BY: Dr. Prerna Kohli
Relaxation Exercises
Our bodies respond not just emotionally, but also physically in response to the daily life stressors that we face. While watching TV, listening to music, reading, or hanging out with friends and family might help one relax and forget about stress temporarily, it will not counter the long-term negative effects that it has on one’s body. Therefore, it becomes important to practice some form of relaxation exercise on a regular basis. Following are some relaxation techniques that you can practice on a daily basis –
Deep Breathing
How we breathe often plays a very pivotal role in how anxious or stressed we feel in a certain situation. We often do not realize, that when stressed we tend to take shallow breaths. As a result, our oxygen intake reduces and muscle tension increases. Thus, to cope with this practice slow and deep breathing. To do this, follow the below steps –
- Place your hand on your belly so that while breathing in you can feel your belly expand like a balloon.
- Hold your breath for five seconds and then let go your breath from your mouth as you feel the air expel from your belly, like a balloon getting deflated.
- Repeat this cycle 10-15 times.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
This requires one to systematically tense and then relax a group of muscles of one’s body, starting from one’s feet, and then progressing in an upward direction. Thus, to do this, follow the below steps –
- Close your eyes as you sit or lie down in a comfortable position.
- Then starting from the bottom, tense the muscles of your right foot. Hold it for 10 seconds, but not in a manner too tight.
- Then feel the tension flows away from your body as you relax the muscles.
- Move on to your left foot and then in the following direction – calf, thigh, hips, stomach, chest, back, hand, arms, shoulders, neck, face, and head.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation is a way of focusing on one’s present surroundings, rather than thinking about one’s past or future. Thus, it requires you to start by focusing on any one aspect of your breathing (such as the sensation of air entering your nose, or your belling expanding and contracting), and then slowly shift your focus to any object (such as a burning candle) or sensation of your choice from your surrounding.
Visualization
This requires one to conjure up an image of a place that one finds peaceful, calming and safe. This image could be a place that you have visited yourself or could be something you build out of your creative imagination. To do this, thus, follow the below steps –
- Sit comfortably, close your eyes and breathe gently as you imagine yourself in this place.
- Feel your body relax as you experience the different bodily sensations as a result of being in that place.
Yoga
Yoga serves both physical and mental benefits as it combines rhythmic breathing along with different body postures. Thus, it helps not only calm one’s mind and body but also enhances flexibility, balance, and stamina.
Exercise
Include some form of physical exercise in your day-to-day routine as this will help you not only stay fit physically, but will also elevate your mood, and help combat stress and anxiety through the release of different endorphins.
BY: Dr. Prerna Kohli
Steps to Stop a Panic Attack
Panic attacks are common when someone has anxiety issues. When a panic attack happens, the person starts to feel that he/she is having a heart attack. The heart starts beating rapidly and there is a sense of fear that they are going to die. There is also a sensation where they feel like they cannot breathe and loosing all of the body controls. Thus, making it a terrifying experience for the person.
But, all these things can be stopped in the first three minutes of the attack. The glands which are secreting the chemicals, inducing the panic attack could be stopped within three minutes.
Thus, below are the steps to stop a Panic Attack:
Relaxing:
Firstly, it’s important to relax when you are going to have a panic attack. You can relax by taking deep breaths, slowly. When having a panic attack the first thought is of a heart attack. You need to calm your self by knowing that it is not a heart attack but a panic attack. Thus, it doesn’t have any threat to your life. During this, keep taking slow and deep breaths.
Dealing with Negative Thoughts:
A panic attack occurs due to negative thoughts. Thus, the next step is to stop the negative thoughts. You can stop this by saying very loudly in your head, “STOP”. By saying this you will interrupt the process of thinking. Once the thought process is interrupted you will be able to replace the thoughts.
Replacing the Negative Thoughts:
Thirdly, after there is an interruption of the negative thoughts it is important to replace them with the positive ones. You can do this by saying to your self that it is going to be fine, and it is just because of your anxiety your heart is beating very fast. Thus, by saying nothing is going to happen to you, you will start becoming calm.
Accepting the Feelings:
Lastly, you should accept your feelings. Usually, people get panic attack because they are afraid, scared. You should understand this feeling of fear and validate them. Thus, you should accept the feeling of fear and the reason for the fear. It is ok to be afraid, it tells you that you need to be safe. Listening to yourself and your feelings will actually validate them.
