From Anxious to Calm: Exercises that Really Work

Soothe yourself.

It all begins with awareness of your body. What do you feel when you are anxious. For me, it’s racing heart, chest pain, short breath, nervous energy, shaky. If you can pinpoint a certain thought, that can be helpful. Regardless, follow these quick, simple exercises to calm your anxiety in a pinch. 

Take deep breaths.

Count to 10 slowly while breathing in and out count backwards from 10. Repeat a few times.

Self-talk.

Remind yourself you are safe. Pick a go-to mantra. Something like, “I am safe. I am not in danger. I am ok. I am at peace.” Repeat this over and over while taking slow, deep breaths.

Grounding.

Ground yourself back to reality. Usually our body feels anxious and nervous following a thought (whether conscious or not). The thought is usually based in the future and sometimes in the past. Grounding helps bring you back to the present.

Grounding Exercise #1: Use your senses and verbally state what you notice. What are 5 things you see right now? What are 4 things you hear? What are 3 things you can feel or touch? What are 2 things you can smell? What is 1 thing you can taste? You don’t have to stick to this exact script. Just use your senses to observe and verbally state what it is that you notice. This brings you out of your thoughts and back to the present moment.

Grounding Exercise #2: Use your ABCs (like I-spy). Find something that starts with the letter A, then move to B, then C and so forth. Like the exercise above, this takes you out of your thoughts and back to the present moment of awareness.

Guided Visualization.

Pick a place that seems calm and peaceful. Close your eyes and visualize that place. Again, use your senses to imagine being there. Notice what you see, hear, feel/touch, smell and taste in this place. Remind yourself that you are safe and can return here whenever you need to.

Challenge thoughts.

If you are aware of a specific thought, that can be helpful. Have a notebook handy or use your phone notes app and dump any anxious worries that come to mind. Write them all down. Then schedule a time for later in the day (15 minutes) that you can focus on some of these worries. Scheduling “worry time” gives your brain the permission to “let go for now” and to approach it later when you are more prepared to do so.