3 Quick Exercises to Combat Anxiety

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Anxiety is an unapologetic monster, and if you let it, it can take over your entire mood for the day. Before starting any of these three practices, it’s important to acknowledge the existence of your anxiety.

Acknowledge Your Anxiety

The first step to controlling your anxiety is acknowledging its existence. Actor Bill Hader shared an incredible video in collaboration with the Child Mind Institute. I shared it with my children, but it really helped me too. He described his anxiety as an imaginary monster on his shoulder that comes to visit every so often. Acknowledging that his anxiety will always be around, he said, was what helped him the most in managing his anxiety.

There are a couple of practices I was taught that help bring me back down to reality when I can’t get out of that repetitive flight or fight instinct.

1. Breathe

Taking deep breaths is a tried-and-true method to relieve anxiety. Meditating while you’re practicing your breaths is an added bonus. It doesn’t have to take long either. You can practice this on your way to work or whenever you have five minutes to spare.

According to a Harvard Health article, deep diaphragm breathing helps promote full oxygen exchange. The benefits of deep breathing include lowering blood pressure and stabilizing your heart rate.

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My therapist recommended an app called “MindShift” that worked well for me. I introduced it to my kids as well. The kids loved it so much that they ask to hear the meditation exercises before bedtime. It provides tools and practices to be able to regulate your emotions whenever necessary. The neatest tool is five-minute or less meditation audio clips based on the type of anxiety you are experiencing.

4 Quick Exercises To Combat Anxiety2. Give Yourself a Pep Talk

Repeating a mantra is something I learned on TikTok, or therapyTok! It’s something you tell yourself to help calm yourself down. Some things I say to calm my anxiety are the following:

– You are not in danger, you are safe.

– This is a moment in time that will pass.

– You will overcome this and this feeling will pass.

Repeating positive mantras helps me rationalize a little bit better and focus on the task at hand.

3. Purge

Another great practice I learned on therapyTok from @courtneycriesalot is a method I’d like to call purging. Give yourself five minutes to determine what is making you anxious. Really go for it too. Get really into your feelings and think about what’s upsetting you and why that’s bad.

Once you’ve determined the cause or causes you move on to the next step. Validate those feelings. You’re NOT overreacting and every emotion you’re feeling is valid.

Starting a new project at work and you’re feeling overwhelmed? Yeah! I bet that’s overwhelming, and I’d be overwhelmed too!

You don’t need to determine a solution for your emotions. This step is just about validation and understanding your emotions. Think of an imaginary advocate for your emotions. Picture someone telling you that your feeling is completely logical. You’ve experienced a lot, and your emotions are real.

These are three practices that help bring me from an anxiety-ridden 10 to a steady 5 or below. The practices help with my day-to-day life, but I would also highly recommend therapy. There’s nothing better than having a non-judgmental ear to talk through your feelings.



The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of El Paso Mom, its executive team, other contributors to the site, its sponsors or partners, or any organizations the aforementioned might be affiliated with.

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Adriana Salas de Santiago
Adriana is a proud Mexican-American, born and raised in El Paso, Texas. Formerly, she worked as a Public Affairs Specialist at White Sands Missile Range for 10 years. During the pandemic, she had to venture into unknown territory as a stay-at-home mom for her four children, each one year apart. Adriana and her husband Adrian have been happily married for nine years. Last year they decided to open a woodworking business out of their home that has allowed them to meet several talented local small business owners. They love El Paso's sense of community, unique culture, and the hidden gems they still find during their outings around town. Adriana loves her family, writing, crafting, baking, hiking, volunteering, and sewing, in that order. Her greatest goal as a parent is to raise fulfilled, mindful, and compassionate children. Follow her on Instagram here.

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