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Are there any exercises or things I can do to calm my anxiety?

43 Answers
Last Updated: 04/04/2022 at 6:40pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United Kingdom
Moderated by

Tanyia Hughes, Adv Dip Psy

Psychotherapist

I have been through a lot in life too, which helps me to be able to empathize with situations, thoughts and feelings that we have. Sometimes, it's not easy just being human.

Top Rated Answers
HelpingHand315
January 27th, 2015 5:25pm
You could try different breathing exerrcises, but if you are looking for actual phisical exercises you could try runing or yoga maybe :)
starryRiver83
March 14th, 2015 6:42pm
There are many things you can do. Little things like taking time out of your day to go for a walk or swimming. You can do breathing exercises as well. Making time for yourself each day, even for a little amount of time is extremely helpful.
Laura94
April 21st, 2015 9:55pm
There are obvious tips like breathing exercises and trying to count to 5 or 10 to try and calm down your heart and slow your breathing if these things start getting a little rushed. Never hide the fact you're suffering from anxiety, if you need someone to help you then inform someone you're close to so they can distract you and also calm you down at the best of times.
OnlyHuman77
June 1st, 2020 4:35am
tons! for many, yoga is very beneficial. Many others find comfort and calm in music and arts. Even just regular exercise can calm you down! there are also products marketed toward anxiety like fidgets, many different textures and colors of stress balls! People have also developed breathing techniques to cope with anxiety! my favorite is box breathing. Box breathing(or the way I learned it) goes like this; you inhale for 5-10 seconds, hold for 5-10 seconds, exhale for 5-10 seconds, and hold again for 5-10 seconds, you'd repeat this 5-10 times! Ultimately, you know your body and mind so you've gotta find something that works best for you. I hope this helped!
NikkiD1
February 2nd, 2016 6:27pm
Things you can do to calm anxiety: 1. Control Your Breathing Severe anxiety symptoms are often linked to poor breathing habits. Many men and women with anxiety suffer from poor breathing habits that contribute to anxiety and many of the most upsetting symptoms. Controlling you breathing is the solution - and it's not what you think. Even if you feel you can't take a deep breath, you actually need to slow down and reduce your breathing, not speed it up or try to take deeper breaths. Take more controlled, slower, shallower breaths, using the following technique: Breathe in slowly and gently through your nose for about 5 to 7 seconds. Hold for about three or four seconds. Breathe out slowly and gently through pursed lips like you're whistling for about 7 to 9 seconds. Repeat this exercise ten to twenty times. This method of breathing will ensure that you're not hyperventilating (a common problem of those with anxiety) and will help to regain the Co2 balance in your body that creates many of the worst anxiety symptoms. 2. Talk to Someone Friendly Effective anxiety reduction is often about distraction, since your mind can be your worst enemy when you have severe anxiety symptoms. A very effective technique is to talk to someone you like and trust, especially on the phone. Don't be shy about your anxiety - tell them you feel anxious and explain what you're feeling. Talking to nice people keeps your mind off of your symptoms, and the supportive nature of friends and family gives you that added boost of confidence. If you're suffering from a panic attack, it also helps you feel more confident that if something was wrong, you'd have someone that can watch over you. 3. Try Some Aerobic Activity During periods of anxiety your body is filled with adrenaline. Putting that adrenaline towards aerobic activity can be a great way to improve your anxiety. That's because exercise has numerous advantages for controlling your anxiety symptoms: Exercise burns away stress hormones that create anxiety symptoms. Exercise tires your muscles, reducing excess energy and tension. Exercise releases endorphins which improve overall mood. Exercise forces healthier breathing. Exercise is a healthy distraction. Aerobic activity, like light jogging or even fast walking, can be extremely effective at reducing the severity of your anxiety symptoms, as well as your anxiety itself. 4. Find What Relaxes You There are already things in your life that relax you. Don't avoid them and try to fight it out. Instead, do the activities as fast as possible. For example, if you find that a warm bath is relaxing, don't wait to take the bath. Jump in the bath, light some candles, add a few nice scents, and jump inside. Whether it's a bath, a shower, skipping stones at a park, getting a massage - if it works, do it right away, rather than let yourself become overwhelmed by your anxiety. 