Has anyone here tried visualization for anxiety issues? I used to take Ativan when I would get anxious. It worked, but it made me a total waste for the rest of the day. Now when I feel the anxiety coming on, I try to imagine myself in the mountains or on a beach. It doesn't work as well as the Ativan, but it usually helps to get my anxiety down from critical levels. And I'm not hung over for the rest of the day.
It took me *forever* to learn how to do it effectively. What really tipped the balance for me was coming to truly believe on a deep level that I deserved to have some relief from anxiety.
I'd picked up all kinds of messages growing up that I if I didn't stay alert and on edge every second I'd turn into some kind of lazy sloth. I had to convince myself that I could be relaxed and still do well, and that I owed it to myself to learn how to relax.
I bought a couple of visualization CDs, but found that I didn't respod well to other people's suggestions, no matter how gentle. Finally I just thought about the places in my life where I'd felt most relaxed and tried to visualize them when I could feel myself getting worked up.
One image that really helped me was to visualize myself at a beautiful beach and me in an innertube on the water. I imagine just a little rippling on the waters to where I am being rocked very gently. The ideas of the rippling and the rocking helped me to relax my muscles (which is hard for me to do usually).
I have a friend that swears by yoga to reduce anxiety, but I'm really out of shape and if I got myself into one of those postures (fat chance!), I'd spend the next year in traction.
Music is a big relaxer for me, too. I have a job that requires a lot of driving, and playing my favorite CDs in the car really helps me deal with tension.
I don't know much about yoga, but would that help reduce anxiety?
Also, I think some kinds of music could be helpful. For me, that would probably be instrumental light classical.
I don't know a lot about yoga either, but it certainly seems to be the sort of thing that could definitely be beneficial. When it comes to music, sometimes that helps me and sometimes it doesn't. I guess it depends on what the root of the anxiety was. I *do* know that classical wouldn't do a thing for me, though.
I agree that music can have a very relaxing effect.
Also, have you ever listened to music playing on a Windows Media Player that had the visualizations? They're shapes and colours that respond to the music.
I wonder if that would be helpful to anyone trying to relax?
I agree that music can have a very relaxing effect.
Also, have you ever listened to music playing on a Windows Media Player that had the visualizations? They're shapes and colours that respond to the music.
I wonder if that would be helpful to anyone trying to relax?
I use it as my music player sometimes, yes. I can't really see that it would be soothing or relaxing, though... it's actually a bit to "busy" to be relaxing and it can tend to have the opposite effect on me. Just a personal opinion and I don't know if it helps to calm others or not... just not me.
Soothing Visualization
Soothing Visualization
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