My 4 Most Effective Methods To Help Curb An Anxiety Spiral
Emotional regulation tips that help to cope during chaotic times
No one likes that nail biting, pressure mounting, head and heart pounding feeling of anxiety any more than the next person.
That, along with the sense that everything seems high stakes and as though nothing can quell anxiety’s death trap hold on you, is so consuming that the last thing you want to think about is,
“Hey, let me go journal for a bit”
For the longest time when I heard advice like that to help control my anxiety it almost felt like a joke, where I could not fathom how that could possibly help.
I’d be so fixated on either finding a solution or be drowning in despair and being told to “write out what I’m feeling” felt so alien.
The first couple of time might feel silly, but after a few more tries you’ll start to backpedal and perhaps notice a behavioral pattern.
Maybe the other person IS the problem and not you, or maybe it is you and the proof is in the journal pages.
Either way, you won’t know what might actually be the cause for your anxiety if you don’t learn to get out of your own head, be it through journaling or doing other techniques like I’ll mention.
Though I will say while these techniques won’t improve your life overnight they do provide a healthy outlet to make sense of our feelings, especially when feeling high strung.
And that’s why they’re helpful, because while you could go punch a wall when you’ve… hit a wall, in the end you won’t come out of an experience with valuable insight to how you can be better.
1. Cognitive Reappraisal
“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment” — Buddha
This is where you re-adjust how you think about a situation to reduce the negative emotions associated with said situation.
I still struggle with anxiety surrounding heights and so every time I feel that sense of dread creep up, I try to re-frame the situation and ask myself these 3 questions,
- What do I know to be true at this moment?
- Could I be making any assumptions?
- What alternate explanations or interpretations might there be?
An example is when I’m going on an escalator, and if I notice it’s a particularly long one my palms start to sweat and I’ll begin to feel a bit light headed.
But each time I’ll try and stop myself from giving in to the fear and think,
- I’ll be off this escalator soon enough, it’s only momentary
- I’m assuming I could fall but I’m not leaning in any particularly dangerous way
- I mainly use elevators when possible but this time it was crowded so the next thing is going on an escalator
Simply taking a moment to pause and reflect on why I had to get on it and being realistic can be enough to snap out of it and continue on as normal.
It’s not always 100% effective but thinking a situation through and in essence self soothing that way is highly productive.
2. The 4–2–4 And Physiological Sigh Breathing Techniques
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space lies our freedom to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom”. — Viktor Frankl
What’re these techniques specifically?
The first is where you breathe in for four seconds, hold for two and exhale for four.
The other is where you inhale in twice as you breathe in, then do an extended exhale slowly.
Both are great at reducing stress and anxiety as well being scientifically backed, with recent studies finding cortisol levels greatly decreased after employing breathing exercises during times of duress.
Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and Stanford professor, covered this in a podcast episode (it’s lengthy but well worth it) and shared why it’s so effective.
“The physiological sigh: two deep inhales through the nose (no exhale in between), followed by a full exhale to lungs empty (through the mouth) is the fastest way to reduce autonomic arousal — aka “calm down” & causes activation of neural circuits specifically for calming.” — Andrew Huberman
Before employing these techniques I was highly skeptical of any “deep breathing” tricks because it sounded so self evident to… just breathe.
Upon learning the specifics I can definitely say it helps immensely to calm you down, maybe not so much to the point where you turn into Gandhi but you’ll be noticeably less anxious and more level headed.
3. Taking A Hot Shower Or Warm Bath
“Caring for your body, mind, and spirit is your greatest and grandest responsibility. It’s about listening to the needs of your soul and then honoring them.” — Kristi Ling
There’s something extremely soothing about jumping into a hot shower that melts away your worries, thoughts, whatever is going on that by the end of it — you literally feel lighter and renewed.
While we’ll spend up to 227,760 hours of our life in bed, we’ll also spend roughly 5,000 hours in the shower, so make it count.
To give off that spa-like feeling I’ve invested in,
- A quality shower head
- An ultra soft plush robe
- Waterproof speaker
- Ambient lighting (like these Alexa compatible bulbs)
- Eucalyptus shower bunch
Though altogether that comes at a hefty price, not only is it well worth it but essential when you come to value your peace and sanity.
If after a long grueling day the one place where you’re supposed to feel at peace doesn’t bring you exactly that, how can you truly expect yourself to perform at 100%, day in and day out?
You don’t have to pull out all the stops and completely re-design a space, but instead opt to make a few tweaks here and there.
4. Brain Dump Journaling
The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.” ― Steve Maraboli
There are times where you don’t feel like doing much of anything, where you’re plopped on the couch and maybe have no urge to even move.
I’ve been there and for those times, the minimum I do is pull out what I call my “garbage book” which is a journal I have to dump all my erratic thoughts onto.
It serves no other purpose than for me to de-gunk my mind, and because of that, I use a plain notebook, nothing fancy.
I’ll take 5–6 minutes to write a bit and allow myself to write out whatever comes to mind, and give myself permission to be messy because it’s not like I’d be showing the notebook to anyone and you don’t have to either.
The end result?
Feeling more level-headed which is just one of many benefits that journaling offers. A few others include,
- Reduced depression symptoms
- Helps boost immune function
- Helps cultivate feelings of gratitude
- Can be therapeutic and insightful
- Can improve memory function
Though Marcus Aurelius says it best when he said,
“The nearer a man comes to calm mind the closer he is to strength”
It’s cheaper than therapy and takes less than 20 minutes a day so why not give it a shot, you don’t have much to lose by trying it.
Wrapping Up
Everyone has a fear of something and with that comes anxiety and it’s inevitable, there’s no way to predict when those times will come, they just do.
But what is in control is our response during trying times and accepting that whatever happens, happens and as painful as it may be, you roll with it best you can.
That’s because you don’t just live once, you live every day, so every day you’re getting a chance to continue to get up and do better because you get to.
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