Emotional Stress Release

Here's something really simple you can use to calm anxiety. It only take a couple of minutes and I'll talk you through it here so you can try it for yourself right now:

Close your eyes and relax your forehead. Take a deep breath, drop your shoulders and decorate your face with a hint of a smile.

• Rub your forehead with the fingertips of both hands in vertical lines up and down from your eyebrow to your hairline for a few moments.

• Now with the fingertips of your middle and index fingers of each hand feel about an inch above the centre of each eyebrow, until you find some slightly raised areas on your forehead. One on each side about an inch above each eyebrow. Rest your fingertips lightly on those points and hold them there as you continue to breathe deeply.

• Take a big deep breath in, and as you breathe out lighten the pressure of your fingertips until you're touching the points very softly and push your fingers up towards your hairline very gently. Continue to hold those points and breathe deeply.

• As you sit and relax allow yourself to tune in to your thoughts and feelings and acknowledge exactly how you are feeling right now. Focus on the main cause of your anxiety as you hold the points on your forehead lightly and continue to take slow deep breaths. Be specific and pick the one main thing that is concerning you and give it your full attention for a couple of minutes.

• Remember to keep your brow and jaw relaxed and just observe your feelings. Now release the touch, give your forehead another brisk rub in vertical lines. Shrug your shoulders, stretch and breathe.

You just learned something called the emotional stress release technique and you can use it for diffusing stress, tension and anxiety, anytime you want.

Note: this technique helps reduce stress and anxiety by encouraging the blood to flow to the front of your brain. The two points used in this exercise are neuro-vasuclar reflex points that encourage blood flow to the forebrain to help with relaxed logical thinking and processing of stressful thoughts.

Many people who I've shared this technique with find that they feel more relaxed, calm and in control of their thoughts after a couple of minutes of applying this technique. It's also a great way to help children feel calm. For young children you can hold the front of their head with the heel of your hand resting on one point and your fingertips on the other, and place your other hand at the back of their head cradling the bottom of their head, just above the neck. Most children find this very soothing and supportive when they're feeling stressed or upset.

Listen to the podcast here and follow along as Ananga guides you through this simple stress relieving technique. You are welcome to download this podcast from iTunes and add it to your iPod for support to go.

If you find this helpful please leave us a comment, and remember to share it with your friends.

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please visit the Anxiety Slayer Store.

For more help controlling anxiety try the Quick Anxiety Stopper. Ananga taught this technique to over 200 hundred people in a demonstration at the UK's biggest health show and every single person said it helped them feel more relaxed.

Photo by Steve took it