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General anxiety can prevent you from living the life that you deserve. Have you ever felt that days, weeks, months, even years are passing by so quickly that one day you will look around and realize that you've missed out on some of the most valuable moments of your life? This can often happen because we are so anxious about the future, so focussed on some future outcome, so worried that a particular event will occur, that we completely miss out on what is happening right now! Let's face it, the future never comes! The more anxiously we await the future the more we are missing out on what life is really about.
So take a moment, breathe deeply, and allow yourself to be impressed by these tips which will help you to eliminate anxiety for good.
1. Breathe Deeply: Abdominal breathing has been shown in numerous studies to have all sorts of beneficial effects, not only on the nervous system but on physical conditions as well such as blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Here's how to do it correctly: Find a comfortable chair and sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor and your hands in your lap. Expand the abdomen and allow the oxygen to rush into the stomach (of course it does not actually go into the stomach but this is a useful visualization). Keep in mind that you are not actually forcing air into the lungs, you simply expand the abdomen and atmospheric pressure takes care of the rest. Once your abdomen is completely full you can expand the upper chest so that you feel two "pockets" underneath the collar bones expand. If you are doing this correctly you will also feel some expansion in the back near the kidneys. When finished with inhalation, gently express the CO2 from your longs by releasing air from the "pockets" below the collar bone and then by compressing the abdomen until all CO2 has been discharged. Repeat this for a total of 5 breaths. It is useful to perform this before each meal and also whenever stress begins to creep up on you.
2. Posture: Throughout the day you will want to check your posture to make sure you are sitting correctly, especially if you work a sedentary job. Once you get into the "posture habit" you will never feel comfortable slouching again. It takes several weeks for most people to form a habit, so you must be vigilant with yourself in the meantime. When sitting you want both feet to be flat on the floor. Hands should be resting on your computer keyboard which is around the level of the navel. Your shoulders should be resting gently, gravity pulling them down naturally toward the seat, aligned with the spine. Make sure you are not hunched forward or backward. Your spine should be straight and you should be sitting centered on your sitting bones. Your neck should likewise be in alignment with your spine, not leaning forwards or backwards. When sitting correctly, your lower back muscles, which are the strongest muscles in your body, will be supporting your entire frame which can relax. In the beginning you may feel some discomfort as your lower back muscles are put to work again, but within a few weeks you will only want to sit with perfect posture, because anything else will not feel "right".
3. Diet: Sometimes anxiety can be a sign from your body that something is wrong and needs to be changed. For example, if you're constantly eating fast food, and after you eat you have a general feeling of anxiety about the state of your health, then it is advisable not to ignore these warnings. Change your eating habits, and be thankful that you were perceptive enough to listen to your own intuition! Caffeine and sugar should also be avoided. Caffeine triggers increased neuron activity, which sends a message to your adrenal glands to secreate more adrenaline. Adrenaline may be useful when you're approached in a dark alley at 2:00 AM, but not when you're sitting at your computer surfing CNN.
With these few tips, you should be on your way to liberation from the bonds of anxiety. While these are meant to provide relief to general anxiety, if you are having panic attacks or severe anxiety, be sure to check out the products in our reviews which are better suited to these types of ailments.
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