Southwest Austin | Dripping Springs - June 2022

2022 HEALTH CARE EDITION

word ‘meditation,’ they say imme- diately, ‘Oh, I can’t meditate. My mind is out of control.’ However, we meditate all day long whenever we take a conscious breath on the inhale. And the exhale, just focusing on that, and when we bring attention to the

of the strategies she teaches as part of the cognitive behavioral therapy approach. “It sounds so easy, but it’s some of the hardest stu to do,” she said. She said learning to take slow breaths can help improve some of the

BELLY BREATHING Sonia Taylor, a licensed counselor at Mynd Works Psychiatry, said taking deep breaths into the diaphragm stimulates the vagus nerve, which activates a relaxation response, reduces blood pressure and can lower stress.

breath it literally creates an anchor in the autonomic nervous system, so that the stress response starts to lower and the relaxation response starts to increase, and that’s what balances the

physical symp- toms those with anxiety often experience. “There is

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Make your environment calm Get comfortable in a seated position Close your eyes Start by breathing normally Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth Put one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly Pay attention to whether your hands move as you breathe Try to breathe so your belly hand moves and your chest hand does not

Try exaggerating your breath so your belly hand moves Try this for a few deep breaths Go back to your regular breathing for a minute or so Slowly open your eyes

“IF SOMEONE HAS SIGNIFICANT ANXIETY, IT CAN LEAD TO DEPRESSION. ONCE SOMEONE GETS ANXIETY UNDER CONTROL, THE

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support out there, and if people think

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anxiety is holding them back, there

DEPRESSION WILL OFTEN RESOLVE.” KATHIE BOLLES, PSYCHIATRIC NURSE PRACTITIONER

is no stigma or judgment,” she said. “A lot of people need an ally, so you don’t have to suer alone. There are many resources in the community.” “Especially the quiet or lonely ones,” Taylor said. “Look out for them and try to connect with them and see how they are doing. Once that rapport is built, you can tell if there is underlying anxiety.”

sympathetic and parasympathetic aspects of the nervous system.” Sonia Taylor, a licensed professional counselor at Mynd Works, said the therapy she oers works to change thoughts and behaviors so her clients can lead a more fullling life. She said working to teach mind- fulness and deep breathing are some

SOURCE: NATIONAL ALLIANCE ON MENTAL ILLNESS COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

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SOUTHWEST AUSTIN DRIPPING SPRINGS EDITION • JUNE 2022