Therapy St Louis

March 8, 2015

One of the most simple ways of lowering anxious feelings is the practice of deep breathing. It is completely portable and can be done almost anywhere at anytime. To begin, take a long, slow, deep breath in through your nose. Imagine filling your belly first and then your chest. Hold for a second or two and then release the breath through your mouth as slowly as you are able, like slowly blowing out a candle. Continue this for 5-10 minutes each day to help the body naturally feel calm.

When we perceive something threatening, our bodies respond with hormones that are meant to protect us by being ready to run, fight or freeze. When we are continually anxious, our bodies are continually in that state of fight, flight or freeze which then makes us feel fearful and nervous. When we practice deep breathing, we are physiologically sending a message to our brains to release hormones that lower blood pressure, heart rate and induce a state of relaxation. It's a beautiful, built in way to manage anxiety and stress!

Try it, now!!!!

March 26, 2014

Need to release your angry feelings? Try this safe and easy exercise! Take a bag or tray of ice cubes into the bathroom and throw them, with all your might, into the bathtub. Scream and yell as you throw them and get all your feelings out. The ice will sound like you are breaking glass but it is only ice - and creates no mess! After you throw all your ice cubes in the tub, you can pick them up and throw them again!

March 26, 2014

​Whether you are new to journaling or an old pro, writing about and exploring your feelings through the written word is a wonderful way to release emotions and discover parts of yourself that lie beneath the surface.

Give yourself a quiet place and 15-30 minutes to write anything that is on your mind. Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way suggests writing 3 pages every morning as a way of clearing space for creative thoughts.

Give it a try and see what messages, thoughts and feelings are revealed to you!

March 26, 2014

Everyone feels overwhelmed by emotion from time to time. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed and need a way to feel more balanced, try this easy trick.

Keep a small crossworld, word search, suduko or puzzle book handy and when you feel emotionally overwhelmed, pull that book out and work one of the puzzles. You will find yourself feeling more calm and balanced in no time!