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self-help resources

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Anxiety

This breathing exercise can help you to reduce stress in the moment.

If you practice it regularly, you may also find that it helps you feel calmer generally. The more you practice, the more effective this technique becomes.

7/11 breathing can help if you are…

Feeling stressed
Struggling with panic attacks
Having difficulty sleeping
Having difficulty concentrating
Feeling agitated or anxious
Struggling to manage your emotions

Breathe in for a count of 7, then breathe out for a count of 11.

Continue for 5 - 10 minutes or longer if you can, and enjoy the calming effect.

Tips to make the most of the exercise:

Make sure you’re doing deep ‘diaphragmatic breathing’ rather than shallower lung breathing. This means breathing as deep down into your stomach as you can. Your diaphragm should be moving down and pushing your stomach when you take a breath.
If you find it difficult to breathe for the full 7/11, then you can reduce it to a 3/5 or 5/8 count. Just make sure that the out-breath is longer than the in-breath.

Accept the anxiety
Decide to be with the experience. Replace anger or rejection of it with acceptance.

Tell yourself that it is just panic, try and relax and it will go in a few minutes.

Watch the anxiety
Observe without judging – be detached and study it. Rate it from 1 to 10 and notice when it goes up or down and why. Remember you are not your anxiety – be in it but not of it.

This also reminds you that it will soon be over.

Act normally with the anxiety
Keep behaving normally and doing what you intend to do. If you run your future anxiety will go up. If you stay you will decondition the anxiety.

Repeat the steps
Continue accepting your anxiety, watching it and acting with it until it goes down to a comfortable level.

Expect the best
What you fear most may not happen. Surprise yourself by the effective way you handle it

Ways to combat stress, reduce worry & build resilience:

Live in the moment
Count to 10 - distracts the conscious mind
Listen to music - the fastest way to change emotion
Walk
- Aerobic exercise is what the body is looking for when stress or fight/flight is triggered
- Out in the daylight and getting exercise increases serotonin levels, the natural painkiller
Talk
- Talking to the right person can be helpful (a good listener, who will not make you more emotionally charged)
Digging in the garden
- Interactive with nature
- Aerobic exercise
Have a cup of tea (give yourself a break)
Pet a cat / dog
Go somewhere new - a new town or place not visited before
- It takes your attention / focus to investigate somewhere new
Meditation
Prioritise - focus on the most important thing
Focus on what we can control - stop worrying about what is out of our hands

Depression

Free depression app

UpLift™ from Human Givens was paid for entirely by donations to The Human Givens Foundation.

UpLift™ has everything you need to know to get yourself (or someone else) out of depression.

It includes:

Concrete things you can do to feel better NOW
Practical tips for reducing stress
Clear explanation of what causes most depression
Easy things you can do to help yourself and others
Free therapy session
Calming exercises. Plenty of audio – listen or read

Five steps to happiness

Connect | Developing relationships with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours will enrich you.
Be active | Sports, hobbies such as gardening or dancing or just a daily stroll will make you feel good.
Be curious | Noting the beauty of everyday moments as well as the unusual and reflecting on them helps you to appreciate what matters to you.
Learn | Fixing a bike, learning an instrument, cooking – the challenge and satisfaction brings fun and confidence.
Give | Helping friends and strangers links your happiness to a wider community and is very rewarding.

Where can I find more resources?

The Human Givens Institute Resources page is a great place to start finding out more.

Immediat help

Need immediate help?

Samaritans

Whatever you're going through, a Samaritan will face it with you. They're available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Need support? Call 116 123 to speak to a Samaritan

Shout is a 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks in the UK, for anyone in crisis. It’s a place to go if you’re struggling to cope and you need immediate help. At the heart of the service is a team of volunteers who take people from crisis to calm every single day.

Text SHOUT to 85258

Mind

Mind help you find local mental health support

Call 0300 123 3393 (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm).

CALM

No matter what you’re going through, CALM have your back

Need help? Call our helpline on 0800 585858 5pm–midnight, 365 days a year

“We all have an impact on each other. We are all connected in so many seen and unseen ways.... Nothing makes ourselves feel better than not thinking of our selves”
[Matt Haig]

self-help resources

Anxiety

Ways to combat stress, reduce worry & build resilience:

Depression

Free depression app

UpLift™ has everything you need to know to get yourself (or someone else) out of depression.

Five steps to happiness

Where can I find more resources?

Need immediate help?

Samaritans

Shout

Mind

CALM

“We all have an impact on each other. We are all connected in so many seen and unseen ways.... Nothing makes ourselves feel better than not thinking of our selves”
[Matt Haig]

Contact

Get in touch

self-help resources

Anxiety

Depression

Free depression app

UpLift™ has everything you need to know to get yourself (or someone else) out of depression.

Where can I find more resources?

Need immediate help?

Samaritans

Shout

Mind

CALM

“We all have an impact on each other. We are all connected in so many seen and unseen ways.... Nothing makes ourselves feel better than not thinking of our selves” [Matt Haig]

Contact

Get in touch

“We all have an impact on each other. We are all connected in so many seen and unseen ways.... Nothing makes ourselves feel better than not thinking of our selves”
[Matt Haig]