Exercises To Calm Your Anxious Thoughts
17 Exercises for Anxiety Relief
While anxiety is a normal stress response, if ignored, anxiety symptoms can begin to interfere with a person’s ability to function effectively in their daily life. Therefore, it’s important to master anxiety-relaxing exercises that you can implement when anxiety pops up. Regularly practicing these coping skills for anxiety can significantly improve a person’s mental health, increase their resilience to stress, and enhance their overall quality of life. These exercises are grounded in evidence-based approaches and can be tailored to fit everyone’s needs and lifestyle.
Here are seventeen effective exercises for anxiety relief to try:
1. Visualization
Our thoughts have a powerful impact on our emotional state. When you’re feeling anxious, often the worried thoughts that come up end up making anxiety even worse. The opposite is true as well – thinking of something positive or calming can have a calming impact on how you feel. Using visualization techniques is one way to do this, by refocusing your mind on something you find relaxing or peaceful.
Can you bring up an image of a calming nature scene, such as a beach or the mountains? Focus on this place and envision it with all of your senses. Bring the picture up in your mind and notice what sounds you would hear, what smells you would notice, or what sensations you would feel. Practicing this is known as visualization, or a guided imagery meditation for anxiety, and it has been shown to be an effective exercise for decreasing anxiety.1
2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
People often experience muscle tension as part of anxiety. Focusing on releasing this tension through progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) can be beneficial to alleviate not only the muscle tension that comes with anxiety but also engage your body’s relaxation response, which can alleviate stress. Using PMR involves deliberately tensing and relaxing various muscle groups throughout the body.
To practice PMR, start by tensing your feet by curling your toes. Hold this tension for about 5 seconds, then release. Continue tensing muscle groups in the body, moving up the body from your feet. Tense your muscles without going to the point of straining. Focus on tensing and releasing your calves, upper legs, stomach, arms and hands, shoulders, and face. End this exercise by tensing your entire body for about 5 seconds, then release.
3. 54321 Method
Using a grounding skill, such as the 54321 method, can help redirect your attention when you’re feeling anxious. This exercise involves using all your senses to ground yourself in the present moment and calm your anxiety.
To practice the 54321 method, follow these steps:
Look for 5 things you can see
Focus on 4 things you can touch
Listen for 3 things you can hear
Find 2 things you can smell
Name 1 thing you can taste
4. Square Breathing
When you are anxious, your body is sent into the stress response, which is typically felt in physical symptoms such as increased heart rate or rapid breathing.2 Because breathing is a key change when your body is experiencing stress, breathing exercises for anxiety can also help regulate it. By using specific breathing techniques, you can help your body switch from the stress response to the relaxation response.
Square breathing, also known as box breathing, can be an effective and easy-to-remember tool that helps your body trigger the relaxation response. The steps to square breathing are:
Inhale your breath for a count of 4
Hold your breath for a count of 4
Exhale your breath for a count of 4
Hold your breath for a count of 4
Repeat this process 4-5 times, or as many as you would like, until you feel calm again. It can help to remember this skill by picturing each step as the 4 sides of a square – hence the name square breathing.
5. Five-Count Breath
Another breathing exercise to regulate your anxiety is the five-count breath. To start, inhale your breath for a count of 5. Next, hold your breath for a count of 5. Then, exhale for a count of 5. Repeat this process for 4-5 breaths or until you feel calm. It can be helpful to imagine each step as three sides that make up a triangle.
6. Alternate Nostril Breathing
A third option for focusing on your breath to calm your anxiety is called alternate nostril breathing. Start by inhaling and bringing your right hand up to your face. Use your right thumb to gently press on your right nostril and then exhale out your left nostril. After you fully exhale, let go of your right nostril and use your ring finger to close your left nostril. Breathe in fully through your right nostril. Repeat this process, continuing to switch nostrils.
7. Mindfulness Meditation
Research has found that incorporating mindfulness exercises for anxiety regularly can be a great way to reduce stress and anxiety.3 Mindfulness has two main components: turning your attention to what you’re experiencing in the present moment and acceptance of different emotions and sensations you observe, without judgment.
To start a mindfulness meditation for anxiety, find a comfortable place where you can sit quietly for about 5-10 minutes. Start by turning your attention to your breath, focusing on your inhale and exhale and how this feels in your body. If your thoughts begin to pull you away from focusing on your breath, gently guide your mind back to your breath. Allow these thoughts to pass without judgment or getting swept away by them. Each time you notice your attention wandering, bring your focus back to your breath.
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8. Mindful Walk
Another way to incorporate mindfulness regularly is by combining it with another activity, for example, walking. Take a mindful or meditation walk by turning your attention to what you can take in through your senses. What can you see on your walk? Do any colors stand out to you? Can you notice how your body feels at this moment as you are walking? Pay attention to these details and more, such as what you can hear, smell, or touch.
