Biofeedback training (also called Biofeedback therapy) has been around now for decades, but still it can seem mysterious to many people.
Rather than get into a long technical explanation of “What is Biofeedback?” I’m going to show you some of the simple relaxation exercises you can use for reducing stress and anxiety.
When you do your Brief Recovery Exercise you want to see to it that you breath and mind and muscle feel like they did when you were thinking that peaceful thought over and over.
This is your BASELINE…I like to think of this as how you will know you have made your way home.
Start by making sure you will not be disturbed.
Make sure your door is closed and phone off.
Then do your Brief Recovery Exercise (BRE) to quiet down your breath and mind and muscles.
Would it shock you to think that your reaction to stress is largely controlled by a 3 year old who rules your subconscious?
But the good news is that part of understanding stress is learning how to use biofeedback techniques to train that part of your body to respond in a more healthy and productive way.
The 3 year old simply does not know any better!!!!!
Now that you have done your Brief Recovery Exercise, let your mind think a stressful thought.
As you focus on this stressful thought your subconscious mind (that’s the three year old I’ve been talking about) will buy in to the stress pretty fast…we all do!
Next notice how your body is breathing.
Is your breath beginning in your chest now and does it feel short or fast?
Or perhaps you are holding your breath?
What about your exhale-is it short?
Notice whatever you can about the quality of your breathing when your inner three year old, i.e. the subconscious mind, is in battle preparation mode.
Is your mind jumping from thought to thought looking for potential predators?
Are your thoughts loud or urgent?
Is your mind telling you to be afraid…very afraid?
Are you now aware of the quality of your thinking and how it would get a 3 year old frightened and ready for battle?
Finally, in this awareness exercise, notice how your muscles feel.
Are your shoulders pulled up to protect your throat or maybe pushed forward or even both up and forward?
What about the position of your tongue?
Is it pressed against the roof of your mouth or the back of your front teeth?
Do you feel your eyes squinting or forehead tense?
What are your arms doing?
Are they pulled in to protect your side?
This instinct is there to protect you in real life and death struggles.
Are your hands clenched or gripping or flared?
What are you noticing about your thighs and calves and feet?
As you assess your muscle tension, are you arching your low back or narrowing your hips?
Both the arch in your back and the narrowing of your hips can be seen as a “protective” posture.
And of course it will make things worse for your pain problem here in your low back or anywhere else to have this protective tension.
Guarding, armoring, bracing all describe that essential protective tightening of muscles.
Your body seeks to safeguard these vulnerable areas so do not move so much while you are fighting and running as that could cause further injury.
What you may notice overall is a crouching or narrowing feeling throughout your body.
Stress may also present itself as a straightening and stiffening of muscles.
(Isn’t it amazing how many of the symptoms of stress come back to our ingrained defensive reactions/instincts?
Are you learning more about why you want to be practicing your biofeedback techniques to sense and deal and recover from stress?
Do you think you can feel it when you are overstressed and ready for battle?
If so, you now hold the power… (Drum roll)………….
Isn’t that great…now you know so much?
C’mon….I’ll see you next article!