5. Consider Kava Kava (also known as Kava Kava) is an anti-anxiety herb that many believe is one of the most effective, natural ways to control anxiety. You'll want to talk to a doctor before taking kava as it can interact with other medications and alcohol, but kava has nutrients known as kavalactones that are very effective at regulating the way you experience anxiety, and promoting greater levels of relaxation without any addiction risk. 6. Learn How to Trick Your Anxious Thinking Anxiety doesn't come out of the blue. When you have anxiety attacks, it's often because your mind has a tendency to spiral into negative thoughts - often without your control. Sometimes you can control this anxiety by keeping these thoughts at bay, and learning to dismiss triggers that cause you anxiety. For many, this is easier said than done. But there are many different strategies you can try that may be effective. These include: A Question Checklist When you feel severe anxiety, have a checklist on hand of questions to ask yourself about that anxiety experience. The longer the checklist, the more you'll find that your thoughts become more realistic. Questions that you can use include: Is there a reason to believe something is wrong? What evidence is there that something is wrong? Is there a chance I'm blowing this out of proportion? Affirmations Affirmations are not for everyone, but those that do use them find them to be very beneficial. Affirmations are things that you say to yourself to make yourself feel better. These include: I'm okay. This is just anxiety and I will get over it. I have a great life and I'm looking forward to tomorrow. My anxiety won't control me. Getting Used to Physical Symptoms Many of the thoughts that affect anxiety are not thoughts per se, but reactions to physical experiences. This is especially true if you experience panic attacks, where a physical sensation can trigger severe anxiety and panic. By getting used to the symptoms when you're not experiencing anxiety, your mind stops associating them with your panic attacks. Examples include: Dizziness - If feeling dizzy causes a panic attack, spin around in a chair and let yourself feel more dizzy. Rapid Heartbeat - If a rapid heartbeat causes panic attacks, run in place as fast as you can until your heartbeat speeds up. The latter is known as "exposure therapy" and there are countless ways to create exercises that will habituate you to your panic attack triggers. 7. Listen to Good Mood Music Every little thing matters. That's why even if it sounds like it won't make a tremendous difference, listening to your favorite music can have a powerful effect on your anxiety. They key is to not just choose songs you like, however. The key is also to make sure you're listening to music that represents the way you want to feel. Happy or relaxing music, not just any music. The reality is that music does affect emotions. So while many people find it soothing to listen to angry music when you're angry or sad music when you're sad, the truth is that this type of music will only help you get in touch with those negative emotions. They won't help you feel better. When you're trying to stop anxiety now, you should listen to music that will help you feel the way you want to feel. 8. Let it All Out Anxiety is interesting, because it tends to get worse when you try to fight it. It's not clear why that occurs, but most likely the stress that your body goes through in order to control the stress of anxiety only makes it worse, as does the effort it takes to try to not feel your natural feelings. So rather than have any desire to stop your anxiety, an interesting coping strategy is to go overboard embracing it. I like to call it the "going crazy" technique. When you're feeling anxious, find a place that you can be alone and go nuts. Yell at mirrors. Scream. Punch pillows. In a way, make fun of the things you wish you can do. Have a bit of fun with it, but also let out all of your emotions. Throw stuffed animals. Flail your arms and jump around. Let yourself feel like you're letting out all of your emotions, and then some, to the point where you feel a bit silly, and then keep going with it. This lets you embrace the anxiety and not try to fight it, while also giving you an opportunity to hold it back. It's best to make sure no one is around, and don't break anything important to you, but as long as what you're doing is safe it can help you feel quite relaxed. 9. Make Love "When I get that feeling, I wantÂ… sexual healing." It's not a myth. Sexual intercourse can be incredibly calming. It is a distracting physical activity that releases endorphins and helps you feel more relaxed and less tense. If you have someone special in your life that understands that you're suffering from anxiety and is willing to share in some lovemaking in order to help you experience some relief from that anxiety, the two of you should come to some type of understanding that allows you to release some sexual energy, and possibly improve your relationship in the process. 10. Living in Today Finally, simply learning to live for today can impact your anxiety. One of the most important things that psychologists and counselors teach those with anxiety is: "Okay, you're anxious. So what?" Those with anxiety often start to focus too much on how they feel and their worries about the future. Each day becomes trying to live with anxiety instead of trying to live in general. Learning to embrace the idea that you have anxiety and trying to live a great and exciting life anyway is important. And what's interesting is that if you can learn to finally have that mindset - to let yourself experience the fear and try to live the life anyway - you will find that your anxiety tends to dissipate with it. It's not a cure, but it's close.
