How to Reduce Anxiety With Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation techniques can be used to help people cope with anxiety. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, some of the most common techniques are meditation, guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation. The techniques take practice and may not be effective right away. But with time, a variety of techniques can work to reduce the effects of panic attacks and anxiety.

Instructions

• 1

  Reduce your anxiety with meditation. Sit in a comfortable chair or lie down. Close your eyes and breathe slowly. Focus your thoughts on your breathing and notice the physical movement of your chest. Susan Lark, MD, recommends saying the word "peace" and "calm" as you breathe, drawing out the pronunciation of each word. Continue to breathe in and out until you achieve complete relaxation.

• 2

  Use progressive muscle relaxation. Lie down with your eyes closed and your arms at your side. Breathe in and out deeply. Clench your fists and hold for 15 seconds, meanwhile relaxing the rest of your body. Let your hands relax. Tense and relax each body part one by one. Start with your face, then shoulders, back, abdomen, pelvis, legs, feet and, finally, toes, Lark says. Wait 30 seconds in between each.

• 3

  Visualize with color therapy. As one example, use the color blue for a calming effect to reduce anxiety. Lying down, visualize the world is filled with blue. As you breathe in, let blue fill up your feet. Then fill the color up through your back. Breathe in and out, visualizing the color coming out of you. The tension goes out with the color. Breathe in blue all through your upper body. Breathe out the color from your lungs. Repeat several times until you feel completely relaxed.

• 4

  Recite affirmations to help anxiety. Repeat a variety of positive statements to yourself. Breathe in and out deeply as you say things like:
  • I am completely relaxed.
  • I feel calm.
  • I am healthy and strong, and I exercise every day.
  Think of multiple affirmations that apply to your own life and repeat them out loud to yourself.