To slow the heart, calm the brain, and untether internal knots
I know all too well the deep burning sensation within my stomach and the racing of my heart, persisting through hours of the day. It is painful and exhausting being on edge constantly and can often become frustrating as the anxiety appears at the most unfortunate times. From the more conventional moments (going to an interview, walking into a room of strangers, speaking publicly) to the more unconventional times (going to the store, spending time with friends, sitting down to a meal). Anxiety can hit at any time, twisting us into ourselves and causing confusion and fear.
However, I have found a few helpful mechanisms to quiet this constant internal buzz beyond the typical suggestions to “breathe through it.”
5 Quick Coping Mechanisms
- The 5 Senses
Check-in with your 5 Senses while simply sitting where you are. Slow down and get in touch with the environment that is around you, taking in everything. Begin by intentionally breathing by bringing attention to the inhale and exhale. Name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can hear, 3 things you can feel/touch, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
This practice grounds you into the present moment and slows your “reptilian brain” to notice that there is no present threat. You can now move forward with your conversation, activity, or work.
Pro tip: take a breath after naming one thing to further slow your mind and create space for pause.
2. Name Grounding
Like the 5 senses, you will be grounded within the environment around you and get in touch with the slowness of the moment. This is also a great exercise to do if you catch yourself in unhelpful or disordered thinking, guiding your mind to think of other things.
Simply go through each letter of your name and find an object starting with each letter within your environment:
Hornet
Apple
Nails
Nose
Ant
Hole
Pro tip: if you get too frustrated or can’t find anything, come up with fun adjectives that start with the letter (Happy Dog, Stinky Bush, Loud Bird
3. Heart Breathing
This mechanism is like the usual “just breath” statement most of us often receive to ease anxiety. However, this one goes a bit deeper and can be adjusted to last 1 minute or 15 minutes.
Start by finding a steady rhythm of breath that feels comfortable and intentionally direct the breath to your heart. You may choose to close your eyes if you like, or are in a place to do so, and picture someone or something that brings you joy. While imagining the joyous moment, really begin to feel that joy, peace, or elation that comes along with it. Bring to the front of your mind the smile, the laughter, or the care that is with that person or thing.
For example, I often picture my dog looking up at me and wagging her tail, while I slowly and steadily breathe. This reminds me that no matter what is happening around me, I have this solid image in my heart.
This slows down the internal disorder of thoughts and sensations, bringing your attention to the physical breath and directing your mind to a happy moment, clearing the way for happiness and peace.
4. Gratitude
When I find myself in the throes of anxiety, I find worry coming from all sides of myself. It takes away my attention from the present moment and what is going right in my world.
When in this storm, taking very gentle yet purposeful steps toward gratitude can help hone into one thing and find all of the reasons why it’s good. By looking to the positive, we remind our brain that things will be okay.
When practicing gratitude, be sure to be truly thankful for the object or person, because it will not work without it. But this allows us to think about the greatness that is within this world despite what may be going on within and can bring an appropriate dose of reality. This also allows us to see the silver lining of any situation, reminding us that if things go wrong they can still end well.
Pro tip: write these things down in a journal, or practice when you catch yourself in unhelpful thinking patterns. Turn the negative expectations of the moment turn to thoughts of hope and appreciation.
5. Prayer
My go-to for easing anxiety is most often prayer. More specifically, I pray to God, but whatever form this takes for you it Is good to practice. By looking to God and praying about what is causing distress, we are often given the answers that we didn’t know were there. It is an acknowledgment of the fact that we may not have any control, but He has perfect dominion overall. Because of this, all things will work out perfectly as He plans.
This is also a great practice to give a voice to what is going on within the body and mind. By verbalizing our fears and thoughts, it can become clear how they may be false beliefs or excessive worries. This can be a great practice of slowing down our thoughts to become words that make sense, rather than a steady stream of fear.
Pro tip: write down the prayer and revisit it at a later time to see if it was answered or to reflect on if it was truly something to be holding tightly to.