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Does anyone know some good exercises that can help relieve anxiety?

31 Answers
Last Updated: 02/21/2022 at 8:27am
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Polly Letsch, LCSW

Clinical Social Work/Therapist

I provide non-judgmental, person-centered, objective therapeutic treatment for individuals of all ages to improve social, emotional, mental and other areas of functioning.

Top Rated Answers
izza
April 11th, 2015 2:40pm
The best way to relive anxiety is through physical activities , the best activity differs according to person; some may decide to dive into individual physical activities such as jogging (and when they are ready to do so jog with someone) and others chose to dive right into group activities. Either way will help relive the anxiety . Also taking deep breathes and isolating one self from the surroundings for a couple of seconds can really help . You can find more information on the 7cups training guide which is really beneficial to read https://www.7cups.com/anxiety-help/
Anonymous
December 28th, 2015 12:29pm
To relieve anxiety, i usually do a countdown from a large number such as 150 and a the same time i take a deep breath.
CoreConnector
February 21st, 2022 8:27am
Yes, one of the best exercises used in coaching practice is 54321 method. It is proven to be one of the most gentle and calming exercises when facing anxiety or panic attacks. When you are in a situation where you feel anxious, it is an easy grounding technique that helps your anxiety to calm down. Here's how you do it- Name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, 1 thing you can taste. Combine that with deep breathing 4x4 and it will help you release anxiety. I hope this will help you.
bountifulLight2868
December 13th, 2021 9:41pm
The 4-7-8 breath is an amazing breathwork practice that can help you manage mild to moderate anxiety. Start by expelling all your breath, then as you inhale through your nose count to 4, then hold that breath for the count of 7 and exhale through your mouth for a count of 8, repeat 4 x. This can be done as a daily practice or as needed to reduce anxiety or even help you sleep. This practice was taught by Dr. Andrew Weil and for full details you can find an instructional by googling the 4-7-8 breath for anxiety. I hope this helps.
nikanni
March 26th, 2019 12:20pm
There are several exercises you can try. First, it can be helpful to focus on your breathing: 1. Breathe in for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 7 seconds and breath out slowly for 8 seconds. This causes your body to relax and slow down. 2. You can concentrate on breathing in and out through mouth and nose at the same time. This requires some practice but the concentration helps to focus and ground yourself. Eating something can be of help as well. This mechanism can be traced back for thousands of years. Eating signals the body that we are safe. Our ancestors could not eat if there was a dangerous situation. Hence, our brain still signals that we are safe when we are eating something to our body. When you experience anxiety, it is also helpful to stay in the present. One exercise to help you with this is an altered version of I Spy With My Little Eye. You just select a random colour and try to find it in your environment. If you have spotted everything, just select a new one. Drinking a glass of cold water can also help to help you stay grounded. These are some of the exercises I know and were helpful to me.
Clairissamc123
November 26th, 2018 4:38am
Deep breaths, I can not stress that enough. Think of the ocean waves, the sun lightly warming your skin on the beach. Deep, slow, long breaths to relax your pulse and your respirations. If the beach isn’t your style think of walking in a museum, looking at the sculptures and paintings and the exhibits. Just slowing your heart rate down is the best advice I can give. Once you are calm, drink so water and get some fresh air. Get away from whatever is triggering your anxiety and take some time for yourself. Think happy thoughts, and think about calming things. Anything that helps.
Anonymous
August 13th, 2018 11:02am
I use 5 things. 5 things i can hear, 5 things i can feel and 5 things i can see. The first two are done with eyes closed. Exploring the nuances of each before moving to the next. Then open my eyes and explore what i can see. It definitely helps me! It may not help you though, as we're all different.
Emmur
May 28th, 2018 3:21pm
Yeah! One that I absolutely love that my therapist has me do is square breathing. Basically, as you draw a square on your leg, a piece of paper, or trace a card, you breathe in as you go across one side, hold on one side, exhale on one side, and hold on the last side. Something else I love to do is just fidget with different things - rocks, bookmarks, my necklace. This tends to keep me from biting my nails. You can also drink cold water, eat small ice cubes/chips, and wet down a wash cloth, freeze it, and then pull it apart as you wish. If you need some more ideas of how to manage anxiety, you can visit the self-help guides that 7Cups has. c: https://www.7cups.com/anxiety-help/ https://www.7cups.com/how-to-overcome-test-taking-anxiety/ https://www.7cups.com/social-anxiety/ https://www.7cups.com/panic-attacks-help-online/ If you ever need to talk about anxiety or just want some help, I'm more than willing to talk with you
pamharley003
March 13th, 2018 3:11pm
The way I relieve anxiety is I write in a journal I keep every day. Then a few days or weeks later if I notice I am having the same issues I use it as a exercise to fix that problem, so I do not have it again.
JuneForever
August 14th, 2017 7:05pm
From my personal experience, going on a run has helped me. Though people who are more active might want to do something that proves to be more of a challenge. The opposite can occur as well, and if you don't feel up to running, you can try something called progressive relaxation. This is an exercise where you (starting at your toes and working up) tense your muscles as tight as you can before releasing them. This also gets oxygen into your muscles, which can help to calm anxiety.
Ashley1094
February 7th, 2017 6:54am
