A little anxiety now and then is totally normal, and if you’re like us, a bout of anxiety can creep up on you at any time so it’s important to know what to do to calm your mind and body and regain control of your thoughts. Here are a few techniques you can use throughout the day to calm a worried mind.
Be Vocal About It
As soon as you start to feel yourself getting anxious, whether that feels like tunnel vision out of nowhere, hot flashes, racing thoughts, or the sensation that your throat is closing up, tell the person you’re with, out loud, that you’re feeling anxious. Hiding your anxiety is certainly not going to help, and sometimes just hearing it and acknowledging how you’re feeling can make you feel better. And if the people or persons you’re with have ever experienced anxiety, then you’re in good company and the next question from them will be, “how can I help?”
Schedule Time to Worry
Okay, hear us out on this one. If you find yourself worrying about random things throughout the day, so much so that the worrying is interrupting your schedule, try scheduling a worry break. What you’ll do is write down every worry that pops into your head throughout the day and deal with it later, during your designated worry break. Just trust us on this one.
Turn Off Your Phone
Or at least put it on the charger and go do something in a different room. Have you ever caught yourself going from social media platform to social media platform for no reason? We’re certainly guilty of doing this during an anxious episode, so sometimes just putting down the phone or turning it off snaps us out of it.
Change Up the Scenery
This isn’t always an option, but if you’re able to step into a different room or better yet, step outside when you’re feeling anxious, this gives your brain the opportunity to focus on a slew of different things rather than fixating on that thing you were thinking about 2 minutes ago.
Interrupt Your Own Thoughts
When it feels like there’s no end to the running thoughts in your head, interrupt them. You can do this by getting up and moving your body, getting some fresh air, texting a friend, face-timing your significant other, stopping for a snack, or maybe even keeping your hands busy and working on a puzzle or coloring something. (Also a good excuse to buy an adult coloring book and crayons to keep in your desk drawer!)