The above steps can stop a panic attack from happening. But, stopping them doesn’t mean curing them. Hence, if you or someone you know is suffering from anxiety and panic attacks, it is recommended that you visit a mental health professional immediately.
BY: Dr. Prerna Kohli
Tips to Handle Pre Exam Stress
As the board exams, the competitive exams come close, the level of stress increases. Students try to sleep but, there is a lack of sleep. Sometimes, the stress becomes too much which causes a lot of anxiety. Even though there is a need for certain levels of stress, too much or too low of anything is bad. here we talk about some tips to Handle Pre Exam Stress.
Hence, below are few tips on how to handle Pre-Exam- Stress:
Start Early:
The early bird gets the worm. Similarly, starting to study early reduces the level of stress. Even though it is a difficult task for many students to start early, but it is one of the best ways to beat the stress.
Time-Table:
Organizing yourself is one of the best things one can do. Thus, maintaining a timetable will help you to be focused. Also, it will help you determine your long-term and short-term goals. It gives you an overview on how to do things while helping you focus.
Talking About it:
Sometimes, the stress and anxiety get out of hand. In this situation, it is best to talk to someone. Talking about it not only reduces stress but, it also helps you distinguish between rational and irrational thoughts.
Visualization:
The power of visualization helps. If you focus and visualize towards your success, it will help you relax. Visualization helps in boosting one’s confidence. Also, it helps in reducing stress. If you are focused on your vision, it boosts your confidence.
Don’t Forget to Relax:
It’s very important to keep relaxation in your time-table. Relaxing techniques and proper sleep helps the mind to remove the extra stress. It reduces the levels of anxiety and helps the person to focus. Relaxation works as a rejuvenating agent.
Don’t Depend on Caffeine:
Many students and even adults rely on caffeine too much. They actually take a lot of caffeine too keep themselves awake. But, in reality, the caffeine doesn’t help them in remembering. It increases the mental stimulus which then can result in extreme levels of anxiety.
Practice:
Lastly, as the old saying goes, ‘practice makes a man perfect’. Similarly, it’s very important to practice every day. Practicing everyday will help you remember, as well as relax. So, when you sit for your paper, you are actually focused and relaxed.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the stress created by exams is more external than internal. But, if you follow these tips, they can actually help you fight pre-exam stress. But, if you or someone you know is showing extreme amounts of stress or anxiety, then please visit a professional near you.
BY: Dr. Prerna Kohli
Treatments for Depression
Fortunately there is treatment for Depression, unfortunately there isn’t one set formula which is applicable for all of those who suffer from depression. The path for recover from depression varies for each individual. Treatments for Depression are available with experienced professional psychologists.
First of all, we need to know what is depression? In a layman’s terms, depression is a strong feeling of helplessness, due to which a person is not able to function normally at home or at work. Technically speaking depression is when a person feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, angry, ashamed or restless. They may lose interest in activities that were once pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details or making decisions, experience relationship difficulties and may contemplate, attempt or commit suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, aches, pains, digestive problems or reduced energy may also be present.
As a result, the treatment for Depression can be broadly classified into two types i.e. Medical treatments or psychological treatments.
Medical Treatments:
In my opinion medical treatments which primarily are anti depression pills and tablets should be a last resort for the patient, and only after all psychological treatment options have been exhausted. As a result, anti depressant medications alter the chemical balance of the body, and have known side effects. Consequently, these should be administered under the guidance of a qualified and experienced psychiatrist and should always be coupled counseling by a an experienced psychologist.
Psychological Treatments:
Talk therapy help you change your mind and thinking processes to re-calibrate your ability to deal with the problems and concerns of day to day life. These Psychological treatments will help your recognize those thoughts and actions which are detrimental to your well-being and to remove them from your life.
The key Psychological Treatments are as follows:
Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT):
CBT effectively shifts your mind away from negative and un-helping thinking toward a positive, realistic, problem-solving mindset.
Interpersonal therapy (IPT):
When people are facing depression due to problems in relationships. Thus, IPT equips the patient on identifying and resolving those problems in relationships which lead to depression.
Behavior therapy:
It Helps in modifying behaviour to focus on activities that are rewarding, pleasant and satisfying. Thus, steering away from the behaviour that was causing depression.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT):
MBCT is a psychological therapy which involves mindfulness meditation. Thus, the patient is taught to use meditation as a form of relaxation and a tool for moving away from those trigger points that lead to depression.
In conclusion, an experienced psychologist will transparently use some or all of these Psychological Therapies to help their patients on the road to recovery.
