Symptoms
This is one physical symptom of anxiety.
What is increased heart rate or breathing, shaking, restlessness, muscle tension, headaches, sweating, dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, abdominal pain, appetite changes, or fatigue?
This is perhaps the simplest calming technique.
What is deep breathing?
While you already know how to breathe, its specifically helps to focus on taking slow, even breaths through the nose.
This chemical can be released in the body when someone feels anxious, and is responsible for the "fight or flight" response.
What is Adrenaline
This is one emotional symptom of anxiety.
What is fear, worry, irritability, or feeling numb, dreamlike or detached?
This calming technique involves focusing on one's senses.
What is grounding?
A common grounding technique is 5-4-3-2-1
If you are easily this, it may be a sign of anxiety.
What is annoyed or agitated?
Anxiety can affect mental function in this way.
What is "brain fog," confusion, difficulty concentrating, depersonalization/derealization, or feeling overwhelmed?
This is a mind and body practice that has a long history of use for increasing calmness and physical relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being.
What is meditation?
Changes in this are a common physical symptom of anxiety.
What is appetite?
Anxiety can affect sleep in this way.
What is trouble falling or staying asleep, restlessness, or feeling more tired or fatigued than usual?
This non-medical technique can be as effective as medication for some people.
What is exercise?
Anxiety disorders most commonly appear during this stage of life
What is adolescence?
While they most commonly first show up in adolescence, anxiety disorders can appear any time, and can span the lifetime.
Long term anxiety can have this effect.
What is weight changes, impaired memory, insomnia, or depression?
This strategy involves learning to see things in a clear and fair way, without being overly negative or focusing only on the bad. (It takes time to shift anxious thinking, so be patient and keep practicing!)
Challenging thoughts or cognitive therapy
Focusing on things that are this, rather than imagined possibilities, is one way to help decrease anxiety.
What is "actual?"
For example, when a friend cancels plans, we may worry that they just don't want to be with us, when they actually said they got called into work. That is, focusing on actual information we have rather than worst-case scenarios.