9. Body Scan
Mindfulness can help you focus not only on external observations but also on internal sensations within your body. A useful mindfulness exercise for this is the body scan, which recent research has shown is effective in reducing stress.4
To practice a body scan, start by finding a quiet, comfortable place to sit or lie down. Begin by bringing your attention to your feet. Notice any sensations you feel there without trying to change or judge them. Gradually move your focus upward, part by part. Notice any sensations, such as warmth, tingling, tension, or relaxation. If your mind starts to wander, gently bring your focus back to the body part you were observing.
10. Leaves on a Stream
Leaves on a stream is an exercise often taught in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) that helps a person to detach from their anxious thoughts and, therefore, reduce their anxiety. To complete this exercise, begin by picturing yourself by the side of a stream, using all of your senses to picture this. As you watch the stream, imagine leaves floating in this stream. Each time a thought comes up as you complete this exercise, imagine putting each thought on each leaf. Watch each thought float away on these leaves. Continue this exercise until you are feeling calm again. By practicing this, you can create some distance between yourself and the anxious thoughts that you’re experiencing.
11. Cognitive Restructuring
Cognitive restructuring is a technique used in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) to help manage anxiety by identifying and challenging negative thought patterns. This method allows individuals to reframe negative thoughts and adopt more balanced perspectives.
The process begins with becoming aware of the negative thoughts that contribute to your anxiety, such as, “I’m going to fail this class.” Once these thoughts are identified, the next step is to challenge their validity by examining the evidence for and against them. By evaluating both sides, you can arrive at a more balanced perspective, such as, “I’ve faced challenges in this class, but I’ve also worked hard and sought help when needed.” After challenging the negative thought, the final step is to replace it with a more realistic and constructive thought. Instead of thinking, “I’m going to fail this class,” you might think, “I’ve done my best with the assignments, and I will continue to seek help and improve.” This new perspective can reduce anxiety and help you approach the situation with greater confidence and calmness.
12. Petting an Animal
Interacting with animals can be a wonderful way to manage stress and anxiety. Studies have shown that spending time with animals can reduce cortisol, the stress hormone, boost your mood, and lower blood pressure.5 Animals offer unconditional, non-judgmental companionship, which can alleviate loneliness and distract from anxious thoughts. The simple act of petting an animal can provide a soothing, repetitive motion that helps to calm the mind. Additionally, the sensory experience of feeling an animal’s fur can be incredibly grounding. If you don’t have a pet of your own, visiting a dog park or spending time with a friend or family member’s animal can be equally beneficial.
13. Journaling
Journaling is a great way to manage anxiety because it helps you get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper. This makes it easier to process them. Using journal prompts for anxiety can help you understand your stressors and fears better. Journaling also lets you spot patterns in your anxious thinking and track your progress over time. If you are struggling to get started, journaling apps are a great way to begin.
14. Physical Movement
Just a few minutes of exercise can significantly reduce anxiety. Exercise and physical movement can help reduce tension and pent-up energy in the body. Power walking, jogging, dancing, or yoga are just a few activities that release endorphins, which are natural mood boosters. Movement can be a healthy way to distract from anxious thoughts, and it will also improve your physical health.
15. Change in Body Temperature
Changing your body temperature is an effective strategy to manage anxiety. Cooling your body down can trigger the body’s dive reflex, which slows the heart rate and helps alleviate anxious symptoms.6 Examples include splashing cold water on your face, holding an ice pack on the back of your neck, or taking a quick cold shower. Alternatively, warm showers or heating pads can relax tense muscles and promote a sense of calm. These temperature changes can interrupt the cycle of anxious thoughts, providing quick and accessible relief.
16. Forest Bathing
Forest bathing is a Japanese practice of immersing yourself in nature. During forest bathing, you slowly walk through a wooded area or a forest while engaging all of your senses to connect with the environment around you. The combination of gently moving your body, being exposed to the natural compounds released by trees, and the calming effect of nature can reduce anxiety and cortisol levels. If you don’t have access to a forest, spending time in any green space (like a park) can be just as effective.
17. Sound Baths
Sound baths use resonant sounds from instruments like crystal singing bowls, Tibetan bowls, chimes, drums, and gongs to induce a meditative state. The vibrations created during a sound bath can move you into a deeper brainwave state, making you relaxed and reducing anxiety. You can attend a sound bath in person or listen to one via a meditation app. Even a few minutes can provide anxiety relief.
17 Exercises for Anxiety Relief. (2024, 08). 17 Exercises to Regulate Your Nervous System & Anxiety
