Strategies for Immediate Anxiety Relief
Immediate Anxiety Relief
Sometimes, you’ll find yourself in stressful situations, immediate conflicts, or upsetting conversations. When you need to keep your cool in the moment or can’t step away from your anxiety-provoking circumstances, try one of the following tips to help maintain your composure.
Take deep, conscious breaths using a square breathing pattern.
A square breathing pattern (inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, repeat) helps regulate the nervous system by telling your brain that it can relax. Deep, controlled breathing encourages your nervous system to slow your heart rate and your mind.
Employ a quick grounding technique.
Grounding techniques such as the 5 sense technique (list 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste) help bring you back to the present moment, pulling you out of your anxious feelings and to a safer present.
Chew on ice.
If you have an iced drink or ice around you, chewing it (or anything cold) can help regulate your nervous system and alleviate anxiety symptoms like dry mouth. Sucking on something cold, like ice or a popsicle, can also distract your mind from the stress you feel.
Havening.
Arm havening is similar to a self-hug, but you gently press and rub your hands from your shoulders to your elbows. Havening helps by reducing negative moods — self-hugging often boosts “happy-mood” hormones that reduce our stress levels. Applying pressure to your arms can also help bring you back to the present moment, as your brain focuses on the physical pressure on your arms.
Any of these four tips can help provide immediate anxiety relief if you need it!
Cultivate Peace when You’re Expecting Anxiety
If you’re preparing for something you know will stress you out, like a test, interview, or important event, taking some time to de-stress beforehand can drastically improve your mood, performance, and mental clarity. If you know you’ll be exposed to something that triggers you, finding peace before can reduce the anxiety you feel in the moment. So, taking five to twenty minutes to try one of the following techniques can help produce a positive outcome, despite the stress you’re experiencing.
Visualize the scenario and how you want to feel during it.
Visualizing the scenario can build some familiarity with the environment of the test, interview, or event, making it less daunting and more approachable. By visualizing your emotions alongside the scenario, you can imagine yourself staying calm and composed, which helps remind you how you want to act when you are in the situation. This imaginative exercise can help build your confidence by encouraging you to remain relaxed, just like you did during your visualization.
Meditate silently or with binaural beats audio.
Similarly to visualization, meditation calms your mind to relieve you of any current stress, replacing it with clarity and calmness. Meditating silently relaxes your mind to stop any racing, anxious thoughts. Meditation requires you to focus solely on your breathing, which prevents you from focusing on your stressors. Meditating to binaural beats audios, especially those at a frequency between 8-14 Hz, can reduce stress, provide relaxation, and encourage positive thinking.
Go for a quick walk outside.
Going for a walk is a great way to turn your nervous mental energy into physical energy. Instead of spending energy worrying or ruminating, you spend your energy exercising enough to release endorphins that counter your stress hormones. Walking outdoors provides additional benefits, as fresh air and nature can help you feel more present and grounded.
Write about what’s making you anxious and the symptoms of anxiety you’re experiencing.
Anxiety can feel like a self-fulfilling prophecy. The first signs of anxiety, like sweaty palms or a racing heart, often cause more anxiety, consequently amplifying those symptoms and exaggerating your stress levels. By writing about your triggers and the emotional and physical responses they cause, you can stop the cycle of anxiety before it becomes too overwhelming.
