There are many ways to manage strong emotions to incorporate into your daily routine. It’s also important to know what tools you have to calm anxious feelings when you’re in a time crunch.

Perhaps you have a meeting in the next 5 minutes, you’re running late to work, or you’re about to meet a friend for lunch but just received a snarky email from your coworker…

Here's a quick process on how to calm anxious feelings right now...

Recognize & Understand
When you’re brimming with anxiety, you may not realize what’s happening until you’re in the thick of it. Identifying anxiety for what it is can help you calm down faster. You can tell yourself “I’m anxious at the moment because I’m worried about [xyz].”

Point Out the Judgements You're Making
Take a few seconds to identify what fears or judgements you have associated with what’s worrying you. Maybe you feel inadequate for not responding to an email right away. Now that you’ve pointed out the judgment, throw those thoughts away.

Do a Reality Check
Ask yourself a few questions to get back to reality:
“On a scale of 1 to 100, how likely is it that what I’m anxious about will happen?”
“Do I have a good reason to think something will go wrong?”
“Does this situation put me in any real harm?”

Breathe
People experiencing anxiety tend to breathe with shallow, rapid breaths. Try taking a deep breath for 4 seconds, holding that breath for 4, then exhaling for 6. Do this about 10 times or until you feel grounded again.

This entire process can be done in under 10 minutes. At Daybreak Counseling Center we can help you through your anxious thoughts and build the skills to overcome anxious moments. Give us a call at (562) 566-4257 to schedule an appointment with any of our therapists.