Dear All

We all get anxious when we have to face difficult situations and uncomfortable treatments. Even experienced actors get butterflies before the show and get subjected to anxiety. A panic/anxiety attack occurs when your body is extremely stressed and can no longer manage the stress. Your heart races, you start hyperventilating, your vision dims, you get dizzy. At the first sign of panic/anxiety, the key is to relax. You need techniques to calm yourself down. Here are some techniques that may help you:

1. Deep Breathing: The human being was designed to inhale air through the nose. Our nostrils are first line of defense. They filter out particles of dust and dirt. Breathing through the nose also help us regulate a correct rhythm of breathing. Put one hand on your chest and the other on your stomach. Take a deep breath in through your nose and make the hand on your stomach move and the hand on your chest remain still. Takes a bit of practice, but with practice it gets easier. Take a deep breath in and hold it for a count of three. Then breathe it out through your mouth and count to five before taking the next deep breath. This prevents you from hyperventilating during an attack. You need to practice this breathing daily for at least ten minutes so that it becomes an automatic response. Eventually, it comes secondary in nature.

2. Muscle relaxation: Starting with your toes tighten the muscles for thirty seconds to one minute until they start to ache. Then completely relax the muscle group letting it go limp like spaghetti and repeat the process until you know how to relax the muscle. Repeat this with all the muscle groups- fingers, hands, arms, shoulders, neck, legs. Practice this relaxation daily. When a panic attack hits, you mentally check to see which muscles you have tensed up and then relax them.

3. Positive affirmations: The single most important point you can make about stress is that in most cases it's not what's out there that's the problem, it's how you react to it. How you react is determined by how you perceive a particular stress. The Chinese word for crisis is """weiji""". Two characters that separately mean danger and opportunity. Every problem we encounter in life can be viewed that way. It is a chance to show that we can handle it. Changing the way you think, can change a life of stress and discomfort to a life of challenge and excitement. Thinking about a success or a past achievement is excellent when you're feeling uncertain and stress. You are instantly reminded that you've achieved before, and there's no reason you shouldn't achieve this time. You should have a list of affirmations ready that you canstart repeating when you feel stressed. They don't have to be complicated. Just saying aloud """I can handle this""" to yourself or """Calm""" or """Peace""" will work. It pulls you away from the animal reflex to stress�the quick breathing, the cold hands�and toward the reasoned response, the intellect�the part of you that really can handle it. It's necessary to think these thoughts consciously because doing so automatically changes the mind-set that's producing the stress. If you're reciting an affirmation, you're not thinking about whatever bothers you.

4. Guardian Angel Visualisation: If you feel in need of protection, help is out there - all you need to do is ask! If you already have, visualise a specific deity or guardian spirit you believe in. ( If you don't have a 'guardian angel', you can start by thinking about what sort of being you would like to have around you and why - angel? god or goddess? Take some quiet time to do some visualisation and focus on an image makes you feel comfortable and safe.) Feel their warm presence at your shoulder - interested and beneficent. Mentally greet your guardian and make friends with him or her - be aware of the powers and energy he/she has, and then ask him/her to protect you. Do this whenever you feel you need help and reassurance. You can contact your 'guardian angel' at any time - he/she is always there for you, in the spirit of mutual co-operation and understanding. (A guardian may become a permanent part of your life, or you may find that a guardian may appear in your life for a short time in order to deal with a specific situation and then leave when its task is done). Please remember to thank your guardian - first thing in the morning and last thing at night are ideal, as well as any time you have specifically called on him/her. This helps to maintain and strengthen your relationship with your guardian, and will help you to gain more inner self-confidence.

I hope you find these techniques helpful.

Best wishes
Vinod :coffee: