12 posts tagged “self help”

"Biofeedback is simply a process in which you receive information about your biological state, and then use this information to alter that state--specifically, to induce relaxation," says Celeste DeBease, Ph.D., who practices biofeedback in the Philadelphia area. "Over time, you can train your sympathetic nervous system to be less reactive to stressors and to recover from them quicker."

For as little as 13 cents on up to $79, you can own a biofeedback device and learn to eliminate stress and anxiety.

DO-IT-YOURSELF BIOFEEDBACK

You don't have to visit an expert to benefit from biofeedback. You can try simple techniques using relatively inexpensive devices, or no devices at all.

Choose one technique (maybe two) and practice it daily for 15 or 20 minutes. Your daily stress levels should fall almost immediately. However, according to psychologist L. John Mason, Ph.D., a biofeedback expert, it may take several weeks before you gain noticeable control over the physical parameter you are monitoring--so stick with it.

Mirror Meditation

Stress effect: Muscle tension, especially in the shoulders, neck and head.

Monitor: Sit comfortably in front of a mirror. Study your reflection for signs of tension, such as a creased brow, a clenched jaw, or even an anxious look in the eyes.

Relax: Make a conscious effort to relax your facial muscles and the rest of your body as much as possible. Work from top to bottom.

Your goal: Simply to observe how relaxation affects your reflection.

Temperature Training

Stress effect: Reduced hand and foot temperature due to constriction of the arteries and the shunting of blood flow away from the extremities.

Monitor: Using a simple thermometer such as a Stressdot (100 dots will run you $12.95 at www.stressdot.com), you can monitor your hand temperature and train yourself to elevate it. In a warm room, place a Stressdot on your hand and wait one minute until it settles on a color. Use the color chart to determine your hand temperature.

Relax: Sit quietly in a comfortable position, relax your breathing and let your muscles slacken. Push negative thoughts out of your head, concentrating instead on "thinking" warm hands. Merely focusing on warmth has been shown to raise temperature.

Your goal: To raise your hand temperature above 92 degrees (violet). On your first few attempts, you can cheat a bit by placing your hands under sunlight or near a heat source.

Galvanic Skin Response

Stress effect: Increased surface-skin moisture, which in turn increases the amount of electricity that passes through your skin.

Monitor: Using the same technology as a lie-detector machine, a galvanic skin-response device like the GSR2 ($60 through www.toolsforwellness.com, www.therapistthings.com/thoughttechnology.html, and other Web sites) can measure these changes in electricity and help you learn to relax. Place your index and middle fingers on the device and wait for a tone--the higher the tone, the greater your stress level.

Relax: Sit quietly in a comfortable position, taking deep breaths in through the nose while exhaling through the mouth. Consciously relax your muscles from head to toe. Expel negative thoughts, concentrating instead on lowering the tone.

Your goal: A lower tone. Initially you may actually raise the tone--that's your stress response in action, but according to Mason, this is a sign that you are gaining some control, but not enough just yet. Keep practicing and you'll get it right.

Heart-Rate MonitOring

Stress effect: Increased heart rate.

Monitor: You can measure and try to lower your heart rate with a heart-rate monitor or by simply taking a pulse against your jugular vein or wrist. Sitting quietly and comfortably, observe your initial pulse rate.

Relax: Slow your breathing and relax your muscles. Push negative thoughts out, concentrating instead on "thinking" your heart rate lower. Try playing relaxing music--No Doubt or Ja Rule is not the music we're talking about.

Your goal: A reduced pulse rate. Check it every few minutes. As with the GSR2 unit, you may notice no change or even an increase at first, but eventually you will learn to relax and lower your pulse.