Relaxation Techniques

[Guest Anna]

Hi All,

My therapist thinks my OCD is bought on by stress and right now I am majorly stressed and I don't know what to do.

I'm in a panic as I have tried SO hard to banish all OCD from my life. This is my first hurdle and I want to jump over it so to speak.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Anna.

[Guest Ommadawn1982]

Hi Anna,

It almost sounds like being told that you're stressed has made you feel even more stressed than ever! Did you and your therapist spend any time identifying whether there are things in your life that cause you to become stressed, or that make your stress even worse?

Tony

[Guest JonnyT]

Hi Anna,

Sorry to hear that you are so stressed right now. You describe trying so hard to banish OCD from your life. Sometimes, the more that one fights to get rid of something, the more the mind tightens its grip around it like a vice. If you have spent all your life trying to push the OCD bully out of the same room that you are in, try just leaving it alone and walking into another room instead.

As for relaxation techniques, there are few more effective than being mindful of your breathing. When you are on your out-breath, know that you are breathing out. When you are on your in-breath, know that you breathe in. Do this for a few minutes and your panic should be much reduced.

Good luck and hope that you find peace of mind soon.

John

[Guest marky1982]

Hi Anna

I find picking a focus word like "relax" or "calm" which you say to yourself (either out loud or mentally) as you breathe out is very good, try to find 10 mins a day or when you're feeling stressed.

[Rachie]

Hi there Anna,

As the others say, breathing is a good way to try to calm down. I got a book called Overcoming Anxiety and it has a section in it on breathing. It recommends breathing in and out through your nose, and place your hand on your stomach and make sure you breathe from there rather than your chest. It feels a bit weird at first - I'm not used to it yet - but that's meant to be a good way to relax. It has other relaxation techniques in it which I will check out and tell you about when I can, in the next few days.

I'd recommend a book such as this one I've got - it goes into detail on how to deal with stress.

Rach xx

[Guest Anna]

Hi All,

Thanks for your replies...

Me and my therapist have sat down and looked at what I get stresses about and work is the main factor.

Last night I got even more stressed/anxious when my annoying housemate declared that I wasn't allowed to use as much water as I have been using therefore my rituals are pretty much going to have to be abolished.

She muttered "It'll be good for your OCD" - does she know that it's got to be ME who wants to change??

[Guest twoshoes]

It recommends breathing in and out through your nose, and place your hand on your stomach and make sure you breathe from there rather than your chest. It feels a bit weird at first - I'm not used to it yet -

This has really worked for me and it does feel weird - but watch a baby breathe, they breathe from their belly.

Also we tend to carry stress in our shoulders try this, slightly part your legs and bend at the waist like you were trying to touch your toes, but don't. Shake your shoulders and hanging arms gentley for just a few seconds. Than slowly stand up straight keeping your arms outstretched above your head. Keeping your arms outstreached bring them down to your sides in a backward circluar motion. Drop your shoulders all the way down so the almost feel like they are hanging from the base of your neck.

Once you have done this and gotten used to the feeling of relaxed shoulders you can acheive the same feeling buy doing a simple backward shoulder roll.

Releasing the tension in the shoulder is a step you can take to break the tension/anxiety cycle.

Take Care

[Atlantis]

when your head starts going on a mare, start counting backwards from 60 to zero maybe?

[Guest Anna]

when your head starts going on a mare, start counting backwards from 60 to zero maybe?

This is strangely another part of my OCD!! I find I have to count forwards, then backwards - or spell a word which I pluck out of the air forwards and backwards!

I am WEIRD!

[Guest Phil]

I am WEIRD!

Anna, that's not weird, that's normal compared to some of the stuff i do.

If you can think of a word that's weirder than weird, then that's me.

Or take the word "weird" and multiply it by 1000, and that = me!

He He He! (Phil laughs out loud)!!!...