For me I have a few different exercises I do. One simple one is to get do some slow and heavy breathing for a few minutes, get in a calm state of mind. Another exercise I enjoy is a "tapping" exercise that my therapist taught me, You tap certain parts of your body and say reassuring statements as you tap each, I'm sure you could find it online :) I also like to talk out loud and express everything I'm feeling out loud, sometimes to others. I like to be reassured as well
Anonymous
January 30th, 2017 8:48pm
Just breathe. Slowly in, and gently out. Do this repeated repeated times and imagine a river. Calm and steady. Now, try to match it with your breathing. Clear your mind and imagine calm bodies of water. Close your eyes and think of a small waterfall, drops gently falling on the surface. Just calm things, and stay like this for a few minutes until you calm down. If you don't, just try again. There's nothing to loose.
Anonymous
November 7th, 2016 1:22am
Meditation is a big one since it helps you to relax. Music therapy can also help. Also learning breathing techniques to help you get through an anxiety or panic attack.
wonderfulVision91
June 28th, 2016 5:07am
Meditation, yoga, and calm music would really help you manage your emotions. Also if nothing works therapy and finding a good listening ear would help you overcome this problem
courtneybug
April 25th, 2016 9:40pm
Coming from experience, I believe that yoga, and stretching are amazing to help relieve anxiety. Yoga helps you focus on your breathing, which will calm down some anxiety.
LogicalTrees
March 11th, 2016 3:44am
Personally, I take a step back and listen to calming music. Maybe it could help you as well :3
Anonymous
January 25th, 2016 6:30am
Yoga, meditation, Pilates etc. are good methods of calming one's self and finding inner peace. If you want something more fast pace try doing a sport, or hitting the gym. Running can also be a stress reliever and it's great when you combine it with music - however you have be sure to keep yourself focused otherwise your mind may wander to dark places.
hopefulWaters
January 11th, 2015 6:56pm
Yoga! This might be an obvious one but simple yoga can help relieve anxiety, lower blood pressure, improve depression and even help you sleep better. If this doesn't help some people find more blood pumping activities like kick boxing or running to help.
Anonymous
December 22nd, 2015 3:34pm
What help me is common yoga positions. Just look up some yoga moves and take deep breaths and it will help.
CaringJoy
December 15th, 2015 2:19pm
Good exercises to relieve anxiety are deep breathing from the diaphragm, yoga, meditation, mindful exercises and cardio workouts.
Anonymous
December 7th, 2015 7:35pm
Take a time out at least 2 to 3 times a day to take a 10 minute breather . When suffering from anxiety its best you breath in and count to 10 and then breath out slowly.
TobySchoyen17
November 16th, 2015 9:00pm
When I get anxiety mostly from tests, I do this basic inhale, exhale, It helps alot for me personally for the reason you are aware of your breathing because when you get nearvous and build up your stress in a short period of time, you breath quicklier than normal. This builds your stress more up and leaves you in a judgemental state where you either tell yourself you can't do your task because it is overwhelming or lack of skills. If you inhale as much as possible for three seconds, then exhale it all out it should help you relaxe and take small breaks. In addition, you focus on something else. Although, if you feel you have to work all day or experienced something uncomfortable making you anxiues, your mind need breaks in order to sort all your thoughts or experiences to make everything more clear.
Anonymous
November 16th, 2015 5:42pm
I find cardio exercises help me, like running or swimming. I think part of it is the rhythmic aspect; try to focus on your breathing or on music, and it can be almost meditative. Another element is that it tires you out, so you can sleep better. Sleeping better helps most things. It's also hard to dwell on things when you're fighting for breath! Finally, any exercise gives you a concrete improvement you can measure; did you lift more, or run faster or swim farther? That's not an achievement you can doubt, or that you can argue away from yourself; it's a fact. You got better at something.
Anonymous
August 17th, 2015 8:28pm
Exercise of any kind hlps because it releases enprphins, the good feeling hormone so jogging or consider power walking is good
Anonymous
August 11th, 2015 6:37pm
I find this breathing technique helps: breath in slowly for four secs while imagining you are drawing the first line of a square, then hold your breath for four secs imagining drawing second line of square, then breath out for four secs drawing 3rd line of square and relax for four secs drawing final line and repeat. Hope this helps
1Atari
July 20th, 2015 4:57am
The classic go to for anxiety is deep breathing, my extra hint would be to focus on the breath while you do it. Bring the focus of your mind to the air that is coming in, feel it fill your lungs, and then as you breath out, imagine that you can see the air leaving your body, and watch it as you breath out
UniquelyBarb19
July 7th, 2015 2:38am
If you breathe in and out count your breathes and have your eyes closed for about five minutes it really does help!
GentleStrength
June 7th, 2015 8:14pm
Breathing exercises are extremely efficient. Relaxation exercises are very helpful too, like progressive muscle relaxation, where you tense up your muscles and then relax them, one bodypart at a time. Yoga can be helpful too. Actually anything that you like doing, for example taking a walk, cooking, having a cup of tea, anything that relaxes you, can help. Try several things and you'll find out what works best for you.
LunaNoodles
May 10th, 2015 1:24pm
I have found that yoga is fantastic to help with my anxiety, as a big focus is on how you breathe and clearing your mind :)
caringStar
May 10th, 2015 10:54am
Breathing exercice,You block your right nostril with the thumb to inspire by counting to 7 ,with the left nostril then with the index you block the left nostril and you expire with the right on 7second. And you begin again it insiprant with the right over 7 seconds, at least 3minutes the time to regulate.