jaguarpcb

Least,

I'm new here, as is my husband, and when he read your post he thought I might have some advice for you. I've had some trouble with anxiety myself, and one of the things my therapist showed me that has helped a great deal are some acupressure techniques. Maybe some of this will be helpful for you.

The one that's helped the most for me was to firmly press my temples with the tips of my first two fingers....just hold that and see if it helps you calm down. It takes me from hyperventilating and crying hysterically to calm in about 30 seconds.

Another she showed me was to press on the fronts of your cheekbones. This one actually intensified the anxiety I was feeling for a bit, but then it calmed down some. Not so good if you're suffering with sinus problems though - ouch!

She also gave me a sequence of things to do in times of acute stress, and I'm going to try to remember the whole sequence (I used to keep the card in my purse, but now it's at home and I'm at work).

1. Put your hands on the sides of your face (an "oh my god" type pose) and press on your temples with your first two fingers. Hold and breath in through your nose and out through your mouth three times.
2. Pull back with your hands (she calls this the "mommy my braids are too tight" pose, lol), hold for three breaths
3. Run your fingertips over your ears and down your neck to your shoulders and press your fingertips into your shoulders, hold for three breaths
4. Press your fingertips into your shoulders harder, really pull all the tension up out of your shoulders into your fingers, and then shake the tension out of your hands into the ground (she does get a bit metaphysical at times)
5. Roll your shoulders forward 5 times, then backward 5 times (I sometimes roll my head around a few time to loosen up my neck a bit too)
6. This is the tricky one to explain.....put your left hand under your right arm and place your right hand under your left elbow, cupping your elbow. Now with your right thumb try to find a place just above the bone in you elbow that feels a bit like you've struck your funny bone when you press it with your thumb, maybe a bit tingly and sore. That's another acupressure point that's supposed to help with stress. Hold that spot for a few breaths, then repeat on the other side

That last one can be hard to find, and isn't as effective for me as the temples, but everyone is different so it might work well for you.

I hope some of this is helpful.

-Judi