Exercises To Calm Your Anxious Thoughts

We all feel anxiety - but there are some easy ways you can take control back and lessen the stress.

Per a recent article published in Healthline (online mental well-being), you should know that too much anxiety can get in the way of living a healthy, happy life. These exercises may help you relax and find relief.

• Start to relax by breathing.

  • Sit in a quiet and comfortable place. Put one of your hands on your chest and the other on your stomach. Your stomach should move more than your chest when you breathe in deeply. Take a slow and regular breath in through your nose. Watch and sense your hands as you breathe in. The hand on your chest should remain still while the hand on your stomach will move slightly.

  • Breathe out through your mouth slowly.

  • Repeat this process at least 10 times or until you begin to feel your anxiety lessen.

• Relax by visualizing.

  • When you start to feel anxious, sit in a quiet and comfortable place. Think of your ideal place to relax. While it can be any place in the world, real or imaginary, it should be an image that you find very calming, happy, peaceful, and safe. Make sure it’s easy enough to think about so you can return to it in your mind when you feel anxious in the future.

• Relax your muscles.

  • Sit in a quiet and comfortable place. Close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Breathe slowly into your nose and out of your mouth.

  • Use your hand to make a tight fist. Squeeze your fist tightly.

  • Hold your squeezed fist for a few seconds. Notice all the tension you feel in your hand.

  • Slowly open your fingers and be aware of how you feel. You may notice a feeling of tension leaving your hand. Eventually, your hand will feel lighter and more relaxed.

  • Continue tensing and then releasing various muscle groups in your body, from your hands, legs, shoulders, or feet. You may want to work your way up and down your body tensing various muscle groups. Avoid tensing the muscles in any area of your body where you’re injured or in pain, as that may further aggravate your injury.

• Relax by counting.

  • Sometimes this relief occurs quickly, but other times it might take a while. Stay calm and patient. Counting can relax you because it gives you something to focus on besides your anxiety. It’s a great tool to use in a crowded or busy space like a store or train where other anxiety exercises might be more challenging to carry out.

• Relax by staying present.

  • Find a quiet and comfortable place to sit and close your eyes.

  • Notice how your breathing and body feel.

  • Now shift your awareness to the sensations you observe in your surroundings. Ask yourself What’s happening outside of my body? Notice what you hear, smell, and feel in your environment.

  • Change your awareness several times from your body to your environment and back again until your anxiety starts to fade.

• Relax by interrupting your anxious thinking.

  • Singing a silly song about your anxiety to an upbeat tempo, or speaking your anxieties in a funny voice.

  • Choose a nice thought to focus on instead of your anxiety. This could be a person you love, your happy place, or even something you look forward to doing later that day, such as eating a nice dinner.

  • Listen to music or read a book.

  • Be conscious when you shift your attention from your anxiety to a task at hand and notice how you feel.

Taking actions to improve your well-being is a positive step in and of itself! You got this!