3 Self Soothing Techniques For Anxiety

The mind speaks to us in several ways. In many cases, it uses our body to relay information to us. For example, if you’re hurting, it might be that you’re putting too much stress on a certain part of your body.

With all that’s happened in the world over the past couple of years, people have been dealing with more stress than ever before. This can result in illness as your body informs you that you’re carrying too much. Fortunately, there are ways that you can reduce your stress, creating a healthier lifestyle.

Self-soothing techniques allow people to reduce stress and calm their nerves. Also called self-soothing behaviors, you can use these techniques to regulate your emotional state, creating the calmness that you desire.

The right technique for you depends on personal preference. While one might work for some, it might be another that works best for you. To find the right technique to relieve your stress, try out each one and use the one that works best.

Let’s look at three common self-soothing techniques that can help you control your emotions and reduce anxiety.

Technique 1: Havening

The first technique is called havening, great for engaging a deeper brain wave state. Every human has four types of brain wave states, including:

Beta: The state or awareness.

Alpha: Commonly called daydreaming.

Theta: A deeper state.

Delta: The deepest, relaxed state.

The havening touch technique generates delta brain waves, the ultimate state of relaxation. When you touch your body, you engage your senses and brain waves more. Certain parts of your body are better at engaging brain waves than others. The three parts of your body that are best at engaging your brain waves are your:

Hands

Face

Arms

Before starting the havening touch technique, rate how you’re feeling on a scale of one to 10 (one is feeling calm and 10 is very stressed). Next, pick either your hands, face, or arms and start gently rubbing them.

As you rub this part of your body, take deep breaths in and out. You might also consider saying some positive affirmations, like telling yourself you’re going to have a good day. Touching all three parts will help you find the one that is most soothing, allowing you to get the best results.

Technique 2: EFT Tapping

The second technique is called EFT tapping and involves the light tapping of specific parts of your body. The human body has nine meridian points, including:

Top of the head

Above the eyebrows

Outside the eyes

Below the eyes

Above the upper lip

In the chin

On the collarbone

Just outside the breastbone

Outside of the hand

For this method, you’ll use either one or two fingers to tap, depending on the part of the body. Most people use one finger for facial taps and two fingers for the other parts of the body. The EFT tapping technique involves tapping each meridian point five to seven times.

There is no specific order in which you need to tap to get results and you can use one area more than others if it makes you more comfortable. The quickest version is around the eyes and the collarbone.

You might not immediately feel an impact of the tapping and it could take multiple rounds before you see results. Additionally, you might begin to experience emotional releases. This is normal and is the result of moving through your emotions.

Like other techniques, you should give yourself positive affirmations while tapping. This can include saying that your emotions or thoughts are acceptable and that you’ll get through whatever is causing you distress.

Technique 3: The Butterfly Hug

The final technique is possibly the most popular, the butterfly hug. This self-soothing technique is a combination of tapping with the acceptance of touch.

To start the butterfly hug, put one hand over the other, hooking your thumbs together. Then swing your hands around to form a butterfly or a W, and put your now connected hands on your collarbone.

With your eyes closed and taking deep breaths, tap your collarbone with your fingers. You can use one finger or multiple fingers, whatever makes you comfortable and relaxed. The pace is up to you as well. You can tap slowly or quickly, whatever relaxes you more.

An advantage of these three methods is that they can be done anywhere. They don’t take very much time to begin calming your emotions and they’re subtle enough that you can do them at your desk while working without drawing attention.

Self-soothing techniques are one of many ways that you can reduce stress. If you’re looking to create a better overall mindset, book a free consultation through my website. You can also watch my weekly show, The Well-Balanced Mind, where I’ll provide insights into understanding your mind and behavior.

Do you find that you have anger, stress, or sadness and are looking for a change? Hypnotherapy might be a good fit for you. To schedule a consultation call, click here.

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