Handbook for mental health care during COVID-19 outbreak (Part 2)

Four ways to calm your worried mind:

1. Slow breathing

Breath in slowly through your nose. As you do it, count to five. Hold your breath deeply for another five seconds and let the air reach the deepest depths of your lung. Then breathe out through your nose or mouth to the count of five. Have two rounds of normal breathing after exhaling the air completely. Repeat the process and practice for three to five minutes every time.

2. Muscle relaxation

Lie on your back or sit up straight and relax your muscles from your feet to face or vice versa.

3. Tapping shoulders with crossed arms

Keep your eyes closed or half-closed and cross your forearms over your chest. Tap your shoulders alternately with slow and deep breaths. Repeat the process.

4. Containers for emotions

This technique helps you manage your negative emotions through imagery. You can imagine packing up all your negative emotions and keeping them in a sealed container, thus freeing yourself from the negative feelings and pessimistic mood in a short time.

4種心理調適方法：

1. 平緩呼吸法

吸氣、屏氣、呼氣均默數5秒，吸氣時通過鼻腔緩慢而充分地將空氣吸到身體最深處，呼氣時通過鼻腔或口腔緩慢呼出，完全呼出氣體后可正常呼吸2次。循環上述步驟，每次練習3-5分鐘。

2. 肌肉放松法

可以采用平躺或端坐的姿勢，放松順序可遵循自上而下，從頭到腳，反之亦可。

3. 蝴蝶拍

閉上眼睛或半合眼，雙臂交叉放在胸前，雙手交替擺動，輕拍雙肩，同時緩慢深呼吸。如此重復。

4. 保險箱技術

一種通過想象方法來完成的負性情緒處理技術。有意識地對內心積攢的負性情緒進行“打包封存”，從而使自我可以在較短的時間內從這些負性情緒及消極觀念中解放。