5 Quick Strategies to Decrease Anxiety
Anxiety Reduction Tips from a Los Angeles Therapist
It’s a familiar feeling - your mind is running 100mph, your thoughts are spiraling, you can’t focus, you feel overwhelmed and irritable, you’re frustrated with yourself for it, but it’s like a merry-go-round you can’t get off of.
Anxiety is something we all experience at times in our lives, and sometimes we need it - such as when it alerts us to potential dangers to keep us safe. But when it becomes overwhelming and interferes with your daily life, work, or relationships, it can be helpful to learn some tools to help you manage it. Here are 5 quick strategies you can try on your own when you are feeling anxious:
1. Grounding
A lot of our anxious thoughts are rumination on things that happened in the past, or worries about things that could happen in the future. Grounding helps you to pull away from those thoughts and anchor yourself back in the present. Engaging your 5 senses allows you to focus on what your body is experiencing right now, instead of the places your mind is trying to race off to. This is one of my favorite tools for grounding, because it’s easy to remember and can be used almost anywhere:
Sight: Look around you, and name 5 things you can see.
Touch: Find 4 things you can touch - reach out and feel the texture of each one.
Hearing: Listen carefully for 3 sounds you can hear.
Smell: Find 2 things you can smell - this can be an obvious scent in the air, or an object you pick up and hold to your nose to smell.
Taste: Notice 1 thing you can taste - maybe you can still taste the last thing you ate or drank, or if you have a snack or beverage at hand, take a bite or a sip and notice the taste of it.
2. Belly Breathing
Taking deep breaths helps to soothe anxiety and stress, but many people default to taking fast, shallow breaths high up in their chest, which can actually make your anxiety worse. “Belly breathing” involves taking slower, deeper breaths engaging your diaphragm to fill your entire lungs and bring more oxygen into the body.
Placing one hand on your chest and another on your belly and feeling your stomach rise and fall with each inhale and exhale is a good way to make sure you are breathing deeply. Breathe in through your nose, and breathe out either through your nose or gently through your lips. You can picture your belly inflating and deflating like a balloon, or imagine that your stomach is a fireplace bellows (that little hand pump that blows air into the fireplace!). You don’t need to force or count your breaths, but just let them flow naturally, gradually slowing as you continue breathing. Spend a few minutes doing this, letting your body slow down and your nervous system regulate.
3. Name it
Naming anxiety for what it is - and separating it from yourself - can help you diffuse some of its power. Saying “I’m having the thought that I’m going to fail” vs. “I’m going to fail” puts more distance between you and the worry, and recognizes it for what it is - just a thought.
Some people even give their anxiety a pet name (such as “Bob” or just “My Anxiety”), or picture it as a person, a monster, or the character from Pixar’s Inside Out 2. That way, when you’re having worried or anxious thoughts, you can remind yourself that it’s Bob speaking, not you. You can thank Bob for their opinion, but tell them it’s not helpful at this time! Saying “Bob is trying to tell me that I’m going to fail” even sounds a bit silly, which can help you to not take your anxiety so seriously!
4. Write down your worried thoughts
Note - this is different from journaling, you’re not giving your anxiety free range to run on for paragraphs and pages. But keeping a small notebook or a note in your phone where you can write down worries and anxious thoughts can help you to “put them away” so to speak, when they are not helpful and there is nothing you can do about them in the present moment.
Pause and write down the things you are worried about, the things you need to figure out tomorrow, or the things you’re worried you won’t remember to do. Is there anything you can or need to take immediate action on? Anything you can schedule a time to take action on tomorrow? Once you’ve written these things down and decided there is nothing else that you can take action on in this moment, then close the note or notebook and put it away. You can do this as-needed, or schedule a time each day to write down your worries. This can be especially useful if you are lying in bed and worried about what is going to happen at work tomorrow are keeping you awake.
5. Move!
Anxiety can be paralyzing, and sometimes the last thing you might want to do when you’re especially anxious is get up and exercise. But even just going for a short walk, or moving to a new location (getting out of bed and going into the next room, stepping outside to feel the sun on your face) can help to shift how your body is feeling and relieve stress. If it feels too overwhelming to do a whole workout, let yourself just start with some gentle stretching or a few jumping jacks. Notice if that shifts anything in how you’re feeling, and if it would feel okay to keep going or bring in a new kind of movement. Movement and exercise also help to shift your mind’s focus away from anxious thoughts - This is why yoga is so successful for mindfulness and stress-relief; it’s hard to worry about whether you said the wrong thing at that party when you’re trying to balance in crow pose! But if yoga is not your thing, find the type of exercise or movement that works for you and your body. Dance, jump rope, play basketball, run, whatever type of movement you enjoy.
If you’ve been struggling with anxiety for awhile, maybe to the point that it just feels “normal” to you to be so anxious, it might be a good time to talk to a mental health professional. Working with a therapist who has experience helping people understand their anxiety and learn strategies to reduce it can make a big difference in your quality of life and well-being!
Allison Marx is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and Registered Art Therapist in Los Angeles, CA. She specializes in LGBTQIA+ affirmative, poly/ENM-friendly, and kink-knowledgeable therapy for couples and individuals.
Interested in therapy? Reach out to schedule a free consultation call!