Three Practical Things You Can Do Right Now to Calm Your Anxiety
Do you struggle finding helpful ways to manage your anxiety?
Anxiety is a natural, and often helpful, response to some of life’s challenges, but there are times when it can really get in the way and interfere with daily tasks and responsibilities.
While it may sound tempting to curl up in a ball, snuggle with your fur baby, and binge-watch the latest season of your favorite Netflix show, this is not always a possibility.
So how do you manage to be a fully-functioning human when anxiety comes knocking at your door?
Maybe you have some coping skills in your arsenal (i.e. meditation, journaling, yoga), but they don’t seem super practical when you’re locked in the bathroom at work, having another panic attack.
It is important to have some strategies to “bring you back to earth” so that you can continue doing adult-like things and continue being the awesome adult that you are.
This blog includes three quick and practical things you can do right now, wherever you are, to ease your anxiety.
1) Engage Your Five Senses
Anxiety has a way of pulling you out of the present moment. During this time, you may forget where you are, who you are, and that you have a body.
Engaging your five senses is a helpful way to ground yourself in the present moment.
The “5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Exercise” is something I love to teach my clients. It goes like this:
Identify 5 things you can see
Identify 4 things you can feel/touch
Identify 3 things you can hear
Identify 2 things you can smell
Identify 1 thing you can taste
When using this technique, it is important to be as detailed in your description as possible. For example, rather than identifying a “pillow” as something you can see, give a description of its physical characteristics (i.e. “I see a dark green, square pillow with ridges”).
2) Breathe Into Your Belly
Anxiety can create chaos in the nervous system, which often leads to unpleasant physical symptoms such as shallow breathing/shortness of breath, increased heart rate, headaches, stomach pain, and muscle tension.
When your body is in this state of arousal, your attempts to think with your rational mind will likely be in vain.
Deep breathing is an incredibly helpful strategy to calm your nervous system and bring you back into your body.
Maybe you have tried this strategy, but feel that it isn’t effective for you. I would recommend trying it again, making sure you are using proper technique.
Breathe deeply (in through your nose) into your belly, so that your belly expands like a balloon, and exhale through your mouth as if you are blowing on hot soup to cool it off. When you exhale, focus on releasing all of the air from your belly. It should feel like your belly is deflating (much like a balloon).
The “4-7-8 Breathing Exercise” is one of my favorites:
Step 1: Breathe in deeply for 4 counts.
Step 2: Hold your breath for 7 counts.
Step 3: Exhale for 8 counts.
Repeat this at least 5 times, more if you can, for maximum results.
3) Watch a Short Funny Video
Don’t believe me on this one? That’s understandable, but hear me out. When you’re feeling anxious, you’re probably “stuck in your head,” consumed by worrisome thoughts.
Worrying is your mind playing a trick on you, making you believe that you have more control over your concerns than you actually do. This is where the endless worry cycle comes into play. You may feel like you are solving a problem, but you are really going in circles.
Remember, worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.
Rather than entertaining these worrisome thoughts, try to break the worry cycle by focusing your attention on something else. Try watching a short, funny video like the one below:
Let’s Face it… Anxiety Can Be Pretty Inconvenient.
Anxiety often comes around at the most inconvenient times, so it is important to have some quick and practical strategies on hand.
The strategies I have included in this blog are not designed to get rid of anxiety altogether, but rather to prevent it from negatively impacting your ability to function in daily life.
A Word On Distraction
Sometimes it can be helpful to distract yourself, but distraction will only work for a short period of time, if it works at all. Distraction is like putting a bandaid over a wound. The wound is no longer in plain sight, but it still exists, and continues to get worse if ignored.
It is important to face your anxiety and to work through it. If this is not done, it will continue to control you, whether you are aware of it or not.
For deeper healing, it may be necessary to explore the root cause(s) of your anxiety, as well as ways to manage it, with the help of a trained and trusted therapist.
I help people who are experiencing anxiety, and other mental health issues, on a daily basis. For more information about what anxiety counseling with me is like, click the button below!