Page 14 - Stress,anxiety

seven and then breathe out for a count of eight.

Then repeat. You need to repeat this practice again

and again for 5-10 minutes a day, two to four times

per day until it becomes second nature. This is

retraining your body and every time you become

stressed, anxious or panicked, you need to focus on

your breath and practice this technique.

This method is not a “be all/end all” method

for treating stress, anxiety and panic disorders. It

will, however, help to slow you down and give you

back a sense of control.

Exercise and Sports

Exercise and sports are active ways of engaging

your SNS. During exercise and sporting activities,

your heart pounds, your breathing accelerates,

adrenaline is released and the SNS gets a nice

workout.

What happens afterward, however, is every bit

as important. The SNS response during exercise

forces your body to expend resources. To maintain

your functional integrity, your body wants to

replenish those resources. To do so, it will attempt