly and casually through your heart area. Do this until you can experience the new feeling.
Source: Transforming Anxiety by Doc Childre and Deborah Rozman.
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