Compulsive Gambling and Anxiety.What About Internet Gambling?Posted by Christiansen Muir on April 28th, 2021 Self-Help Exercises for Anxiety to alleviate the Gambling Urge Gambling problems are related to other underlying issues such as anxiety, stress, and difficulties with impulse control or drug abuse. Easy-to-apply strategies can end the impulse to gamble, and also avoid slips and relapses. Gambling and anxiety Many people gamble as a means of managing anxiety. As they gamble, people often report being separated from their anxious feelings or projecting their feelings of anxiety onto the excitement they feel if they partake within their gambling activity of choice. As a result, gambling can work its way in to the fabric of their everyday activity, and the impulse to gamble can overwhelm the rest of their lives. Thus, for most gamblers, reducing anxiety is really a prerequisite to making any changes in gambling behavior. Fortunately, there are numerous techniques that can create a tremendous difference in alleviating anxiety. Learn to relax Real relaxation is really a physiological and psychological response this is the opposite of anxiety and panic. It?s accompanied by a slowing of the center rate and lowering of blood pressure, deeper breathing, and a calm, even state of mind. When experienced on a regular basis, its effects are cumulative. Probably the most powerful ways that people can counteract anxiety is by understanding how to relax. It isn?t possible to be relaxed and anxious at the same time. This means more than merely plopping down before a television or surfing the Internet, although at first glance, those activities can look like they?re relaxing. If the level of anxiety is indeed high that it makes people physically and psychologically uncomfortable, taking active steps to relax can offer them relief. Relaxation exercises, such as for example those outlined below, teach visitors to identify worry triggers, defuse them, and break through the cycle of anxiety. It?s best for folks to commit to daily practice, even though the exercises don?t appear to help at first, as the more people do these exercises, the more positive effect they will have. Being able to relax is really a skill, and like any other skill someone wants to develop, it gets better with repetition. The more people practice, the more they will notice the ebb and flow of anxiety. This way, as soon as they feel its presence, they are able to target it. There are dozens of ?body and mind? approaches like yoga, tai chi, and meditation. These practices blend yoga breathing and relaxation strategies with body awareness techniques that help people recognize if they are becoming too tense. A number of these are ongoing practices people can try at a health and fitness center, a studio, or even at home. Before people can figure out how to relax, it is helpful for them to get a handle on what is making them anxious in the first place. Greater awareness might help people anticipate these feelings, which in turn allows them to recognize the need to employ a relaxation strategy. It also really helps to understand which relaxation strategies are the most effective. That?s why it can be helpful to keep a journal for a minumum of one week. Individuals may use it to write down why is them anxious and how they react to that anxiety. After a week of earning journal entries, people can usually identify anxiety triggers and patterns of response. Then it?s time and energy to identify other ways of responding that might alleviate instead of fuel anxiety. Here are three excellent relaxation exercises to begin with. Practice progressive muscle relaxation The objective of this exercise is for you to definitely learn body awareness and the difference between tense muscles and relaxed muscles. By slowly tensing and relaxing each muscle group in the body, people can teach themselves the difference between a relaxed muscle and a tense one. Once people learn this skill, they have better body awareness in situations that produce them tense. Over time, and with continued practice, they will figure out how to cope with tension by training their muscles to relax while calming the mind. After all, it is not possible to be tense and relaxed simultaneously. Someone will get started by putting away 15 uninterrupted minutes in a quiet, distraction-free location. It could help dim the lights, or even to sit or take a nap in a comfortable position. The idea would be to hold and squeeze each area of the body for 15 seconds (about 10 slow counts), feeling the tension build up. Then release the tension and completely relax, allowing the tension to flow out of this area and away from the body. For every muscle group, the individual doing this exercise should take the time to notice how different it feels when it?s tensed compared to when it?s relaxed. Repeat the exercise at least one time, and as many as three times, before moving on to another area of the body. Try the following sequence: Hands: Squeeze them into fists and relax. Front of upper arms: Tighten all the muscles in the front of the upper arm and then release them. Back of upper arms: Tighten all of the muscles in the rear of the upper arm and release them. Shoulders/neck: Raise both shoulders and tense up the neck before dropping both shoulders and releasing the muscles. Forehead: Raise both eyebrows enough to wrinkle the forehead and then lower both eyebrows to relax the forehead. Jaw: Clench then release both upper and lower jaw. Cheeks: Make a forced smile, then relax it. Abdomen: Tighten the belly and spine muscles, then relax them. Upper legs: Stiffen and straighten the thigh muscles and relax them. Calves: Tighten the shin muscles by pointing the toes to the ceiling, then relax the feet and muscles. Feet: Curl the toes and tighten the muscles in the bottoms of both feet, then uncurl the toes and relax the muscles. Breathe deeply Slowly exhaling gives both the body and brain a signal that helps them to relax. Practicing this kind of deep breathing can help people to breathe like this even when they're not actively engaged in this kind of exercise. People should aim to set aside 10 uninterrupted minutes for this exercise, preferably in a quiet, distraction-free location. It may help dim the lights also to sit or take a nap in a comfortable position. They can begin by placing one hand gently on the chest and one hand on the abdomen, right above the belly button. Inhale deeply through the nose or through pursed lips for one slow count. The low hand will move out as the belly and ribcage expand. (The upper hand shouldn't move at all.) Next, exhale completely through the mouth for one slow count. The bottom hand should move inward as the belly and ribcage grow smaller during exhalation. Once people learn this technique, they will understand how it feels to breathe evenly and deeply rather than taking the short, choppy breaths that often accompany anxiety and distress. Try a visualization exercise Another helpful technique would be to combine visualization with yoga breathing or progressive muscle relaxation. Visualization could also be used on its own to quell anxiety. A classic visualization exercise is to imagine a safe, peaceful place or situation, using all five senses to conjure up just as much detail about it as possible. This can help draw someone?s attention away from tense negative thoughts and urges. For instance, people could imagine taking a leisurely walk on the beach. With repetition, they can actually start to see the ocean, sun, sand, and birds. They learn to hear the waves crashing contrary to the shore or the seagulls cawing. They are able to feel the warm sun on their skin and the soft sand beneath their feet. They are able to smell and taste the salty air. Find replacement activities Distraction is better than deprivation. In other words, one of the best ways people can relieve anxiety and minimize urges to gamble is to do something else, an alternative solution activity that's positive and enjoyable. This focuses attention from worry, reducing the need for the familiar gambling pattern.![]() Like it? Share it! |