TOOLS FOR ANXIETY BY JEANNIE FORD, LAMFT

A 2024 poll from theAmerican Psychiatric Association  shared the following information: “43% of adults say they feel more anxious”. This is  an increase of 5-10% of the population from recent years. 

Anxiety is a hot topic and wading through all the information can be anxiety producing in itself.  For some, anxiety can be mitigated by shifting attention to a specific thought process or task. Here we’ll focus on a group of tools to help reduce the impact of anxious thoughts, center the mind, and help increase the feeling of groundedness. 

Five Things. The first is a favorite because it’s simple, usable anywhere, and follows the five senses: five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Using the five senses to be present in the moment is grounding and helps to focus the mind away from anxiety.

Box breathing. Box Breathing is named for visualizing four sides of a box as you inhale, hold,exhale and hold. This tool can help calm the mind through focus on breathing.  Use a four count to breathe in, a four count hold, four count to exhale, a four count to hold, then repeat.

Walking meditation.This practice can look strange to on-lookers so finding a place you’re comfortable and have enough space can take the anxiety of being observed out of this anxiety reducing tool. Some public gardens have meditation labyrinths that can be perfect for this concentration exercise. Taking slow, deliberate steps, in an area that allows 10-15 steps in one direction, notice how it feels to lift your food, place it down heel to toe, shift balance and take the next step. It can be natural to hold your breath as you focus intently on a movement we take for granted daily, so remembering to breathe deeply is important. The link shares a more specific out-line and includes some adaptation for those in wheelchairs : Walking Meditation | Practice | Greater Good in Action.

Yoga. There is a form of yoga for almost anyone who’s interested in giving it a try. As we’ve explored above, it is another option that is available at almost any time and can be as simple or complex as the person practicing it wants it to be. Yoga was developed specifically to ready the mind and body for lengthy meditation sessions. Any poses where the head is below the heart are good for alleviating anxiety. Forward folds and holding poses to notice your body sensations and breathe deeply can focus the mind away from racing thoughts and produce physiological responses that calm the body.  Child’s pose is especially good for anxiety. The head is below the heart and there is gentle pressure on the forehead, both signal the body that you are safe. The position encourages breathing into the back of the rib cage which supports deeper breathing, and gentle pressure on the abdomen from contact with the thighs can aid digestion. You can add a pillow or a block between the back of the thighs and the calves for support and deeper relaxation.

Creative pursuits. I watched with surprise as a family member used the pandemic’s anxiety and boredom to focus on previously sidelined interest in painting and model building. The result was not just a revitalized hobby, it created a space where everything was cleared from their mind and a sense of well-being emerged as a skill was developed. Taking the time to delve into something that nurtures creativity and brings joy simultaneously focuses the mind on the task at hand. When our minds are singularly focused it creates distraction from anxiety and a space for the mind to put extra energy. Being an artist or having a specific talent isn’t important compared to allowing the joy the creative process brings and the focus for the mind to engage in.
In her article for Mental Health Research, Juliette Burton speaks to the aspects of creative pursuits as stress reducers.

Media diet. Many of the suggestions above are centered on distraction from anxiety. But what about the pieces of life that spark anxiety? Too much media, in the form of doom scrolling or long stretches reading the news can cause or accelerate anxiety. A break from media or limiting intake during a day or an extended period of time can significantly lessen anxiety. Choosing carefully where and when to read or view news or how often or how long to scroll social media can influence the level of anxiety experienced in a day. More information on how to incorporate a healthy level of media and ways to balance can be found in this article: How to Build a Healthy Media Diet - The Open Notebook.

First step. Another cause of anxiety can be looming to-do’s. If there is a particular challenge causing anxiety, finding one small step can lessen the grip of the anxious feelings tied to it. Can you make one phone call? Or even just look up the phone number? Can you do one small item connected to the situation to reduce what needs to be done later? Making a small movement forward can shift the feelings of overwhelm to the awareness that nothing has to be done all at once.  

What can I do? It can be overwhelming to navigate our world. Picking a positive action to distract the anxious thoughts can improve the sense of well-being and belief in the ability to exact change, however small. Even choosing something as seemingly inconsequential as picking up garbage at the park or pulling a few weeds in a garden or consciously choosing to hold the door for people in public for the day can help increase the sense of feeling connected to others and part of the solution. It doesn’t directly change the experience of anxiety, but choosing to be a part of the positive impact on your sphere of influence can shift feelings of connectedness and well-being.

Anxiety can be viewed as a protective measure in our human development, a process that helps us stay aware of surroundings and experiences to stay safe and continue forward. It can become a paralyzing force in a fast-paced, constantly changing, overwhelming world. Having the ability to make a choice about the impact anxiety gets to have by developing tools that can change the script is a skill set worth building. What are your favorite anxiety busting practices?