Exercise to Calm your Anxious Thoughts
Anxiety is a typical human reaction to stress, but if you are feeling overwhelmed by anxiety or if you feel like it is impacting your everyday life, you may be looking for ways to mediate it. If you are feeling overwhelmed by your anxiety, try a few of these exercises, which are aimed to help you quickly relax.
1. Calm your breathing.
When you are feeling anxious, your heart rate and breathing may get faster, and you may feel sweaty or clammy, dizzy or lightheaded. We understand that feeling these symptoms can cause you to become even more anxious, so being able to effectively calm your breathing can be incredibly helpful. There are a variety of breathing exercises to try, but even just slowing down and focusing on your breath can help lessen your anxiety.
2. Calm your muscles.
When you are anxious, you may notice muscle tension or pains. By relaxing the stress that is contained in your muscles, you can reduce your anxiety. Similar to breathing, there is not one right way to go about calming your muscles, but stretching, or intentionally working your way through your body (a body scan) can help ease muscle tension.
3. Calm yourself by visualizing.
Most people have heard the saying “find your happy place” and this expression can be incredibly helpful when it comes to easing your anxiety. Along with your calm breathing and relaxing your muscles, try to imagine your ideal place to relax. It could be anywhere in the world, real or imaginary, and focus on the small details. You can visit this place whenever you feel anxious, to help you calm down.
4. Stay present.
Mindfulness is crucial in helping ease racing thoughts, and it is the practice of being present in your current state, without judgment. Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method. Acknowledge 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste. This helps you return to the present moment and helps ground you.
5. Interrupt your anxious thoughts.
It can be hard to think clearly when you are feeling anxious, and it can be helpful to interrupt your anxious thoughts so you can think clearly again and react appropriately to your thoughts. Try different ways of interrupting your thoughts, such as singing a silly song, choosing something nice to focus on, listening to music or reading a book. Be conscious of how you feel when you shift your attention from your anxiety to something else.
Anxiety can intrude on thoughts and activities, and sometimes it’s hard to make anxiety go away. But know that it’s possible to get relief, even if you feel caught up in it. Next time you’re feeling anxious, give one of these anxiety exercises a try. If you feel like your anxiety is getting in the way of everyday life, please reach out to us or to another therapy practice, who can help provide you with more tips to work through it.
