Many people have difficulties managing their emotions in times of chaos or stress, and rightly so. Stressful situations can leave you anxious, irritable or even depressed. One of the most recommended ways to deal with stress is to take deep breaths to calm down, but is that enough?
“The technique I recommend most often, however, is a combination of breath control and visualization,” says Julianna Asare-Amankwah, Art Therapist and Counselor, Evolve Counsel.
“For instance, when caught in an uncontrollable situation that’s causing you anxiety, take a moment, close your eyes and take deep breaths for about 10 seconds. Then visualize your happy place or moment and relive it in your mind. This will help you calm down,” clarifies Asare-Amankwah.
She further explains that because your mind cannot tell the difference between reality and imagination, you have the power to envision a happy place that your mind will believe, and this creates a calming effect for the moment.
While the benefits of calming yourself in a stressful situation may be obvious, it’s not always easy to do. Asare-Amankwah stresses the importance of keeping calm and explains that the mind is better able to resolve a situation when it’s in a calm state. the situation then can easily be approached from a more rational perspective.
Take deep breaths
Once best practice recommended by Asare-Amankwah is deep breathing. “When you forcefully slow your breathing down, you slow your heart rate as well,” she clarifies and adds, “Deep breaths when done properly change your brain waves from Beta, most common daytime waves, to Theta waves which are associated with deep sleep or meditation and thus induce a sense of relaxation and calm.”
Visualize
How does visualization work? She advises, “Practice creating a go-to visual image or word or even gesture that you associate with being calm, peaceful or happy. This will come in handy in stressful situations. Combining both techniques have proven to be 90% effective for my clients.”
In an ideal scenario, you would want to walk away from the situation after finding your calm, but what if the circumstances call for you to remain in the environment?
“If you cannot leave immediately, realize that you may not be able to control the situation but you can control your response to it. You may also try viewing the situation as a challenge that is meant to teach you something and in that sense it stops inducing panic and becomes a sort of puzzle to find the lesson,” she advises.
So, if you find yourself in a stressful situation this week, practice deep breathing and visualization to help you manage your emotions and events.