SELF HARM RESOURCES

Breathing

 

Regulating your breathing is a simple, yet incredibly powerful, tool to help regulate thoughts and emotions.  In fact, it's so important that people have thought up almost endless ways to regulate their breaths.  Here are some resources to help you get started learning about how you can use how you breath to help you cope.

 

For instance, there are many ways to count your breaths.  

• Breathe in for 4, Out for 4

• Breath in for 4 Hold for 2, Out for 4

• Breathe in for 4, Hold for 4, Out for 4

• Breathe in for 4, Hold for 4, Out for 4, Hold for 4

• Breathe to match your strides - In 2 strides, Out 2 strides

• Breathe to match the count of the music - in for a bar, out for a bar.

• Breathe to match the wind raising and lowering the branches outside.

 

The list is really endless.  The important part is to focus your mind on your breaths, allowing you to calm down and step back from your thoughts and emotions.  You can use a breathing technique for just a few breaths, you can use it for a few minutes at a time, or you can use it for a much longer period of time (like meditation).  

 

• Deep Breathing

• Diaphramic Breathing

• Deep Breathing to Manage Anxiety/Panic disorders

 

Breathing when Panicking

• http://www.anxietycoach.com/breathingexercise.html (advice for panic attacks)

• http://www.anxieties.com/57/panic-step4#.VBenbWRdXrM (more geared towards anxiety than panic attacks)

 

Guided Calm

• http://www.calm.com/

• https://www.youtube.com/user/TheHonestGuys

 

Meditation

(While often connected to Eastern Religions, Meditation can be used as a secular practice and help people of all spiritual/non-spiritual beliefs)

• An introduction to Buddhist Meditation.  Includes videos: http://www.how-to-meditate.org/

• Guided Meditations - http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22

• Guided Meditation and visualization videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheHonestGuys

 

Mindfulness