[Guest Ommadawn1982]

Hi Anna,

As others have said, Circular breathing is a useful technique for relaxation. I find the best way to do this is to breathe in through your nose, and gently push your stomach out at the same time, hold your breath for a few seconds, then breathe out through your mouth, easing your tummy back in, and slowly count towards ten in every outbreath.

Also, have you tried Camomile Tea? I'm going to sound like a right old hippy saying that, but my girlfriend recommended it to me and, though I don't know if it works for everyone, I find it makes me feel a lot calmer and more mellow... just an idea.

Tony

PS. Remember to breathe out or you'll end up looking like this >> :eek:

Edited March 21, 2006 by Guest

[Atlantis]

sorry thats mainly used to combat intrusive thoughts, as in counter attacking them - distraction technique

x

[Guest Anna]

Anna, that's not weird, that's normal compared to some of the stuff i do.

This is only a MINUT part of my OCD - trust me I do VERY weird things!!! Well, they're weird to others but not me :blushing:

Also, have you tried Camomile Tea?

PS. Remember to breathe out or you'll end up looking like this >> :eek:

I hate Camomile Tea - it's tastes like Cat's Pee :lol:

I will remember to breath!!

xx.

[Guest RachelZ]

This might seem a really silly thing to add but having read this thread I think things that make you smile or laugh is a great thing to help relax you. Here speaks the woman who's anxiety goes out into orbit...but seriously...a few of the things that people said like cammomile tasting like cat's pee and remembering to breath or you'll end up looking like that goggly eyed smiley a few posts up made me chuckle. I know when you feel really awful, finding things funny can be a struggle...maybe we should start a things to make you smile thread...anyway, hope that didn't come accross as flippant...I really understand how badly anxiety can suck...just thought maybe the humour thing may help you if you can. Thanks to those who made me smile! Take care, Rachel :a1_cheesygrin:

[Guest Ommadawn1982]

...maybe we should start a things to make you smile thread...

That's a brilliant Idea!!

Tony

[Guest Ommadawn1982]

I hate Camomile Tea - it's tastes like Cat's Pee :lol:

It does grow on you - I hated it at first... then I realised you weren't supposed to put milk in it!

Tony

[Guest Dimphy]

Hi Anna!

The psychiatrist I see regularly is a bit useless to me, only prescribes meds and that's basically it. But when I told him I was absolutely stressed out he sent me to this place where, excuse the expression, a bunch of halfwits was gathered as some kind of day care unit.

I panicked even more when they took me to this room designed for relaxation therapy. There were bubbles floating in big glass tubes with all different colours filling the room, the woman put on some kind of new age type of music and switched on this machine that reflects nice pictures of fields and birds on the walls. At last she also had a machine to bring a nice scent around the room. And then the light was switched off...Aaaargh...

The tape with the man with the relaxing voice was turned on and I found myself nearly falling asleep while doing the excercises the man on the tape was telling me to do, all to relax the muscles and to watch your breathing.

After doing this for about three weeks (a session of about twenty minutes a week) I actually started to feel relaxed and even had more energy!

According to the medical staff there you reap benefits if you do this at least once a week. You have less chance on heart disease, cancer and what have you, so you basically live longer because you're looking after your body!

I would recommend this to anyone! You can buy these relaxation tapes anywhere and there is special relaxation music on sale too.

(I have to keep reminding myself to do the relaxation though...)

[Guest Anna]

Wow Dimphy!

That sounds like it would help me a lot - can you go privately??

I might ask my therapist about that!

xx.

[Rachie]

I too detest camomile tea!!! I have no idea how anyone can like it!! I quite like some green teas though - jasmine green tea's nice, quite relaxing too.

I've got my book with me - it says when doing the controlled breathing, aim to take 8-12 breaths a minute (breathing in and out counts as one breath.)

