6 Relaxation Techniques for Anxiety

When worry, fear, or panic are overwhelming your ability to concentrate or do what you need to do, learning a few relaxation techniques for anxiety may help.

6 Relaxation Techniques for Anxiety

Below is a list of ideas you can try.

Five Finger Countdown Technique

This technique helps to calm your body down. This strategy is beneficial in helping an individual to reground themselves, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Most anxiety is focused on current or daily situations or circumstances an individual often cannot control. This countdown helps individuals to focus on what is presently going on inside and around them.

Five  –  This technique would begin by holding up either your right or left hand, and start with any finger to count down from five. You would then count down each time, going through one of your five senses with each finger. Start with naming five things you can see around you.

If you are outside, you might notice a tree or a bird flying overhead. If you are indoors, it may be the kitchen table or a coffee cup sitting nearby. Name five things that you can see in your environment.

Four  –  Focus on four things around you that you can touch or feel. It may be the cool granite countertop of a kitchen island, or a pencil sitting in a cup nearby. You may be able to stroke a pet or feel the soft wool of your own sweater. Name four things.

Three  –  Count three things you can hear. You may have to concentrate if you are alone. Some sounds that you may listen for could be the hum of the air conditioner or the refrigerator. Perhaps you may hear the sound of a TV coming from the other room where a child is watching a show. You can also listen for the sound of your own breathing if you are taking deep breaths.

Two  –  Name two scents that you smell. If you have restaurants nearby, you can probably smell something cooking from the kitchen, or maybe you have dinner cooking in the oven. Also take into consideration the things around you that have scents. Do you smell freshly-cut grass, a freshly-cleaned countertop, or clothing fresh from the dryer?

One  –  Count down with one final sensory item, something that you can taste. Maybe it is a mint from your purse or a flavored lip balm. The purpose of these grounding exercises is to help you focus on what is happening in the moment.

Body Awareness Relaxation Techniques for Anxiety

These techniques vary, but they all involve having some level of awareness of your physical body. Make a list of the ideas that you think will work for you and a variety of spaces or places that you often go to. Having a list of locations and ideas on your phone would be beneficial to engage in a calming activity at any point or time when you feel anxiety rising.

First, take a short walk and count your steps. Listen to the sound of your shoes on the pavement or interior floor. Is it high-pitched, low-pitched, clunky, or light? Do you hear other sounds while you walk? If so, note those too.

Second, pay attention to your upper body. Do you feel tightness or looseness in your shoulders, neck, head, and chest? If something is tight, can you take a deep breath or slowly shrug and re-lower your shoulders to find relief? Lay your head back against a chair or sofa to focus on the way your head feels at rest.

Third, turn on a sink of running water or splash your fingers through a nearby pond or pool. You may even run your hands under a fountain or a garden hose if you’re outside in the yard. Feeling the water can bring sensations of where you are, which can bring you back to the present.

Fourth, fix your mind on how your stomach, hips, legs, and feet feel. If you are standing, sit down and notice how they feel. See if you can stretch out your legs, wiggle your toes, or stretch by sitting cross-legged.

Fifth, try some deep breathing. You can inhale for a count of four and exhale for a count of five or six. Try to let your exhale draw out a little longer than your inhale. Repeat this for one to two minutes and notice again how your body feels in response to the air. You can also turn on a ceiling fan to feel the cool breeze in summer or wrap up in a cozy blanket in winter. Touch and breath can be keys to experiencing the present.

Imagine You Are in a Peaceful Place

Most of us have a place we can go where it’s calm and restful. Maybe yours is a beach or a mountain; perhaps your best friend’s living room brings back calming memories. Use this time to imagine the “peaceful place” that is most meaningful to you.

Spend a few minutes envisioning it. Watch yourself walk into the space. Where do you go? What do you feel or see? Name the items that you can identify in your imagination. Do you feel the sand in between your toes or smell the crisp salty air at the beach?

If you are walking into a friend’s house, what do you first sense  –  is it music playing? Cookies baking? When you sit down, what do you have with you at the table or on the couch? Walk through this imaginative rest place in your mind as a way to reorient your thoughts to a memory of a place that is calm and safe.

Common Daily Activity

Sometimes, when we are anxious, it is often because we have imagined the worst possible scenario. Relaxation techniques for anxiety are about giving your mental focus a place to land. One way to distract yourself is to think about a common daily ritual that you can do and go through each step methodically. This gives your mind a place to be away from the anxiety.

Perhaps you anchor your common daily activities by the time on the clock. Look at your phone or a clock nearby and say aloud (or in your mind if you are not alone), what time it is. Go through the steps as if you are writing a “How to” document. Start by naming an activity you usually do around this time of day. For example, if it is 3 pm, rehearse in your mind the order of your schedule:

“I preheat the oven for dinner, and I take the chicken out of the refrigerator. Next, I begin to lay out the silverware, plates, and cups. Then, I fold napkins into half rectangles and set them beside each place setting. Taking a simple activity such as preparing for dinner and focusing on the minute details, gives your mind a place to go in the moment.”

Another technique is choosing a favorite common activity such as watering the garden, feeding the chickens, or putting clean laundry away. Go through the steps of how you would complete the activity. Even if you do not have any freshly folded laundry to put away, think about the methodical way you take the laundry basket room by room, set it on top of the bed, open the dresser drawer, put the T-shirts away, then the shorts, and next the jeans.

Focus on a Loved One

This technique involves visualizing someone in your life who calms you or someone you have an immense affection or appreciation for. It could be a spouse, a parent, or a child. It may be a neighbor, a friend, or someone in your Bible study.

Close your eyes and think of their face. What is something they typically wear? Do they have glasses, is their hair in a ponytail, or are they wearing a hat? What are some things you talk about when you’re with that person? Try to recall subjects that you have covered recently, or some advice that they had given you. If it is a child, think about something funny they said or a way they pronounce a specific word that makes you smile.

Spending just a few minutes to focus on someone you love can help you experience peace in the moment because the person cares for you, even if they’re not with you right now.

Make a List

Sometimes just speaking a list of things while in a heightened state such as fear, or anxiety will help you settle your mind and calm down. Think of items you can rattle off easily.

Ideas include a list of the first things you see when you open the refrigerator, a list of what you purchased last week at the grocery store, a list of your favorite TV shows and bands, or a list of the colors you or someone else used to decorate the room you’re in right now. You can even make a list of all the electronic appliances you can find in the room.

Finding Help for Anxiety in Puyallup, Washington

If you find yourself in a constant anxious state, it may be time to meet with a counselor in Puyallup, Washington to get to the root issues and seek coping mechanisms for anxiety. A therapist in Puyallup can work with you to identify additional relaxation techniques for anxiety and unpack the mental messages that cause you to feel anxious.

Reach out to our office today at Puyallup Christian Counseling in Washington and we can connect you with a licensed counselor in Puyallup who can help.