Anxiety seems to have a mind of its own. When you’re anxious, the last thing you want someone to tell you is to calm down, but that’s exactly what needs to happen. Anxiety tends to be future-oriented, so the best way to combat it is to bring yourself back to the here and now. If you ever suffered from an anxiety attack you know that’s not easy when you’re on the brink of a panic attack. It’s essential to keep a few self-soothing tools in your back pocket. Think of the following tips and tools as emotional supplements — they’re not going to cure everything, but they are going to work in a gentle yet effective manner to get you out of your own way so you can get to the heart of what’s propelling your anxiety.
5 Ways To Self-Soothe
BREATH WORK | Breath work has saved my life. It has to be the easiest way to calm a nervous mind! Inhale slowly for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8, repeat 10 times. Try laying down on your back to do your breath work.
YOGA | You don’t need to join a gym to do yoga. Bring in the breath work as you start yoga. Focus on your breathing, and just go through the poses one at a time. Concentrate on your body, not your mind. This will help bring you out of your head and where you can start to feel more grounded.
GRATITUDE JOURNALING | Journaling is a perfect anxiety reducing technique. Write down 5 things you’re grateful for and why. It’s nearly impossible to remain overwhelmed by anxiety when you’re filling up with grateful feelings. Before you know it, you’ll have a whole book of good things in your life that deserve more of your attention than anxiety.
GROUNDING | Grounding which, for those who are unfamiliar, is just walking in nature barefoot. Don’t take your phone to distract yourself. Take it all in, and let yourself be immersed in the moment.
READ OUT LOUD | Yes. Do it! This is a great way to manage anxiety in the moment. Reading out loud brings you fully into the present. It fills your brain with words and sounds and activity that isn’t related to your anxiety. If you don’t have a book handy, another way is to count backwards from twenty.
USE SUPPLEMENTS | Many people with anxiety get relief from some nervous system-soothing adaptogens like CBD . Take it daily to soften your stress response and reduce cortisol, the stress hormone.
Leave a Reply