Coping with Bipolar Disorder by Steven Jones

Author:Steven Jones
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Published: 2011-03-29T16:00:00+00:00

Relaxation

Another problem caused by stress is the unpleasant bodily feelings and thoughts that it can create. These include sweating, agitation, restlessness, rapid heartbeat, stomach problems, etc. In extreme cases, these symptoms can result in a panic attack, especially when a person believes that they are the sign of some underlying physical problem. They are generally not; they are normal symptoms of anxiety, which almost everyone experiences, but they can still be very unpleasant. In addition, anxiety causes changes in the way we think: the anxious person experiences dangers as magnified, threats as more likely and more unpleasant than they really are, and unlikely events as highly likely. This is natural, but it can lead to excessive worry about relatively unlikely events. Finally, worry can interfere with sleep. For all these reasons, a method of reducing anxiety can be very useful.

Throughout her daughter’s childhood, Laverne experienced frequent intrusive worries about her welfare. She worried that her daughter was unhappy at school, that she would do poorly in her studies, that she was being bullied, and that her life would be unhappy. These worries were combined with intense guilt. Laverne felt that if her daughter did badly in life, it would be her fault because she was a bad mother. These worries sometimes kept Laverne awake at night. Fortunately, a friend suggested that she listen to late-night talk radio programmes. Laverne found this helpful because the discussions would sometimes distract her from her worries and help her to fall back to sleep.

This example illustrates how distressing and unpleasant many intrusive worries can be. It is useful to distinguish between useful and useless worries. A useful worry concerns something you can do something about: remembering to pay bills on time or do a necessary household task. In this case, worrying can sometimes lead to a useful idea or solution for your problem. Useless worries are ones that centre on something you can do nothing about. Laverne’s worries about her daughter could not help her daughter to do better in school. Relaxation techniques can be helpful in dealing with such useless worries.

With this in mind, we would like to offer a few simple relaxation techniques. The basic idea of relaxation training is to set aside time to relax. The main necessities are a quiet room, a comfortable chair and half an hour of time when there will be no interruptions. The aim is to sit quietly, clear your mind of worries and concerns, enjoy the relaxed state and come to recognise how it feels. A variety of techniques can be used:

1. Deep breathing. Practise counting to three slowly, allowing about a second between each count. Then breathe in through your nose to the count of three, and out through your mouth to the same count. Try to concentrate on your breathing and notice how it feels. Breathing is particularly useful because it is something you can do almost anywhere. It involves no special equipment and is inconspicuous, so it can be done in a public place.

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