5 Therapist Approved Tips for Calming Anxiety
Top Therapist-Approved Strategies for Calming Anxiety Naturally
If you are here and reading this, it’s more than likely that anxiety has been part of your life for some time now. At this point, you may already know a few anxiety-reducing tips for your toolbox or you are trying to figure some out. One of the hardest things to do when your system is keyed up and feeling on edge is trying to calm yourself back down.
According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA), anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders in the U.S
Being able to calm your nervous system down can take a lot of practice and can work even better if you can be proactive in taking good care of yourself.
In this blog, I’m sharing 5 therapist-approved ways to calm anxiety.
I am a therapist Wilmington, NC, and provide therapy for high-achieving women.
I specialize in burnout counseling and anxiety treatment in my Wilmington, NC online counseling practice.
I am licensed to provide online therapy for anxiety in North Carolina and Maryland.
Ready to start therapy with me? Click the button below to schedule your free 15-minute consultation on the date and time of your choice.
Keep reading to learn how you can start to calm anxiety naturally and find the best strategies that work for you.
5 Therapist Approved Ways for Calming Anxiety
Anxiety is one of the top diagnosed mental health disorders. Symptoms of anxiety can cause a lot of discomforts and be able to calm anxiety is important.
Some of the most common anxiety symptoms include:
Feeling nervous
Worrying
Anxious thoughts such as Worst-Case Scenarios
Muscle Tension
Restlessness
Irritability
Difficulty Concentrating
Check out these helpful tips and ways to calm anxiety.
Tip #1 for Calming Anxiety: Get Creative
Okay so if you see this and your initial response is to cringe and say something like “I can’t even draw a stick figure” hang with me for a second or two.
Getting creative can tap into a whole other part of your brain that allows you to process your feelings and emotions differently than verbally communicating.
For some folks, this can take a lot of pressure out of a situation and give time and space to process and feel differently. Being creative also doesn’t have to mean sitting down in front of a blank canvas or notebook and becoming the next great Picasso.
You can nurture the creative side of you through more simple things. Check out some of these examples listed below.
Examples:
Paint by number
Coloring books
Cooking and baking a favorite recipe or new one
Listening to music
Check out a local DIY class for pottery or wood designs
Tip #2 for Calming Anxiety: Move Your Body
Cue the music!
Gloria Estefan's “Conga” and Whitney Houston’s “Dance with Somebody” always come to mind when I see the words “move your body.”
Making sure your body is getting enough movement throughout the day is important especially if your anxiety tends to manifest in feeling restless.
There are lots of ways to get your body moving and it doesn’t have to look like traditional exercise either if that’s not your thing.
Here are some ideas to get you going:
Have a dance party in your living room
Invest in a standing desk for work
Low impact yoga and stretching
Take a walk and do some shelling if you live near a beach
Tip #3 for Calming Anxiety: Lay off the Caffeine
Down here in the south where sweet tea is a staple, the struggle is real y’all.
Caffeine consumption is something my clients don’t always think about and that makes a lot of sense.
The norm tends to be coffee in the mornings to get you going and maybe an extra cup later in the afternoon to get you over that afternoon hump.
But what about the rest of your day? Do you have tea, soda, or some other energy drink with a lot of caffeine and sugar?
More than likely these things are only working to amp your anxiety up, making it a lot harder for you to try and calm your body and mind down.
Try slowly weaning yourself down from the amount of caffeine you intake and notice what happens as you do.
Tip #4 for Calming Anxiety: Spend Time in Nature
Connecting with nature is a great way to ground yourself.
Walking barefoot in the grass or doing some planting and digging your hands into the soil can instantly relax and calm your system down.
Spending time in nature can help you to disconnect from the busy parts of your life that may be causing anxiety and stress.
Doing something in nature is a great way to also practice some mindfulness (tip #5) and be in the present moment.
Here are some ideas of how you can spend time in nature:
Do some local bird watching
Place some bird feeders outside your home
Check out the local nature preserve
Limited on space? Grow a vegetable or herb in a flower pot
Rent an awesome vacation rental property in the woods for your next adventure
Check out any local classes to improve your green thumb abilities
Tip #5 for Calming Anxiety: Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness can be a total game changer!
The good news is, almost all of the ideas and examples I listed above can easily incorporate mindfulness into the activity.
There are a lot of myths about mindfulness but it gaining more popularity and folks are starting to give it more practice now that it has become a bit more mainstream.
Mindfulness can be very helpful if you have anxiety.
It can be a helpful tool to shift your relationship with your anxiety and give the added benefit of achieving a more calm and relaxed state.
Mindfulness is being in the present moment, accepting what is, and doing so without judgment or trying to change it.
Practice this quick mindfulness exercise:
Using your 5 Senses notice what is happening presently. If your mind wanders, that’s okay and normal just bring it back to the exercise.
Slowly and one at a time…
Name 5 things you can see.
Name 4 things you can hear.
Name 3 things you can touch.
Name 2 things you can smell.
Name 1 thing you can taste.
This exercise as a whole or even part of this exercise can be easily incorporated into any activity mentioned previously in this blog post.
Give it a try and see what happens with your mind and body.
Start Anxiety Therapy in Wilmington, NC at Calm Waters Counseling
Feeling nervous and overwhelmed can be mentally taxing and leave you feeling worn out and fatigued. Learning how to calm anxiety is a helpful skill. When it comes to calming anxiety, it can also be useful to take a proactive approach to practice these tips and skills regularly.
Acceptance and commitment therapy is a helpful anxiety treatment.
ACT for anxiety helps to shift the relationship you have with your anxiety.
Get started in therapy at Calm Waters Counseling by following these 4 simple steps:
Click the button below to schedule your free 15-minute consultation
Complete the brief questionnaire sent to your email before the consultation
Meet with your anxiety therapist
Start living your life feeling calmer
Therapy for High Achieving Women in Wilmington, NC at Calm Waters Counseling
You can get to know me better and learn about my Wilmington, NC counseling practice.
Check out these additional therapy services offered at Calm Waters Counseling.
Anxiety Therapy in Wilmington, NC
Burnout Counseling in Wilmington, NC
Treatment for Perfectionism in Maryland
Therapy for Imposter Syndrome in Wilmington, NC
Online Therapy for Anxiety in North Carolina
Online therapy has a lot of benefits and can be flexible to your needs. Online therapy meets over a safe and secure video platform where the therapist and client both see and hear each other.
Online therapy has gained a lot of popularity and for some people, online therapy has become the preferred way of receiving therapy services.
Learn how ACT for anxiety can be used via online therapy.
Click the links below to learn about online therapy where you live:
Online Therapy for Anxiety in North Carolina
Online Anxiety Therapy in Maryland
Still, have questions?
Written by: Laura Rippeon, LCSW, LCSW-C
Updated 3/15/23