Asunder
July 28th, 2015 8:03pm
If I ever feel my anxiety starting to build up, I try to just relax, and breathe slowly. Take a few minutes aside from whatever it is you're doing, and calm your mind. It might be the cliche thing to do, but it always helps.
Anonymous
May 31st, 2016 11:59pm
Take a deep breath. Look at or think of the stars above you and understand that there are much bigger things.
GalaxyRaven
April 4th, 2022 6:40pm
Hi! 👋 I am happy you asked this question. Simple answer is yes, of course! The best exercises are aerobic one. For example: running, walking, cycling, swimming, dancing! Also resistance exercises can help too. It is scientifically proved, if you regularly do exercises, it helps with stress, anxiety and other psychological problems. There are also breathing exercises, for example, diaphragmic breathing. But please, keep in mind, that you shouldn’t feel exhausted after exercises and you shouldn’t feel pain while doing it. If you are unsure about something while working out - there are trainers or other people that can help you. 🤗
bandgirl182
June 2nd, 2016 5:03am
i have a severe anxiety and i have few things i do to calm myself like running/or just exercising in general, listening to my favorite music and holding my breath then exhaling slowly
Mia1
July 4th, 2016 1:37pm
7 cups has many resources for coping with anxiety! When you get anxious, try to take deep breaths. Listen to music, play with a family pet, read a book, take a hot bath. Do things that make you feel safe and calm your nerves a bit.
Anonymous
July 18th, 2016 7:45pm
getting participated in the most important activity you can do for yourself to keep yourself from anxiety
campfiremarshmallows27
August 16th, 2016 11:58pm
Of course, yoga is a brilliant way to calm yourself and feel free and like you understand your own body more, which can help grow your confidence. You can try and build yourself up to go to a gym or another public place where you can workout, which can increase your confidence and reduce certain anxious fears.
avanef
March 13th, 2017 8:59pm
Some say do to things that are normal or something you do a regular basis; tie your shoes, tie up your hair, drive around the block. Something that doesn't require much thinking and just natural instinct and all. But I'm not sure if it works, I don't deal with anxiety. But you can always look those things up as well. Good luck!
Laura1199
March 14th, 2017 7:28pm
You can imagine anxiety as colors. You breathe in your favorite color and you get rid of your least favorite by breathing out. You can also count your breaths and I've found that cold air really helps because it calms down the beating of your heart.
Anonymous
April 18th, 2017 8:24pm
Breathing exercises have always helped me a lot. The one I do the most is to breathe in through the nose slowly and hold my breath for around 4-5 seconds. Afterwards, I will breathe out slowly from my mouth. If a breathing exercise doesn't work. You can always try to think logically or ask for support from someone else. Logic is the the enemy of a lot of anxious situations.
KattPiper
July 25th, 2017 3:32pm
My standard go to is the counting down from 100 (or 200 if it's bad) in sevens. It's just enough to get your mind out of panic mode and settle down a little. Another trick that a psychiatrist taught me is to press you tongue or a finger against the roof of your mouth right on the ridge behind your teeth. It activates a reflex that stops babies inhaling breastmilk, and automatically slows your pulse, and makes it impossible to hyperventilate.
