Breathing exercises, visualizations, and guided meditations for calming relief.
After having a concussion myself and working with several clients over the years that have had to have extensive testing, the anxiety that can escalate during these times can be intense. If you are sensitive to loud noise then just the sound of the machine alone can flare up symptoms.
Add on driving to the appointment, getting there on time, parking, and trying not to worry about what they may or may not find during the test, this can all be a recipe for a major flare-up so the more you are armed with calming tools the better!
Find out more about driving with post-concussion here.
Learning tools that will help calm your brain and body will set you on the right track to not only handle but follow-through on these tests.
Have you ever tried to set your brain up for a lengthy and noisy scan only to leave early and not complete the test?
The machine is incredibly loud and if you have any Closter phobia then the room alone can cause your stress to skyrocket just at the thought of your surroundings.
One tip is to have these exercises ready to do and start by closing your eyes. Before they slide you into the machine, close your eyes so you don’t have to be reminded of the close quarters that you are in.
Go to your happy place in your mind and relax your tension.
These exercises and tools will help you through MRI’s, CT scans and other tests so that you can relax and follow through long enough to complete the tests and relax with ease.
1. Meditation
If you aren’t already making time for daily meditation then I hope this article will inspire you to start today. Start each day by taking time to listen to daily guided meditations or your own quiet time with no distractions, the benefits are endless.
How To Start Meditating
Getting started with meditation is a lot easier than you may think. There isn’t any special equipment you need to buy or classes you should be taking. While buying a book, a guided meditation audio recording or an app for your smartphone are certainly options, you don’t even have to do that to get started.
I’ll share everything you need to know to get started meditating right here in this post.
Start by getting comfortable in a spot that’s as free of distractions as possible. You want to sit down either on a chair with your feet firmly planted on the ground, or sitting cross-legged on the floor. If you sit on the floor, you’ll be more comfortable if you sit on a cushion.
It’s important that you can sit in whatever position you choose comfortably and that you’re aware of good posture. Slumping may make you sleepy while you meditate, and bad posture may cause you discomfort after a while – that’s where Pilates comes in, check out the VIRTUAL studio here.
Before we start with the actual meditation, let’s get back to distractions. In the beginning, you want to cut as many of them out as possible. Choose a quiet spot where no one will interrupt you. Turn off the ringer on your phone, and close the blinds if you think it will help to create a calm and soothing space.
You won’t always have to go through all this trouble to meditate because, after a little practice, you’ll be able to do the little meditation exercise I’m about to share with you anytime, anywhere. But like any new skill, meditating can be a little hard in the beginning. It sounds simple enough, but it’s easy to get distracted. That’s why it’s important to set yourself up for success by cutting out any distractions you can.
Here’s how to meditate. Sit down, close your eyes, and focus on your breath. Notice how the air flows in and out of your nose and mouth. Try to think of nothing else. This is the hard part and something that takes practice.
Start meditating for a few minutes here and there and increase the time as you move along. Don’t judge yourself when your thoughts stray. Keep bringing yourself back to the sensation of the breath anytime you notice that you’re thinking of something else.
That’s all there’s to it. Getting started with meditation is simple, but like any new skill, it takes practice. Be patient with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Stick with it and keep practicing these new meditation skills. You’ll be glad you did.
Get started with your own meditation practice today. Download this Sunset Meditation. filmed at my favourite beach in Canada, Sandbanks in Prince Edward County.
Get your free meditation, add your email here.
2. I AM Breaths
This exercise is my favourite one to teach my clients because it gives instant calming results. This is the best distraction for your mind and will calm any racing thoughts you might be facing. I can remember having an MRI for a hip and SI injury, luckily at that point my concussion symptoms were 90% gone but the stress and noise of the machine are draining at any level of healing – let’s be honest!
Several of my clients have used this during their MRI, CT scans or any other lengthy, stressful test.
Just start at A and go through to Z with your I AM statements/breaths.
Do this exercise anytime you need to focus on inner calm and need a good healthy distraction. This exercise will provide you with a good healthy distraction and focused calm.
All you need to do is focus on your I AM breaths (from our full course called Breathe Into Calm).
Inhale: I AM
Exhale LETTER A – think of a word that starts with the letter A and say or think of that word on the out-breath.
For example:
Inhale: I AM
Exhale: AMAZING
Inhale: I AM
Exhale: BEAUTIFUL
Inhale: I AM
Exhale: CALM
This exercise can take anywhere from 5 to 40 minutes, whatever length of distraction you need. Focus on the breath and your I AM alphabetical statements and refocus your mind to calm down!
A-Z focused calm and increased confidence as you face any challenge with ease.
Get all of the step-by-step breathing exercises inside our signature program called Breathe Into Calm.
Keep going and let me know when you have your breakthroughs – which exercises have worked for you? As a reminder to never give up learning and trying to get better. I had a goal to add apparel to my website and it’s a lot of techy behind-the-scenes to learn.
I gave it my all with finding tools to keep going and figure it out. This is something that only a post-concussion brain would get, the pure success of continuing to keep going, keep learning and never give up on your goals.
Introducing the Breathe Into Calm hoodie!
If you have been thinking of adding an apparel store – go for it, don’t let the fear of the cost of setting it up derail you. You don’t need to spend thousands on hiring out to set yours up.
Sometimes we make things so complicated, especially after a head injury – you are stronger than you think and more capable of your wildest dreams, you may just need to pace more and listen to your body.
I’ll be your biggest cheerleader so send me your creations, I LOVE sharing other businesses, especially for my fellow post-concussion business owners, we are a special breed of passion and healing all in one.
Get yours here in white or pink!
3. Visualizations
Where is your favourite place to be on this earth?
Who are you with? What do you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel at that moment? Go there in your mind instantly with your own mental visualization. You have so much power knowing that you can take your mind away any time you need to refresh and ground your thoughts.
This is so helpful when pacing and slowing down. We go deeper into pacing, symptoms, and how movement and meditation are the best daily tool for healing inside our online courses.
Reach out to lisa@inbalancepilates.ca and see which program is the best for you. We offer both LIVE zoom classes and replays. The biggest part of my healing from a concussion was finding movement and meditation.
The more I was able to use exercise and calming meditation during times of stress the more I was able to calm my brain and find healing tools that worked.
This recipe for daily healing tools has kept me 95% better and offers me total comfort in knowing that I have the tools to calm my brain – try them for yourself and find your own recipe for healing. Check out this tv-segment for more post-concussion healing tools.
Reach out anytime! Join the Facebook community: In Balance Pilates Community and see you on the mat soon!
There are so many tools to be productive and positive through post-concussion healing. Join one of our online courses or workshops, learn movement and meditation today.
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