Here are a few quick tips to find some anxiety relief:

KNOW when you’re anxious—The first step to managing anxiety is to know that anxiety is coming on. What are the signs and symptoms? The physical symptoms are usually the easiest to spot. They usually include increased heart rate, sweaty palms, “fluttering” or “butterflies” in your stomach, and a pronounced sense of dread. If you notice these symptoms coming on, that is a good time to pause, breathe slowly and deeply, and follow the next 4 tips.

TEST your reality—Ask yourself: Is this situation do or die? What is the situation/ thought/ anticipated outcome that is triggering this feeling to occur? Are you in real danger, or is the threat mostly projected onto the situation? If you are in real danger/ trouble/ threat, what can you do about it right now?
Think about what you can control versus what you cannot. Even if you are projecting the danger onto the situation, the above still applies. Focus on what you can control and ask yourself, what is good about projecting this negative outcome? How is this catastrophizing thought/ part of you trying to benefit you by thinking this way? Has obsessive thinking become the strategy for maintaining safety or trying to prevent a loss?

SOOTHE your inner perfectionist—If the projected negative outcome is coming from a critical or perfectionistic voice, ask yourself—Where is this voice coming from? Who in my life does this voice sound like? Where did I adopt my standards and are my standards impossible or unreasonable to expect?

CHANT “Just for today”—When you are overwhelmed or paralyzed with anxiety, one of the best things you can do is focus on the present moment. Focus on doing one thing at a time. Forget about seeing the “bigger picture” for now, or what might happen in the future. You are here and now, that is where your power lies. When you focus on responding to what is right in front of you, taking one step, and then the next, you have concentrated your energy and internal resources towards the greatest possible action.

STOP, BREATHE, APPRECIATE—After the effort has been made for that day or that moment, come back to the pause. You have done all that you can and now it’s time to let go and rest. If you learn to step back and appreciate your effort, you have even more fuel to begin again. In the resting state, creative energy is regenerated and new ideas can form.

Give yourself the space to pause and to slow your heart rate down. A good tool for doing this is “square” breathing where you breathe in for a count (3 seconds is usually good, more if you are able), hold for the same count, and exhale for the same count. Then pause with the breath out for that count again before beginning again. This practice will definitely slow your heart rate down, move your nervous system from a sympathetic to parasympathetic state, and help bring your frontal cortex (part of the brain that can think rationally and creatively) back online.

Certainly if you’ve tried all of the above and are still having major anxiety symptoms such as panic attacks, night terrors or insomnia, feelings of dread throughout the day, crying spells or inability to focus, contact your doctor or therapist right away! With time, medication, and therapy, you can turn these symptoms around and reclaim peace in your life. For more information about treating anxiety or panic symptoms through psychotherapy or EMDR, please call me at: 415-448-6478, or email me at info@jennifernorstrom.com.

To your health and happiness,
Jennifer