TogetherForeverAlways
November 7th, 2017 7:36am
Sure there are, there are plenty! Now, while I can't guarantee that the ones which work for me will also work for you, you just need to try until you find the best one(s). Breathing exercises, practice mindfulness, meditation and yoga, listenning to soft music, going to the gym to spend all your bad energy and get a boost of relaxation are all good exercises/things I can and do to calm my anxiety
ShadowMirge
February 26th, 2018 11:31am
There are a lot of different exercises that you can do. You can do breathing exercises, and even yoga to calm yourself down. It took different exercises for everybody to fight their anxiety. You can look for sample exercises on the Internet and find the one that suits you best
SarahInCanada
February 26th, 2018 10:18pm
There are many ways people cope with anxiety, and help to calm down when they feel anxious or panicky. Everyone is different in terms of what works for them (what seems natural, calming, etc), but some ideas I've heard from others are: mindful breathing exercises, journaling about your anxiety, or light physical activity (yoga, walking, jogging, etc). Anything that makes you feel happy or calm - even if it's just being outside in nature, colouring or doodling, listening to music, or taking a bubble bath - can be helpful for some people experiencing anxiety :)
Anonymous
April 24th, 2018 11:17pm
When I get nervous or want to keep my mind off of things, I do rigorous exercise. Sprinting or other HIIT activities will probably allow you to engage in the activity fully and not allow you to think about your day.
arctictrinity822
June 4th, 2018 4:23pm
Breathing in for 10 seconds and out for ten seconds really helps me. Listening to music, doing yoga, taking a bath, or even just talking to someone about something happy can help you feel less anxious.
friendlyDreamer26
August 14th, 2018 11:44am
Listen to music or journal how you feel. This has helped me through the years. Music is my top helper and journaling is second.
specialMelody96
September 10th, 2019 11:28am
When I started university, I felt more anxious and stressed than I had ever felt. When I joined the counselling service, my counselor recommended I take up some form of exercise to help calm me! It felt like I tried everything. Going to the gym sent me into a panic attack, swimming made me feel too self-conscious and running around my neighborhood made me feel unsafe and concerned. That;'s when I decided to take up yoga. Yoga is something easily accessible to everybody that can be done in the safety of your own room. It helped me calm my breathing, feeling more connected to my own body, and get fitter and stronger. I highly recommend yoga to people with anxiety as it was a total game-changer for me in a very stressful period of my life.
AllieSunshine
March 24th, 2020 3:39pm
Yes. You can ground yourself do an activity called 54321. You name five objects you can see , four you can feel , three that you hear , 2 that you smell and one that you like about yourself. You can also take deep breaths as well. A third thing you can do is go onto YouTube and look up guided relaxation videos for stress or anxiety , they help to get your mind out of what ever is making it anxious and also calms your whole body down. You also can reach out to family members and a therapist who may be able to provide further advice. I hope this helps you.
Anonymous
September 29th, 2015 6:08am
Sit down and breath focus on something like a hobby or an object until you feel like it's going away
Ya93DC
February 15th, 2015 11:31pm
Take deep breaths by counting from 1-10 (or as high as you can go) as you inhale and doing the same as you exhale. Go for a run or walk or partake in any type of physical exercise that you enjoy. Use a journal to jot down your thoughts and even to-do's for the day/week so that you keep yourself grounded. This can also help you identify what is causing the anxiety, which is very important in working toward managing it.
Anonymous
April 30th, 2015 11:57pm
Taking long breaths, inhaling fresh air can really help. It makes a sudden surge of positive energy into your body making you feel relaxed and calm.
FeatherIce25
May 13th, 2015 7:34pm
A little breathing exercise where you close your eyes and breath from your core and exhale rhythemically helps. Also you can think of a beach, waves, birds chruping. Nature has a very soothing effect.
Anonymous
June 18th, 2015 12:18am
Yes, I for example like running, since it estimulates your brain to liberate endorphins, which makes you euphoric for a while. Or, if you can concentrate, read a book, for books transport you to another universe, where you have no worries.
NotDownYet
July 14th, 2015 4:43pm
For me, a good exercise is exercise itself. By giving my all in a workout (this is the important part), I have to focus so much on what I'm doing with my form and how many reps/how long I can go for that I don't have time or energy to worry. Another good one is tensing muscles. My anxiety manifests itself in tight muscles in my neck. I would tense these muscles for about 10 seconds, then release them and take some deep breaths. Focusing on the breathing, instead of your thoughts and whether or not you are feeling better yet, is important.