Anxiety disorders affect about 20% of the population. We all experience anxiety from time to time- it's part of being human and it's a normal part of life. But if anxiety isn't managed and creates problems in your work/school life, relationships, or daily functioning, it can become really problematic. It's hard to deal with anxiety when you're in the midst of it. It can feel like your heart is racing, your mind is scrambled eggs, your body is tense, or like something bad is going to happen. It's exhausting. Below, you'll find 10 quick tips I often share with clients to use when anxiety creeps up. These aren't your mama's coping skills. Try them out and see what works for you. Keep 'em in your back pocket to pull out the next time you feel anxious.
1. Five-Four-Three-Two-One
This one helps to ground you by getting you out of your head and back into the safety of the present moment.
Remember your five senses? Go back to kindergarten with me for a moment. See, touch, hear, smell, and...what is it? Oh yeah, taste. Okay. Look around the room you're in. Name five things you can see. Really describe them. What color are they? How big are they?
Name four things you can touch. Touch them. Describe how they feel in your head. Think about the texture, the temperature, etc.
How about three things you can hear? Close your eyes and really listen. Try to hear some sounds you wouldn't normally hear if you weren't really listening.
Do you smell anything around you? Try to name two smells. You can smell your shirt (hopefully it's clean!) or your hair. Grab a candle nearby and smell that. Our olfactory senses are actually registered fastest by our brain, so don't sleep on this one! Sometimes I'll recommend folks keep some essential oils on them for this purpose.
Finally, see if you can taste something. Take a sip of your coffee, or a bite of an apple. Describe it's taste and texture.
2. Legs Up Against The Wall
Here's a fun and easy yoga pose for you. Simply lie on the floor near the wall or on your bed with your feet facing the wall or headboard. Bring your bottom as close to the wall as you can, and place your legs straight in the air, letting them be supported by the wall or headboard. Stretch your arms out long, or place them on your belly as you breathe in and out. Stay in this position as long as you like, up to twenty minutes. Benefits of this position include balancing out your blood pressure, helping you feel more relaxed, improving circulation, and alleviating back, neck, and head pain. Enjoy!
3. Opposite Action/Emotion
You ever feel super anxious and just want to listen to really loud music, drink a ton of coffee, and drive really fast? Well...sometimes we like to match our emotion and actions. It's not always helpful in reducing anxiety. Try doing the opposite- drink some water, listen to calming music, move slowly. Make everything tone down a few notches. Let your actions be the opposite of your energy.
4. Change your Temperature
This is a really quick and discreet way to handle oncoming panic. Change your temperature! Hold an ice cube in your hand, wash your hands under really cold water, go for a quick walk in the cold air. Or, try a heating pad, drink a hot cup of tea, or take a swig of hot sauce. Doing this jolts your body back into the present moment, slows your brain down, and refocuses your energy.
5. Regulate your Breathing
Everyone has tried deep breathing to help with anxiety. I know, I know, it's cliche. But it's cliche for a reason. Because it works. When we are stressed, we tend to breathe from our chests and take short, shallow breaths. This leads to our blood not being properly oxygenated, signaling a stress response in our bodies and an increase in anxiety. Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which regulates our heartbeat, blood flow, and fight or flight responses. Try this spin on your good old fashioned deep breathing techniques to get your deep breath on. It's called Box Breathing. Breathe in through your nose slowly for four seconds. Hold the breath in your lungs for four seconds. Breathe out slowly through your mouth for four seconds. Pause again for four seconds. Repeat.
6. Earthing
Earthing is a grounding strategy that is quite simple: bring your body into contact with the earth. There is research that supports that being in nature or around nature activates our parasympathetic nervous system, regulating our breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, and stress responses. Try walking outside barefoot in your backyard and being very mindful about how the earth feels beneath you. Or, try running your hands through the grass as you sit on the ground. Practice a meditation outside as you make contact with the earth and your body.
