Stress hurts

[outlander]

BREATHE, HOLD AND RELEASE

1. Take a deep breath – breathing in fully and as deeply as you can.
2. Hold the breath for a count of 5 – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
3. One the count of 5, release the breath all at once.
4. As you continue to do this exercise you can slow down the counting a little bit each time so that the holding of the breath becomes progressively a little longer.
5. In between breaths that you hold you may wish to take a couple of normal breaths.
6. Remember that no matter how long you hold the in-breath that you let the out-breath escape in a “whoosh”, releasing all the breath at once.
After a while you should notice that your breathing has slowed down. You may also notice that your muscles feel more loose and relaxed, especially after each sudden out-breath when your body may even go floppy for a few seconds

[outlander]

MINDFULLNESS OF THOUGHTS
Close your eyes and bring into your mind a place that for you has elements of peacefulness, calm and relaxation – this may be a real place that you have been to in your life or it may be a place that you are creating in your imagination from bits and pieces of memories or real places
Once you have started to develop a picture of this place in your mind, start to fill in some of the details in your imagination;
Look around you in that place and notice what objects you can see.
Can you hear anything?
Is it warm, cool, hot, cold in that place?
Is there sunlight, shadow, are you indoors, outdoors?
Is the natural world present in this place? What can you notice?
Is there a breeze or is the air still?
Notice where you are. Try to place yourself in the very middle of this place you have created in your mind – notice what is around you when you are in the middle of it.
Once you have created the place in your mind – this place that is calm, peaceful and relaxation – just allow yourself to stay there for a little while and enjoy it.
When you are ready to leave look around you for one thing in that place that you could take home as a memento or souvenir. This could be something that you could hold in your hand – if it is imagine it is now in your hand – or it could be an image, a sound or a sensation that you can carry in your memory. Once you have chosen your memento or souvenir, then take it with you as you gently open your eyes and take note of your surroundings.
Finally, remembering your souvenir or memento, close your eyes again and use this souvenir as a key to take you back to this place that is peaceful, calm and relaxation. Once you are back there enjoy being there for a few seconds before taking your souvenir/memento and opening your eyes and noticing your surroundings.
You now know that this is a place you can go to any time, anywhere – you have the souvenir/memento which can be the key to take you there

[outlander]

Quick tense and release

1. Focus first on your hands.
2. Clench your fists tightly for a few seconds -hold for the count of 3 seconds, counting them out – 1, 2, 3. You may wish to progressively hold for 4 seconds, then 5 or even more. Make sure you are able to do this reasonably comfortably.
3. Release the tension all in one go – make sure that the tension is released all at once with a feeling of floppiness at the end.
4. Repeat this with your hands and lower arms.
5. Repeat this with your hands and your whole arms.
6. Repeat this exercise with your feet, then feet and lower legs, then feet and whole of legs.
7. Finally hold the muscles of your entire body tense, hold for the count of 3 and at 3 release all tension from your body

[outlander]

SLOWING DOWN BREATHING
 
1. Work out the pace and speed that works best for you.
2. Breathe in for the count of three.
3. Breathe out for the count of three.
4. Continue to do this and each time slow the count to three very slightly.
5. Don’t force the slowing down process – just allow your counting to gently keep time with a minor slowing down or the breathing for each time you repeat the exercise.
6. When you have slowed your breathing down and notice that you have come to a pace that feels comfortable then stay at that pace, continuing to count your breath in to the count of three and out to the count of three.
A variation to this exercise is instead of counting the breaths in and out you may wish to spell them in – you might wish to spell “c-a-l-m” or “r-e-l-a-x”
1. When you breathe in, spell the letters – “c-a-l-m” (or “r-e-l-a-x”).
2. When you breathe out, spell the letters – “c-a-l-m” (or “r-e-l-a-x”).
3. Each time you repeat the exercise slow the spelling down a little.
4. When you get to a slower pace that feels comfortable then stay at that pace, continuing to spell your breath in and to spell your breath ou

[outlander]

DISTRACTIONS

colour in

draw

have a shower or bath

read a book

write a poem

listen to music

rearrange your room

go for a drive

go for a walk

watch your fave movie or tv show

study

cook something

create a pintrest board

count back from 100

do some origami

play the playstation etc

[outlander]

[Evie1]

Thanks for the help but talking always works for me

[outlander]

Then talk away @Evie1 we are here listening and the helplines are always there too

[Evie1]

I simply wanna Suicide all the time

[outlander]

 do you know why those feelings arise @Evie1 what triggers you into thinking that way?