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 Everyone knows what it’s like to feel anxious. All of us have experienced it and naturally we worry that we will look foolish or that something bad is going to happen to us or someone we love.
But sometimes feelings of anxiety can become overwhelming. Some people’s feelings of anxiety get out of proportion to any likely danger. They can’t get thoughts about disaster out of their minds. When this happens, anxiety, instead of sharpening us up and making us do well, becomes debilitating and disabling.
People suffering from this sort of anxiety feel ill. They lack energy; they feel tense and on edge. They’re restless and unable to concentrate. Their sleep is affected and they wake unrefreshed. They may feel that they can’t breathe properly. They become obsessed with thoughts of impending danger and disaster.
- Difficulty with concentration
- Nausea
- Trouble breathing
- Feeling shaky
- A lump in the throat
- Restlessness and inability to relax
A Relaxation for Living Institute Relaxation Programme can help reduce anxiety.
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Although everyone knows what it's like to feel anxious, many people don’t have much idea of what it is like to be depressed. It’s true, of course, that we all have good days and bad days, highs and lows, ups and downs. But depression isn’t just feeling unhappy or being in a bad mood.
People who are seriously clinically depressed certainly do feel despondent but there’s more to it than that. Inside themselves, they feel empty and worthless. Worst of all, they feel that things will never get better.
Sometimes depression strikes in the aftermath of a traumatic event such as a bereavement, a divorce or a serious illness. But often it comes out of the blue for no identifiable reason.Symptoms of depression include:
- Feeling that one is a worthless person
- Feelings of guilt over what happened in the past
- A sense of hopelessness – that there is no light at the end of the tunnel
- Difficulty with concentration
- Withdrawing from contact with family and friends
- Difficulty in falling asleep
- Waking early in the morning and being unable to get back to sleep
- Loss of appetite
- A feeling that life isn’t worth living
- Lack of energy
People suffering from depression need medical help and, if you recognize that you or someone close to you is depressed, you should pluck up the courage to consult your doctor. Treatment may take a while to work but in the long term it is almost always effective. No one stays depressed for ever – even if that’s how they feel at the time.
Some people are unfortunate enough to suffer from recurrent depression. If you are one of them you may find the techniques described on this website helpful in reducing the risk of another episode. We can’t guarantee that these techniques will ward off depression entirely. Even so, by learning to deal more effectively with the stress in your life you give yourself the best chance of coping with feelings of unhappiness and despondency.
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How can Relaxation for Living help you to control your anxiety and get rid of these symptoms? |
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We can’t stop stressful events occurring in our lives, but we can minimise their harmful effects by learning RFL techniques. In the meantime –
If you are concerned about a particular situation, don’t be afraid to ask for help
If you feel yourself becoming over-anxious, use the WASP technique
Check for tension in your body throughout the day, try to avoid pressure building up – see Standing Posture and Sitting Posture
Practise the relaxation exercises and try to build them into your daily routine.
Check out your Mental Attitudes - how realistic are your worries? What help is available?
Or, enrol in one of our Relaxation programmes .
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