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9 Ways to Reduce Anxiety
Right Here, Right Now
By MARGARITATARTAKOVSKY, M.S.
When youre feeling anxious, you might
feel stuck and unsure of how to feel
better. You might even do things that
unwittingly fuel your anxiety. You might
hyperfocus on the future, and get carried
away by a slew of what- ifs.
What if I start to feel worse? What if
they hate my presentation? What if she
sees me sweating? What if I bomb the
exam? What if I dont get the house?
You might judge and bash yourself for
your anxiety. You might believe your
negative, worst- case scenario thoughts
are indisputable facts.
Thankfully, there are many tools and
techniques you can use to manage
anxiety effectively. Below, experts shared
healthy ways to cope with anxiety right
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here, right now.
1. Take a deep breat h.
The first thing to do when you get anxious is to breathe, said Tom Corboy,
MFT, the founder and executive director of the OCD Center of Los Angeles ,
and co- author of the upcoming book The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD.
Deep diaphragmatic breathing is a powerful anxiety- reducing technique
because it activates the bodys relaxation response. It helps the body go
from the fight- or- flight response of the sympathetic nervous system to the
relaxed response of the parasympathetic nervous system, said Marla W.
Deibler, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and director of The Center for
Emotional Health of Greater Philadelphia, LLC.
She suggested this practice: Try slowly inhaling to a count of 4, filling your
belly first and then your chest, gently holding your breath to a count of 4, and
slowly exhaling to a count of 4 and repeat several times.
2. Accept t hat youre anxious.
Remember that anxiety is just a feeling, like any other feeling, said Deibler,
also author of the Psych Central blog Therapy That Works. By reminding
yourself that anxiety is simply an emotional reaction, you can start to accept
it, Corboy said.
Acceptance is critical because trying to wrangle or eliminate anxiety often
worsens it. It just perpetuates the idea that your anxiety is intolerable, he said.
But accepting your anxiety doesnt mean liking it or resigning yourself to a
miserable existence.
It just means you would benefit by accepting reality as it is and in that
moment, reality includes anxiety. The bottom line is that the feeling of anxiety
is less than ideal, but it is not intolerable.
3. Realize t hat your brain is playing t ricks on you.
Psychiatrist Kelli Hyland, M.D., has seen first- hand how a persons brain can
make them believe theyre dying of a heart attack when theyre actually
having a panic attack. She recalled an experience she had as a medical
student.
I had seen people having heart attacks and look this ill on the medical floors
for medical reasons and it looked exactly the same. A wise, kind and
experienced psychiatrist came over to [the patient] and gently, calmly
reminded him that he is not dying, that it will pass and his brain is playing
tricks on him. It calmed me too and we both just stayed with him until [the
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panic attack] was over.
Today, Dr. Hyland, who has a private practice in Salt Lake City, Utah, tells her
patients the same thing. It helps remove the shame, guilt, pressure and
responsibility for fixing yourself or judging yourself in the midst of needing
nurturing more than ever.
4. Quest ion your t hought s.
When people are anxious, their brains start coming up with all sorts of
outlandish ideas, many of which are highly unrealistic and unlikely to occur,
Corboy said. And these thoughts only heighten an individuals already anxious
state.
For instance, say youre about to give a wedding toast. Thoughts like Oh my
God, I cant do this. It will kill me may be running through your brain.
Remind yourself, however, that this isnt a catastrophe, and in reality, no one
has died giving a toast, Corboy said.
Yes, you may be anxious, and you may even flub your toast. But the worst
thing that will happen is that some people, many of whom will never see you
again, will get a few chuckles, and that by tomorrow they will have completely
forgotten about it.
Deibler also suggested asking yourself these questions when challenging
your thoughts:
Is this worry realistic?
Is this really likely to happen?
If the worst possible outcome happens, what would be so bad about
that?
Could I handle that?
What might I do?
If something bad happens, what might that mean about me?
Is this really true or does it just seem that way?
What might I do to prepare for whatever may happen?
5. Use a calming visualizat ion.
Hyland suggested practicing the following meditation regularly, which will
make it easier to access when youre anxious in the moment.
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Picture yourself on a river bank or outside in a favorite park, field or beach.
Watch leaves pass by on the river or clouds pass by in the sky. Assign [your]
emotions, thoughts [and] sensations to the clouds and leaves, and just watch
them float by.
This is very different from what people typically do. Typically, we assign
emotions, thoughts and physical sensations certain qualities and judgments,
such as good or bad, right or wrong, Hyland said. And this often amplifies
anxiety. Remember that it is all just information.
6. Be an observer wit hout judgment .
Hyland gives her new patients a 35 index card with the following written on it:
Practice observing (thoughts, feelings, emotions, sensations, judgment) with
compassion, or without judgment.
I have had patients come back after months or years and say that they still
have that card on their mirror or up on their car dash, and it helps them.
7. Use posit ive self - t alk.
Anxiety can produce a lot of negative chatter. Tell yourself positive coping
statements, Deibler said. For instance, you might say, this anxiety feels
bad, but I can use strategies to manage it.
8. Focus on right now.
When people are anxious, they are usually obsessing about something that
might occur in the future, Corboy said. Instead, pause, breathe and pay
attention to whats happening right now, he said. Even if something serious is
happening, focusing on the present moment will improve your ability to
manage the situation, he added.
9. Focus on meaningf ul act ivit ies.
When youre feeling anxious, its also helpful to focus your attention on a
meaningful, goal- directed activity, Corboy said. He suggested asking
yourself what youd be doing if you werent anxious.
If you were going to see a movie, still go. If you were going to do the laundry,
still do it.
The worst thing you can do when anxious is to passively sit around
obsessing about how you feel. Doing what needs to get done teaches you
key lessons, he said: getting out of your head feels better; youre able to live
your life even though youre anxious; and youll get things done.
The bottom line is, get busy with the business of life. Dont sit around
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Twe e t Twe e t
focusing on being anxious nothing good will come of that.

+27 Recommend this on Google
Margarita Tartakovsky, M. S. is an Associate Editor at Psych Central and blogs
regularly about eating and self-image issues on her own blog, Weightless.
APA Ref erence
Tartakovsky, M. (2013). 9 Ways to Reduce Anxi ety Ri ght Here, Ri ght Now. Psych
Central . Retri eved on November 21, 2013, from http://psychcentral .com/l i b/9-
ways-to-reduce-anxi ety-ri ght-here-ri ght-now/00017762
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol , Psy.D. on 12 Sep 2013
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