Feeling bad? Try this.

[lostangeleno]

When you are feeling nauseous and anxious, do the following:



1) Lie down (carefully, if you need to).



2) Gently place a hand (doesn't matter which one) on your
abdomen. You know, right on the spot where you're having all the
trouble.



3) Rub your stomach in a circular, CLOCKWISE motion. It's
very important to do it clockwise (imagine the clock on your stomach
with the 12 on your belly button and the 6 at the edge of your ribs and
go from there)! Try doing it counter-clockwise and you'll feel
yourself getting worse almost instantly.



When I was first taught this exercise, which is thought to stimulate
the energy chakra in your abdomen--thereby stimulating digestion and
easing upset stomach and such--I was told to make a fist with my hand
while rubbing. I find this doesn't help as much as a flat
palm. Experiment with the position of your hand, speed, and
pressure to figure out what makes you feel better.



This can also be done propped up on pillows or even sitting, but the more comfortable you can get, the better.



Over the years, I have found that doing this not only helps nausea but
soothes and calms the nerves as well. I have nearly fallen asleep
doing it! If you can and if you want to, do other things that can
help you relax--rub while you read, breathe deeply, watch a silly show,
or think of pleasant things.



Something else that I find helps my stress, anxiety and depressive
moods (and, at times, mild anxiety-based nausea) is regression.
Go ahead and be a baby! Or at least a small child.[img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]
Have some crayons and a coloring book on hand (I keep mine stashed with
the rest of my art supplies). Cut pictures and words you like out
of magazines and paste them in a sketch book or on posterboard and make
a collage. Cuddle a stuffed animal. Watch TV shows and/or
movies that were childhood favorites. (I thank heaven for Brady
Bunch and Full House DVDs!) And heck, if you've got kids
yourself, play with them and enjoy their toys! Sometimes I think
I'd kill to have my My Little Pony collection back, LOL! Imagine
being able to comb and braid all that hair again. [img]smileys/smilies_04.gif[/img]



And for those of you who remember about my psychiatrist and me, we're
still forging ahead. I've been doing exposure therapy using
Sage's hierarchy Web site and completed level 23 tonight. When my
cat horked up a hairball the other day, I was just a HAIR (no pun
intended) less disgusted than I usually am when that happens.
Just a hair. But I felt it and noted it.



Even the tiniest baby step is an enormous accomplishment, guys.



LostAngeleno

[californiagirl]

Great advice!!![img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]

[tuk1]

Good post, if your desperate and feeling nauseas you might also try this (I've been doing it for years) rub an ice cube all across your stomach where it feels the worst, and maybe do a little up your chest and down your sides. If no ice or water is available, try saliva. When put on the surface of your skin it cools and calms as it dries.

[lostangeleno]

That's right, tuk1, cooling off the area can work well too--a plastic
bag full of ice, a cool washcloth...I even had someone put a magazine
on my stomach at a photo shoot once when I nearly got sick from a drop
in my blood sugar! It was the photographer's idea, actually...I
remember the assistant asking, "What in the world are you doing?"
The photographer said, "I'm trying to cool her off, of course!"
But it helped...the magazine was definitely a lot cooler than my skin
at the time.



[img]smileys/smilies_01.gif[/img]



LostAngeleno