Your Self-Care Toolbox: A Blog Series to Cope with Anxiety

September 23, 2024 By Bari Faye Dean

When you find yourself in fight or flight mode – your pulse is racing, you might be sweating and you feel an overall uneasiness in the pit of your stomach – it’s important to learn how to calm yourself down. Anxiety can easily make you feel as though you are losing control.

In the next several blog articles, we will work on learning various techniques – tools – you can use when you are feeling upset and stressed or if you experience a panic attack.

Of course, speaking with your therapist, meditating and engaging in favorite activities that help to take your mind off of your stress are important longer-term solutions. However, in the moment – before things feel like they are spiraling out of control – you want to be able to count on yourself and your toolbox to help reduce your anxiety and take back control.

In this multi-part series, we will discuss mindful breathing, physical movement, distraction, mental exercise and positive affirmation can be quite helpful when you need a tool to help you calm down.

Let’s Start with Breathing

You may have heard that deep breathing can help to calm your nervous system. This is absolutely true. Focusing on your breath helps to regulate your body’s stress response.

“When you do a deep breathing exercise, it can help to bring your mind back to the present moment,” explained licensed therapist Catherine Eager. “In this moment, when your body is reacting as though it needs to fight back or run away, breathing can show you that there is no reason to do either.”

Eager specializes in helping clients manage their anxiety. She often teaches several breathing exercises that can be kept in your “self care toolbox” and used whenever you need them.

“One of my favorite breathing exercises can really help to calm your nervous system down in less than a minute. This involves breathing slowly and deeply to the count of four,” Eager advised. “Inhale through your nose for four seconds, hold for four seconds, and exhale through your mouth for four seconds. Repeat until you feel a bit better.”

5 Reasons Deep Breathing Counteracts Anxiety

Deep Breathing Activates the Relaxation Response. When you feel anxious, your body resorts to shallow, quick breathing. However, when you switch to deep, slow breathing, your brain gets an important signal to relax. In fact, your brain activates your body’s parasympathetic nervous system and counteracts the stress response.
Deep Breathing Reduces Physical Symptoms of Anxiety. Anxiety is an emotional response. However, along with feelings of anxiety come very real physical symptoms. These may include: increased heart rate, muscle tension, nausea and dizziness.
Controlled breathing helps slow the heart rate, relax muscles and improve oxygen flow. When you can control your breath, you can reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety in the moment.
Deep Breathing Shifts Your Focus Away from Worry. Anxiety tends to spiral when your mind is consumed with worry or fear. Feeling anxiety is often compared to how one would feel if they found themselves confronted by a grizzly bear. If you knew a bear was chasing you, you would be right to feel scared. What would you do? Some people might freeze in place. Others would run. If you had no other option, you would fight to protect your life. However, take a step back. What happens when you stop and think: “There is no bear around. I’m not being chased. I’m not in physical danger.” Still, you have anxious feelings. This is when focusing on your breath redirects your attention away from anxious thoughts and helps you stay grounded in the present. By breaking the cycle of worry, your body is able to calm down.
Breathing Helps to Improve Mental Clarity. When anxious, it’s
easy to feel overwhelmed and lose perspective. Think back to the bear. It would make sense to become overwhelmed when you feel like you are about to be attacked. Deep breathing improves oxygen supply to the brain, helping to clear mental fog and enhance your ability to think more calmly and logically. Again, once you are thinking clearly again, you are able to acknowledge there really is no physical threat.
Breathing Helps to Put You in Control. It’s no secret that anxiety can make you feel out of control. Focusing on your breath gives you a simple, tangible way to regain control over your body and emotions. If you feel in control physically, your mind can follow suit. This can be extremely empowering in moments of distress.