3 Anxiety Hacks You Can Use Today

I often hear from clients that it is really difficult to apply the tools they learn from my practice, in the midst of severe anxiety symptoms. And they’re right.

When our brains ramp up with anxiety, it behaves in the same way it does if there is a true and immediate emergency. For example, if there is a fire, our brains start the chemical processes to shut everything down in the body except what is needed to RUN.

The frontal lobe, responsible for reasoning and judgment, powers down so that other, more primal instincts (RUN) can power up. That is why, when feeling very anxious, it is hard for us to say, “I need to apply some of the strategies I learned from Dr. Black so that I can curb this anxiety.”

The part of our brain needed to think that and apply it is essentially asleep.

The solution is to try anxiety decreasing practices when we are NOT anxious, so they become instinctive and easier to apply when we ARE.

Below are three simple strategies that you can use at work, in the car, with other people, anytime. I encourage clients to try different strategies, see what works best, and then do those practices 1-3 times/day whether anxious or not.

The strategies I will give you today access the parasympathetic nervous system – that’s the side that tells our brain to calm down and relax. When accessed consistently, the parasympathetic nervous system becomes quicker and more adept at curbing anxiety when we need it.

Try these simple exercises today:

1. Take 5-10 deep breaths, focusing on making the exhale longer than your inhale – this activates your parasympathetic nervous system which essentially tells your brain, “There is no emergency, you’re safe, you can calm down and relax”.

You might inhale to a count of 4, and exhale to a count of 6-8. The number of breaths doesn’t matter, as long as the exhale is longer than the inhale.

2. Put your senses to work and ground yourself in the “now”. You do this by saying, “what are 3 things I can see, what are 2 things I can feel, what is one thing I can smell”?

This is a good exercise to do when your mind is “spinning” on something from the past or future, that you can do nothing about in the present. By using your senses to embrace the present moment, you get out of your head and into your present environment.

3. 4-7-8 breathing: Inhale for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 7, exhale like you are blowing out birthday candles for a count of 8.

When done 2-3x/day consistently, this breathing exercise lowers the heart rate, blood pressure, and regulates the hormone cortisol, responsible for the body’s “flight or fight” response.

Remember, it is better to get ahead of anxiety than chase it. Learn what the earliest signs of anxiety are for you and use these strategies before anxiety ramps up and becomes unmanageable.

Enjoy the calm !