Using Grounding Techniques To Alleviate Anxiety
Full Body Sweep
- Ch: 1.3 of How To Get Your Sh!t Together -
“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.”
– Ancient Chinese Proverb
Have you ever had the sudden realisation that you are tensing all of your muscles?
Prior to this realisation you may have felt relaxed. You could have even been lying down in bed about to sleep, or on your sofa watching a movie. Regardless, you have just become aware of the fact that your muscles are all ‘on’.
For some people it can be their whole body that tenses up, for others it is just a particular part, typically the neck, shoulders, or belly. For me, it is my thighs and left shoulder.
This phenomenon can be quite frustrating in its own right, but can also cause anxiety levels to rise. Both because you may be concerned about what is happening with your muscles, but also because of the interconnected nature of the mind and body.
The tension in the body could suggest to the brain that you are bracing against some kind of impending danger, thus triggering the release of stress hormones. This further causes the muscles to tense up, reinforcing the cycle of anxiety.
The best response to muscle tension is to get moving. So whenever possible I work out, run, swim or do other basic exercises.
Unfortunately, there are many circumstances in which it would be highly inappropriate to just jump onto the floor to start doing push-ups!
At these times I implement a ‘Full Body Sweep’. This involves progressively tensing and relaxing every muscle in your body from your feet, up to your head.
It is a great trick to combat muscle tension because it can be performed anywhere, from in any position.
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TAKE ACTION
Working up your body, from your feet to head, progressively tense and relax each muscle group. Squeeze them to about 50% of their full capacity, and then let go of the tension completely.
You can be as specific or as general as you like. For example, you could tense your entire leg, or you could break it down into the specific muscle groups (calves, quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes separately).
As you go through the sweep, take note of any muscles that stand out to you in terms of pain or those that just ‘feel a bit different’. They may benefit from massage, stretching or strengthening at a later stage.
This sweep can be repeated as many times as needed in order remove the muscle tension, or just as a relaxation exercise in its own right.
Variation: Instead of a sweep, tense every muscle in your body simultaneously and hold it for one second. Relax for five seconds, and then repeat. This method is just as effective as the sweeping approach and is preferred by some people.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q) How can I do a ‘Full Body Sweep’ in a social or work setting? I am worried that I will look kind of odd!
A) You can do a ‘Full Body Sweep’ discreetly by reducing the strength of the tension on each muscle, as well as by skipping over some parts of the body that are more visible.
Alternatively, you could always just excuse yourself to the rest room!
Summary
By squeezing and relaxing each muscle you will relieve any physical tension held in the body.
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