Exercises To Calm Your Anxious Thoughts

Anxiety tends to surface and affect everyone in one way or another.

When it strikes, our world can become strenuous and hard to manage. So, how can we minimize those anxious thoughts to feel calmer and more in control? 

Breath work. When you start to feel those anxious thoughts arising, focus on your breath and your breath only. Begin to take slow, deep breaths holding them in a four count. Inhale…2…3…4 and exhale…2…3…4. Repeat this process several times. By taking these deep breaths, we are telling our body it is safe and not under attack. Remind yourself everything is okay to help reset these emotions. 

Mindfulness. A lot of us go through the motions of tasks and routines, rushing to complete them. Instead take a step back and focus on what is really in front of you; for example, let’s look at cooking. Mindful cooking would involve paying attention to things like the smell of individual ingredients and how they intertwine, the feel of warmth radiating off of the stove onto different body parts, the sound of food sizzling in the pan, the steam given off by the hot food in front of you. Observing these details in real time will calm the brain into appreciating what we are doing instead of stressing what comes next. 

Meditation. A great way to calm anxious thoughts is listening meditation because it requires you to stop thinking. Really give sound your full attention. Listen for the buzz of the light fixtures, the breeze ruffling tree leaves, a dog's collar down the street, the dishwasher cycle. When we meditate, those anxious thoughts subside until we don’t hear them at all- because we’re listening to the noises the physical world makes.

If your mind begins to wander while participating in these activities (thoughts like what you will be having for dinner or a phone call you need to make), acknowledge the intrusion and let it pass by. Bring your focus back to the exercise and keep going. You will feel more calm and in control.