Anxiety can feel exhausting
It can feel defeating too. Especially, when you feel like you can’t get ahold of it. Increased heartbeat, racing thoughts, feeling “on edge”, and trouble relaxing are all common symptoms of anxiety. Many reasons can give rise to it like relationships, work environments, religious settings, or family. Let’s look at some ways to calm down anxiety.
Tip #1: Grounding
Firstly, a common skill that we use in anxiety therapy to help our clients calm their bodies is called “grounding” and it can take many different forms! One way of doing this is the 5/4/3/2/1 technique which is to notice 5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things you feel, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste. Using your five senses can help you get out of those dizzying mind spaces and bring you back into the present moment.
Tip #2: Noticing the feeling
Another way to treat anxiety relates to a specific phrase used in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and that is called “cognitive defusion”. It’s when you notice the feeling you’re having and by noticing those feelings you separate yourself from it. Noticing these thoughts/feelings allows you to do the things you need to do (such as work, hang out with friends, and make dinner) until you can revisit this feeling and its root cause later. One exercise that helps people walk through this is thinking these three phrases one after the other, each for 20 seconds.
I am (enter feeling/thought)
I am having the feeling/thought that (enter feeling/thought)
I am noticing that I’m having the feeling/thought that (enter feeling/thought)
The idea is that it gives you more space away from the anxiety when you’re able to name it and notice it.
Tip #3: Deep Breathing
Finally, the one I personally love, breathing in this way for a few minutes helps to stimulate your vagus nerve and bring your body into a state of relaxation/rest. Here’s how you do it!
Breathe in for four counts
Hold your breath for four counts
Breathe out for 6 counts
It’s that easy!
At the end of the day, not every tool works for every person to calm down anxiety. Try these out and see if any of them help or fit for you! If they don’t, that’s okay too. There’s plenty of reasons why that might happen and all of them are okay.
If you want to know more about Lifetouch Counseling services or to set up an appointment with her or any of our clinic’s therapists to discuss your anxiety in more depth feel free to call at (303) 900-8252 or click here.
Written by Stephanie Johnson, MA, LMFT
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