Complete Idiot's Guide to Conquering Fear and Anxiety

need to be developed again. So, have patience. But once learned, you should be able to re­train your nervous system to an overall more relaxed state. And you willbegin to be able to monitor your level of stress and self­calm before you get locked into anxiety's grip.Tense to Calm: Progressive RelaxationDo you feel "uptight" or "tense?" Are your muscles taut and knotted, especially in your shoulders and neck? Progressive relaxation, a short exercise that involvestensing and then releasing or relaxing each muscle group, calms within minutes.Like the pendulum's swing, the more you pull your muscles into one direction, tension, the farther they will swing to the other direction, relaxation­an oxymoron oftensing to relax. So as you do progressive relaxation, don't be afraid to really tense up. As you get proficient, your body awareness of both the sensation of tensionand the sensation of relaxation will increase.To get some idea of your level of tension, do a quick body scan. The following symptoms will reveal your level of tension.Holding head on one sideHead and chin jutted forwardTight jawRaised shouldersShoulders curved toward front of bodyFists clenchedHands fiercely gripping pen, telephone, steering wheel, cup handle, computer mouseStomach tightenedChest tightenedAre you tense? If so, get ready to really tense so you can really relax.Page 80