Another exercise it recommends is Progressive Muscular Relaxation, (PMR) which you may have heard of already. Basically you tense all your muscles (but don't strain them), concentrating on the feeling of tension. Hold for about 5 seconds then let go for 10-15 seconds. Do it for muscle groups throughout the body, and breathe slowly and regularly throughout and inbetween the exercise. You should focus in turn on parts of the body - feet, legs, abdomen, back, shoulders/neck, arms, face, then whole body at once. It says you should do it until you no longer feel tense - if parts of your body still feel tense, repeat it with that area. At the end, it says you should relax your mind for a few minutes, thinking about something restful, and breathing through your nose for a minute or two before getting up slowly.

The book recommends doing this twice a day until you always feel fully relaxed at the end of each exercise, then you can move onto shortened PMR, which is to relax the muscles without having to go through the tensing them first stage.

Does that make sense? If you want (and if it wouldn't be breaching copyright) I could try to photocopy the section and send it to you through the charity, if that would be ok by Ashley.

Jonny, was it you who was asking about relaxation exercises a while ago? I hope this will be of some help to you too!

Dimphy, that relaxation room sounds amazing!!

Rach x

[Guest Dimphy]

I don't know how the system works in England, but I have a medical card so almost everything is for free. Lucky me!!

But in all fairness, you can easily do relaxation therapy at home, I find it more relaxing even though I had the whole room to myself.

The excercises Rachie is on about are exactly the ones the man on my tape is telling me to do. Tense the muscles for a couple of seconds and then relax them and concentrate on the feeling of relaxation.

It definitely works lads!

I hope your therapist can tell you more about this Anna!

[Guest Lizbeth]

Hey hun,

Hope you're feeling calmer this evening. For me, I go to Lush at Liverpool Street Station and buy a couple of bath bombs (butterball is LOVERLY) and a massage bar and just lie in the bath for ages...before moisturising for ages with the massage bar and then lying on my bed and watching TV. :original:

I often find it VERY hard just to be still for a short period and for this reason my anxiety and generally tense nature accelerates. I therefore make my bath as lovely as possible and make sure I lie there for a while.

Hope that helps.

xxJadexx :original:

Edited March 22, 2006 by Guest

[Guest Anna]

:helpsmilie: I feel as if I am about to have a breakdown. Everything is going wrong and I feel like I am going to explode. I can't control everything I am doing - I feel like I want to chuck things against a wall, cut myself, pull my hair out. NO ONE SEES WHAT I AM GOING THROUGH.

Something's gotta give and I don't know what

[Guest FobicFairy]

I used to use visual relaxation a lot, you count back from 40 to 1 breathing deeply then tense your muscles and release again one by one until your body feels relaxed. Start with toes, then ankles, work up the body, torso, then even facial muscles last of all. Then you count back again, 40 39, feeling heavy, 34, 33, feeling relaxed and closing eyes ahhhh 30 29 etc, just saying relaxing things in your head until you get to 0.

This is the good part, then you have a 'safe place' you should think about this before you begin the relaxation, it can be whatever and wherever you like. Mine is a beach, and I am transported there once I hit 1.

Then you imagine lying with the sun on your face, feel the warmth, the granuals of sand under your hands, the sounds of the birds, sea, trees in gentle warm breeze. You just make it however you want it, have who you want there, or be alone, it can be insect free, anything you want so that it's 100% safe.

When you have rested you can either just let yourself fall asleep and wake up later nice and rested, or count back up again and sit partly up, count more then sit up carefully, then stand making sure you are nice and awake before pootling off to get on with your chores.

You can then take this one stage further, you can actually use it to face your OCD fears, you can relax yourself then gradually introduce yourself to things that make you afraid. It's a bit like NLP, you are suggesting things to your mind when you are in a relaxed state and facing up to them, I used to stomp around in clouds of ant powder which was my very worst fear.

I am told a lot of people can control OCD this way along with stress and anxiety. I just use it mainly when I am very stressed now, it's handy when trying to get to sleep as well. Sadly it hasn't cured my OCD, but it's just another tool I use to lean on sometimes.

If you want to try it, try imagining you have a lemon, cut it in half, smell it, then taste it, it takes practice, when you wince when the flavour of the lemon hits your taste buds you are ready to move onto bigger and better places.

Hope this is helpful.

FF