PORTLAND, Maine — The kids are headed back to school. This can be an exciting time for some, but for others it can be a time full of fear and anxiety.
Dr. Allyson Coffin is a chiropractor and wellness coach in Yarmouth. She stopped by the 207 studio to share a couple of tips parents can pass on to their children who are feeling a little nervous about the school year.
The first technique involves placing the palms of your hands together. Then, without separating your other fingers, begin tapping your pointer fingers together five times. Then, do the same motion with your middle fingers, ring fingers, and pinkies.
This helps bring your mind and body back to the present moment.
"By bringing your hands together that centers you and, when you tap your fingers together it's the end points of your body and that brings in your kinesthetic learning," Coffin said. "So, you have to focus there as opposed to what's making you anxious or scared or worried."
The second technique involves crossing your arms over your chest and alternately tapping your shoulders with your hands. This is called butterfly breathing. Coffin said cross tapping is a well-known technique used for getting people out of a crisis.
Coffin said this works because it forces your brain to cross its midline.
"Both sides of our brain have different functions. The right side of our brain is our creative functions, and the left side of our brain is the logical, linear thinking side," Coffin said. "When we're stuck in one side of our brain it's hard to get out of whatever we have going on and that can make you feel stressed."
That crisscross motion and gentle tapping can help relax the body and the mind almost instantly, according to Coffin.
Check out the video above for a full demonstration.