How to Calm Anxiety in 30 Seconds
I’m sure you know how that feels. Your heart begins beating a little faster. Your mind becomes cluttered with thoughts of future events which haven’t even taken place. Perhaps you are getting ready to step into a room where there will be people waiting for you, receiving an unexpected phone call or perhaps you did not experience anything and it just appeared.
It doesn’t matter to Anxiety whether you have something to do or somewhere to go or who you have to impress with an appearance. While there isn’t any magic trick that turns it off forever, there are certain things which one could try within 30 seconds to interrupt the chain before it overwhelms.
Whatever you will find on the internet related to dealing with anxiety would include breathing and counting. But here we offer something quite different. Techniques which work specifically because they surprise Anxiety, hitting on the aspects which others tend to ignore.
1. The Name-It-Out-Loud Method
Most people struggle with anxiety privately, in their own heads because that’s precisely what anxiety is about. The moment you put it out there, even in the smallest whisper, it becomes no longer an entity inside you but something tangible in the outside world. Incredibly enough, just voicing it out somehow releases its hold on you.
Say out loud, in whatever room you’re in “I’m feeling anxious right now.” Not “I’m about to die” or “everything is wrong.” Just that. Then notice how it feels different when it’s outside you instead of just inside you.
2. The ANCHOR Method
During heightened anxiety levels, your attention becomes totally focused on the future on all that can happen and can potentially go wrong. ANCHOR by VARAÉ was developed for such moments specifically as the means of pulling you back to reality through providing your mind with an opportunity to engage with tangible elements here and now.
It’s not just about doing it; it’s about doing it with purpose. Put it beneath your nose, close your eyes, and inhale slowly for 4 seconds. Hold it for 4 seconds. Exhale for 4 seconds. Make sure to remember that at this very moment, everything is alright.
3. The Temperature Shift
Anxiety is something that affects you physically and emotionally, but most relaxation methods are purely mental techniques. Drenching your body through precise pressure points sends a direct physical message to your body to counteract the anxious impulse very quickly.
It is the fastest physical way that you can relax, and you can do this anywhere in the world. Just run cold water over the inner sides of your wrists for 20-30 seconds. And if you are able to do it, pour some on the back of your neck. That’s all there is to it.
4. The Gravity Check
Anxiety gives you a feeling that you float without any connections, you spin, and you are everywhere at the same time. On the contrary, The Gravity Check is all about grounding yourself using the actual heaviness of your body and its contact with the floor. This technique can be practiced either while standing, sitting or lying down. No one will even suspect you are practicing it.
Push your feet hard into the ground as though you want to leave some marks on it. Bring your awareness from your chest to your thighs, knees, and feet. You are not just there, you are heavy and grounded now, and the ground is not going anywhere.
5. The Whisper Trick
Anxiety thoughts can often be a repeating tape in one’s mind. In most cases, they will be spoken by you using your regular voice loud and demanding. Whispering a calming statement to yourself will completely alter the meaning of the message sent. Whispering has physical associations with safety and closeness. It’s the opposite of alarm.
And this method works effectively because it differs entirely from anxiety. Whisper the words, “Right now, I’m okay.” Or if you don’t feel right about that, “Right now, at this very moment, I’m still standing.” Repeat these words to yourself a couple of times.
6. The Peripheral Vision Expansion
In times of anxiety, our eyes will narrow, we will focus intensely, develop tunnel vision, and lock onto what we fear. By consciously doing the opposite, softening our gaze and widening our peripheral vision we send a message of calmness through the whole visual system. It is one of the least-known methods, yet one of the quickest to produce results.
Choose some spot on the wall or some other surface, and look at it softly. Now, without moving your eyes, extend your awareness from side to side, above and below, until you feel that you can sense the whole width of the room with your peripheral vision. Keep the soft wide gaze for 15–20 seconds.
When 30 Seconds Is Just the Beginning
This list isn’t all of the answers, but at least it provides you with a circuit breaker. This will allow you to break your loop before it consumes the rest of your day.
Of course, the real process is going to be trying to figure out where the anxiety comes from, why it keeps getting fed, and ultimately, how you can lead a more anxiety-free lifestyle that requires more effort on your part. This starts with an instance like this one, an instance where you take a moment and make something happen instead of having things just happen to you.
Pick whichever one of the six that speaks to you. Even if you are not currently anxious, try one today just once.