8 tools to manage anxiety right now
Ivy Griffin
Happy New Year, dear HSPs! I wish you all the best that this year can bring, even as I know that we continue to live in a difficult time. As we embark on 2021, we may have conflicting feelings of hope, frustration, overwhelm, uncertainty, anger, excitement, or even despair. While there are some indicators of change for the coming year, there’s still a LOT we don’t know and can’t really plan for.
Such uncertainty is often a trigger for anxiety, particularly for highly sensitive people who tend to like to have routine and know what to expect. So, if you find that you’re feeling anxious or even more anxious than usual, please know that you’re not alone. It’s really normal to be feeling anxious right now.
And, there are things you can do, even in the next 5 minutes, to give yourself relief and break the pattern of anxiety.
4-2-4 breathing: Inhale deeply while you count to 4. Hold your breath for a count of 2. Exhale slowly while you count to 4. Hold your breath for a count of 2. Repeat for 1-3 minutes. Even though it seems very simple, you can know that such deep breathing is helping on a physiological level as it activates your parasympathetic nervous system, so your brain sends messages to your body that everything is okay, and you are safe.
5 senses: I love this exercise as a way to get grounded and focused, especially for us highly sensitive folks who already are very in tune with our surroundings. Stop whatever else you’re doing, and just be present as you name 5 things with your sense of sight (like the picture on your wall, bookcase, chair, carpet, and lamp). Then, name 4 things with your sense of hearing (maybe the traffic outside, birds chirping, the TV in the other room, the sound of your breathing). Name 3 things with your sense of touch (like the couch you’re sitting on, your fuzzy blanket, and the hoodie you’re wearing). Name 2 things with your sense of smell and 1 thing with your sense of taste.
Rainbow walk: As a nature-lover, I especially enjoy this one. Go for a walk, and as you do, notice the colors of the rainbow in your surroundings. I use the good ol’ ROY G BIV colors of the rainbow (red orange yellow green blue indigo violet), but you can pick any colors you want. As you walk, name to yourself, “that red chair” or the “orange flower.” Keep going until you’ve found all the colors, and repeat or add new colors.
Examine the evidence: So often, the anxieties we have are overblown. Our brains start worrying about the absolute worst thing that could happen, which is actually very unlikely to happen, or they fixate on one negative thing and forget all the other positives. To get out of this pattern, sit down and write out the evidence for and against the anxious thoughts that you’re having. For instance, if the thought is “I’m going to get fired,” consider the evidence for: my recent project didn’t go well, I’m slacking off while working from home, and the evidence against: I got a good rating on my last performance review, my boss is a direct person and hasn’t expressed any concern to me, my coworker really appreciated my help, etc.
Leaves on a stream: This exercise is especially helpful for HSPs because we tend to have vivid imaginations. To practice this, close your eyes for a few moments and imagine a forest with a peaceful stream flowing through it. Then, take any thoughts that come up--positive or negative, worried or calm--and place the thought on a leaf and let the leaf float on the stream. Notice any emotions that come up, and think to yourself, “here’s a feeling of boredom” or “here’s a feeling of impatience,” and put those on a leaf on the stream too. Continue placing your thoughts and feelings on leaves without judging or arguing with them, simply letting them be. Practice this exercise for 3-5 minutes. You can even listen to a guided script here.
Schedule worry time: Yes, as sensitive souls, we have a tendency to be on the lookout for what can go wrong and to worry. Our awareness serves evolutionarily to protect us and those around us, but it can certainly go into overdrive. So, sometimes it helps to plan time for worrying into your day. Set a timer for 10, 20, or 30 minutes, and let yourself talk out loud or write about whatever is worrying you. Just let it out! When the timer goes off, that’s it for today. You can return to the worries tomorrow at the scheduled time but not before then.
Talk it out to a trusted person: So often, our anxieties are about something that is unrealistic, but they do NOT feel that way to us in the moment. We get stuck in our own mental anxiety spiral. To interrupt the spiral, it helps to talk to a good friend, loved one, or therapist. Sometimes we just need that outside objective perspective to help us break the pattern and get grounded.
Engage your brain: Distract yourself from the anxiety by doing an activity that makes you think and doesn’t leave room in your brain to focus on the anxious thoughts or feelings. You might need to try different things to see what takes up enough mental focus to break you out of the anxiety trap. Some ideas are: work a crossword puzzle, read, listen to a podcast or audiobook you really like, play solitaire, watch an engrossing show (maybe even turn subtitles on and read them to more fully engage your brain), meal plan and make your grocery list, focus on a project for work, do Sudoku. It doesn’t really matter what it is as long as it consumes your focus, and gives you a break from the anxiety.
I invite you to try these skills out as anxiety arises or as a preventative practice. See what sticks for you, and get creative and try out other ideas you might have. Even though there’s a lot we can’t change or plan for right now, we can focus on taking care of ourselves and not letting anxiety carry us away. We are so much more than any emotion we feel.
I’d love to hear how it goes for you or if you find any helpful practices you’d like to share with others! Just email me at ivy@thrivetherapyandcounseling.com.
Sending peaceful wishes your way,
Ivy
Ivy Griffin, LMFT # 51714, Director
she/hers
hello@thrivetherapyandcounseling.com
916-287-3430