Having a rough start to your day? Everyone has hard days and days that are filled with stress.
What’s been found time to time to work for calming anxiety on hard days is a variety of awesome thoughts and practices. There are a lot to go through when you search online, but we’ve collected 35 of them to help you have a more peaceful day.
How Your Thoughts Can Reduce Anxiety
Have you ever listened to your favorite song and noticed how your whole body relaxed and you were able to forget everything for a moment? There are even more ways to calm yourself when you are stressed out and the cool part is that each of us can pick and choose our favorite ones that work the best for us.
One of my friends told me about a game her therapist told me about for rough days, called “The Five Senses.” You start out with listing five things of a certain sense. For example, list five items that you can see, then list four items around you that you can hear, then list three items that you can touch, then finally, two items that you can smell. Lastly, you list something that you can taste. It works really well to calm down when having an anxiety attack.
35 Calming Thoughts and Practices When You’re Stressed Out
- Origami
- Aromatherapy
- Yoga
- “Tactile Breathing” (a military strategy where you inhale your breath for four counts, then hold your breath for four counts, and finally exhale your breath for four counts)
- Take a walk
- Trying doing some art or doodling
- Therapy
- Stress balls
- Silly Putty or Play Doh
- Listen to music
- Meditation
- Read a book
- Go on a hike, take yourself out into nature
- Make a to-do list
- Blow some bubbles!
- Acknowledge what you are feeling
- Tell yourself that you are safe
- Go hang out with an animal
- Solve a puzzle
- Be kind to yourself
- Use an app for anxiety release, such as “Stop. Breath. Think”
- Take of your physical needs, like take a shower if you need a shower or give yourself a bubble bath 🙂
Make a time in the week where you express your frustrations so you can focus on the rest of the week with a clear head (or scream into a pillow!) - Grounding practice (simply hold on to an object or piece of furniture that makes you feel protected)
- Create your own safe space, a place where one of your worries can reach you
- Drink water
- Get exercise
- Call a friend
- Use Pinterest to find inspirational quotes
- Learn to knit
- Get crafty
- Talk to your doctor about medication
- Treat yo’self! Give yourself a nice dinner or some fancy dessert 🙂
- Take yourself out for the night
- Give yourself a spa day
You Got This!
Life is hard and unpredictable. That can make anyone have a level of stress and anxiety that at times becomes unmanageable. Counseling can make a big difference. Having someone in your corner with a judgment-free mindset and a goal to help you be the best version of yourself is truly comforting and can go a long way when coping with anxiety, panic attacks, fear and stress.
And finally, some quotes on anxiety to inspire you for the day:
“I survived this before, I’ll survive this now.”
“I am enough, have always been enough, and will always be enough.”
“Be strong enough to stand alone, smart enough to know when you need help, and brave enough to ask for it.”
About Peek Counseling
Katie Bisbee-Peek is a Denver-area therapist who works with teens and young adults to help them find confidence and positive self-esteem in their lives. She has first-hand experience within her family of the power of therapy. Katie has a powerful connection with youth and understands their unique perspective at their age. Life is hard during the teenage and young adult years, counseling helps give them guidance and a safe space. (Click to contact me about a complimentary consultation.)
“My door is always open.” – Katie