It is natural to experience anxiety every now and then. Anxiety involves intense worry or fears about a real or perceived threat. It may be overwhelming and uncomfortable, but it is often a temporary emotion.
If these anxiety episodes become recurrent or persistent, you may live with an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders are mental health conditions that may affect how you navigate your world. They often require professional support that involves psychotherapy and, sometimes, medication.
Coping strategies may also help you manage these feelings of intense worry or fear. They are often an effective tool for reducing anxiety quickly in the moment.
These coping techniques are more effective if you use them regularly and not only when something sets off your anxiety. They may help you reduce anxiety quickly as you start experiencing symptoms like rapid heartbeat, accelerated breathing, twitching, and intrusive thoughts of doom.
Deep breathing
Research from 2018 shows that focusing on your breath can slow down the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety. In time, you will also feel the mental benefits of relaxation.
Diaphragmatic breathing is beneficial for reducing anxiety quickly. This type of breathing involves using your diaphragm, a muscle under your rib cage below your lungs.
You can practice diaphragmatic breathing as you start becoming anxious. All you have to do is slowly breathe in and out as deeply as possible while moving your abdomen. Breathe as long as you need to until you feel calm.
A more structured way to breathe deeply, which you can practice when needed and for 5 minutes every day, is the 4-7-8 technique.
These are the steps:
- Sit in a comfortable position.
- Breathe out to empty your lungs while you press your tongue against the back of your upper teeth. Keep your lips slightly parted, and make a whooshing sound as you exhale.
- Close your lips and breathe in through your nose while you mentally count to four.
- Hold your breath in while you count to seven.
- Repeat step 2 while you count to eight.
Repeat these steps for at least 3 minutes or until you feel more relaxed.
For an added relaxing effect, try to focus your mind on how the air feels in your nose, lungs, and mouth as you breathe in and out.
Grounding exercises
Grounding refers to focusing in a physical way on the present moment and time. It is a mindfulness practice that helps you step away from thoughts that may contribute to anxiety.
Mindfulness practices may reduce anxiety symptoms, including improving sleep quality, a 2019 review of studies suggests.
In a small 2015 study, 1 hour of earthing — a practice that aims to connect the body to nature — led to more positive thoughts and emotions being reported among participants.
Regular practice of grounding exercises has also been found beneficial for reducing stress levels in children as young as age 5 years.
Grounding can help you calm down quickly and may prevent anxiety episodes if you practice it regularly.
The most popular grounding technique is the 5-4-3-2-1 method. It uses your five senses to bring you back from anxious thoughts to your immediate surroundings.
Here are the steps:
- Practice the 4-7-8 deep breathing technique for 1–3 minutes.
- Focus on five things you see, such as colors, textures, or whole objects.
- Focus on four things you feel with your hands or any part of your body. For example, you might notice the chair against your thighs, the fabrics of your clothing, or running water from a faucet.
- Focus on three things you can hear, like the fridge, traffic outside, or a distant conversation.
- Focus on two things you can smell, such as coffee, bar soap, or a nearby plant.
- Focus on one thing you can taste, like gum, sugar, or your own lips.
If you don’t have something at hand, try to imagine you do. For example, you could remember how lemon tastes or how the sand on the beach feels.
Other quick grounding exercises to lower anxiety levels involve introducing your body to something cold, such as:
- holding an ice cube in your hand
- splashing your hand with cold water
- pressing an iced water bottle on your neck or face
Body scan meditation
Body scan meditation is another mindfulness practice that can help you calm down quickly. It lets you focus on your body and identify tension and pain so you can release them.
A quick way of practicing body scan meditation for immediate anxiety relief is to focus only on the parts of your body that typically tense up the most when you experience anxiety. This may be your face, shoulders, or hands.
Research from 2019 suggests that though body scan meditation may feel uncomfortable at first, focusing on releasing tension often results in reduced anxiety.
For the long and short versions of the meditation, you can follow these steps:
- Identify the tension in the body part. If you’re doing your whole body, go from the feet to the head.
- Spend at least 30 seconds feeling the tension.
- Squeeze or tense the body part as much as you can.
- Breathe in as deep as you can, mentally sending the inhaled air to the tension spot.
- Exhale deeply until you empty your lungs. As you exhale, release the tension. Repeat with the same body part until you notice a difference.
You may also be able to calm down by pressing your hands or fists on your legs for a few seconds, then releasing as if you were massaging those body parts. Repeat as many times as you need to.
How is anxiety treated?
Engaging in relaxation techniques as often as possible, including deep breathing and meditation, may help reduce the intensity and frequency of anxiety symptoms.
Psychotherapy is also highly encouraged to manage anxious thoughts and fears.
If these efforts are not effective and you continue experiencing anxiety, a healthcare professional may recommend anxiety medications. Some of these may include:
- short-term benzodiazepines, like alprazolam (Xanax) and lorazepam (Ativan)
- long-term antidepressants, like venlafaxine (Effexor), sertraline (Zoloft), and escitalopram (Lexapro)
- tricyclic antidepressants, like amitriptyline (Elavil)
- monoamine oxidase inhibitors, like isocarboxazid (Marplan) and phenelzine (Nardil)
Exploring your anxiety treatment options with a compassionate healthcare professional may help you find the right combination of techniques to reduce short-term and long-term anxiety.
If you need help covering the cost of medications, the free Optum Perks Discount Card could help you save up to 80% on prescription drugs. Follow the links on drug names for savings on that medication, or search for a specific drug here.