7. Animal Assisted Grounding
Being an Animal Assisted Therapist, I am a huge proponent of harnessing the power of our relationship with our furry friends when it comes to coping and relaxation. Studies show that simply having a canine companion in the room with you signals your brain to increase production of serotonin. My favorite way to include animals in grounding is to practice some mindfulness in your activities with them. Perhaps you are simply petting your cat-- do it mindfully. Notice how her fur feels in your fingers, or how she purrs as you stroke her back. Does she feel warm? Soft? Wiggly? See if you can find her heart beat and listen carefully. See if you can notice her breathing by placing your hand on her belly (if she'll let you!). Try matching your breath with her breath. You can do this with dogs, gerbils, hamsters, mice, any animal that might let you hold it or pet it. If you have a dog, try taking your dog for a walk. Grounding becomes a little more fun when we have a companion to practice with.
8. Get your Heartrate Up
It might seem counterproductive, but doing some quick, fast paced movement with your body can reduce intense anxiety in the moment. Usually, we focus on relaxation, and reducing heart rate and breathing when we are talking about reversing the effects of anxiety. However, research shows that doing intense cardiovascular exercises in short bursts actually serves as a great grounding technique to jolt your body back into the safety of the present moment. Try doing 20 jumping jacks, running up and down the stairs a few times, or sitting up and down quickly. You could even do this while sitting--try waving your arms up and down 20 times to get your heart rate pumping. You could even dance in your office with the door closed. It doesn't have to be anything too crazy--just get moving.
9. Relax your Muscles
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is a relaxation strategy to relax your muscle groups one at a time, slowly helping your body to relax. When your body is relaxed, your mind is calm, helping you overcome the effects of anxiety. This is my favorite relaxation activity to do when I can't sleep- it helps me fall asleep rather quickly :)
Try lying down or sitting comfortably in a chair. Use the chart below to go through each muscle group one by one. As you come to each muscle group, tense your muscles as much as comfortable. Breathe in as you tense and tighten. Hold for a few seconds, then release the tension and relax your muscles, and breathing out slowly.
Here's an audio recording if you prefer to follow along that way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nZEdqcGVzo
Muscle group | What to do |
Hands | Clench them. |
Wrists and forearms | Extend them, and bend your hands back at the wrist. |
Biceps and upper arms | Clench your hands into fists, bend your arms at the elbows, and flex your biceps. |
Shoulders | Shrug them (raise toward your ears). |
Forehead | Wrinkle it into a deep frown. |
Around the eyes and bridge of the nose | Close your eyes as tightly as you can. (Remove contact lenses before you start the exercise.) |
Cheeks and jaws | Smile as widely as you can. |
Around the mouth | Press your lips together tightly. (Check your face for tension. You just want to use your lips.) |
Back of the neck | Press the back of your head against the floor or chair. |
Front of the neck | Touch your chin to your chest. (Try not to create tension in your neck and head.) |
Chest | Take a deep breath, and hold it for 4 to 10 seconds. |
Back | Arch your back up and away from the floor or chair. |
Stomach | Suck it into a tight knot. (Check your chest and stomach for tension.) |
Hips and buttocks | Press your buttocks together tightly. |
Thighs | Clench them hard. |
Lower legs | Point your toes toward your face. Then point your toes away, and curl them downward at the same time. (Check the area from your waist down for tension.) |
10. Repeat a Mantra
I often think of Jinkx Monsoon from season 5 of Ru Paul's Drag Race repeating "water off a ducks back" during stressful moments of the show when I think about mantras. What a perfect representation of positive self-talk! It can be hard in the intensity of anxiety or panic to conjure up some super helpful positive self-talk, so take the pressure off and identify a broken record response that you can repeat to yourself when you are in those moments. Take some time when you aren't in the height of anxiety to think about what you need in those moments. Maybe it's something spiritual, or meaningful, or a reminder that the moment is temporary. Some examples include "this will pass," "it's not about me," "I am not my body," "I am only human," "I am not my thoughts," "I will feel good again," "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it," etc.
Anxiety can be really scary. Learning ways to cope and ground yourself in those moments can help you manage your anxiety in a way that feels safe for you. It is a way that you can control what you can in the situation. I hope these tips have been helpful! Feel free to drop a comment with you favorite coping skill!
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