Exercises To Calm Your Anxious Thoughts
We all worry and get upset from time to time. It’s a normal part of life, right? But what happens when that anxiety or anger takes over, and you can’t calm down? Being able to calm yourself in the moment is often easier said than done.
That’s why having a few strategies you’re familiar with can help you when you’re feeling anxious or angry. Here are some helpful, actionable tips you can try the next time you need to calm down.
1. Breathe
When you’re anxious or angry, you tend to take quick, shallow breaths. This sends a message to your brain, causing a positive feedback loop reinforcing your fight-or-flight response. That’s why taking long, deep calming breaths disrupts that loop and helps you calm down.
There are various breathing techniques (or pranayama in Sanskrit) to help you calm down. One is three-part breathing. Three-part breathing requires you to take one deep breath in and then exhale fully while paying attention to your body.
Once you get comfortable with deep breathing, you can change the ratio of inhalation and exhalation to 1:2 (you slow down your exhalation so that it’s twice as long as your inhalation).
Practice these techniques while calm so you know how to do them when you’re anxious.
2. Accept that you’re anxious or angry
Allow yourself to say that you’re anxious or angry. When you label how you’re feeling and allow yourself to express it, the anxiety and anger you’re experiencing can decrease.
Essentially you’re accepting where you are, and allowing yourself to feel. It’s normal and natural and won’t stay permanently. Emotions come and go like clouds, but they definitely don’t define you.
3. Observe your thoughts
Part of being anxious or angry is having irrational thoughts that don’t always make sense. These thoughts are often the “worse-case scenario.” You might find yourself caught in the “what if” cycle, which can cause you to sabotage a lot of things in your life.
When you experience one of these thoughts, stop and ask yourself the following questions:
Is this likely to happen?
Is this rational or truthful?
What’s the worst that can happen? Can I handle that?
After you go through the questions, it’s time to reframe your thinking. Instead of “What if the worst thing happens?” tell yourself: “What if the best thing happens.” Flip the script in your mind when you notice it whurring, and try not to attach yourself to any outcomes. We usually feel tensions in our mind and body when our expectations aren’t met. but when we start to move with the rhythm of life and surrender to outcomes, things start to feel less stressful.
4. Release the charge!
Yoga is the best way in letting any emotional energy in my humble option. But Science also tells us that engaging in physical activity releases serotonin to help you calm down and feel better. Plus a focus on breathing and meditation really is the cherry on top.
I would avoid physical activity that includes the expression of anger, such as punching walls or screaming, which has been shown to increase feelings of anger, as it reinforces the emotions because you end up feeling good as the result of being angry. Instead try moving your body in a way that serves your highest self; whether that’s dance, yoga, running, swimming, surfing; whatever it is, it’s the time to let it go through movement.
5. Visualise calm
This one requires you to practice pranayama and breathing techniques. After taking a few deep breaths, close your eyes and picture yourself in a calm state of being. See your body relaxed, and imagine yourself working through a stressful or anxiety-causing situation by staying calm and focused.
By creating a mental picture of what it looks like to stay calm, you can refer back to this mental mindframe whenever you start to feel any anxiety.