To reduce anxiety immediately, you must physically demonstrate to your nervous system that you are not under immediate threat.
Here are the most effective, science-backed strategies to lower anxiety right now:
1. Hack Your Physiology (The “CARE” Skills)
Dr. Alissa Jerud recommends a set of skills adapted from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) designed to rapidly reduce physiological arousal.
She uses the acronym CARE:
- Cool with Ice: This is one of the fastest ways to reduce a racing heart. Place an ice pack over your eyes and cheekbones, or dunk your face in a bowl of cold water for about 30 seconds. This triggers the mammalian dive reflex, which tells your body to slow down your heart rate to conserve energy, sometimes reducing it by up to 50% in seconds.
- Activate Your Body: Sometimes the most effective way to break an anxiety cycle is to physically move. This burns off the adrenaline coursing through your system and allows your heart rate to naturally recover and slow down afterward.
- Relax Your Muscles: Anxiety often causes us to brace physically. Tense your muscle groups tightly for 3-4 seconds, then release them for 5-7 seconds. This contrast helps your body achieve a deeper state of relaxation than if you just tried to “relax” without tensing first.
- Exhale Slowly: When you inhale, your heart rate speeds up; when you exhale, it slows down. To calm down, extend your exhale so it is longer than your inhale.
2. Breathwork
When we are stressed, the tiny air sacs in our lungs, called alveoli, tend to collapse. This buildup of carbon dioxide in the bloodstream triggers the brain’s alarm bells.
A single inhale is often not enough to re-inflate these collapsed sacs.
However, taking a second, shorter inhale right on top of the first one provides just enough extra pressure to “pop” them open.
Physiological Sigh
A physiological sigh is a rapid, natural breathing technique designed to reduce stress and anxiety by quickly reducing arousal.
It involves two quick, consecutive inhales through the nose followed by a long, slow exhale through the mouth.
This sends an immediate signal to the heart to slow down. It is a biological certainty, not a placebo effect.
How to Perform a Physiological Sigh:
- Inhale 1: Take a deep breath in through the nose to fill the lungs.
- Inhale 2: At the top of that breath, take a second, short inhalation to maximally fill the alveoli.
- Exhale: Release a long, slow exhale through the mouth until the lungs are empty.
- Repetition: Repeat 1–3 times for near-instant stress relief.
Real-Time Recovery
This technique is uniquely effective because it does not require a quiet room or a yoga mat.
You can perform a physiological sigh in the middle of a difficult conversation, during a high-stakes meeting, or while stuck in traffic.
Because it targets the autonomic nervous system, it works regardless of what you are thinking about.
Important Note: If you are trying these techniques (like breathing) and you feel more anxious, stop. For some people, focusing internally can increase panic. In that case, focus on external distractions (like describing the room around you) or physical movement.
3. Ground Yourself in the Present
Anxiety lives in the future. To reduce it, you must anchor yourself in the now.
- Feel Your Feet: Dr. Brewer points out that our feet are often an “anxiety-free zone”. Wiggle your toes or push your feet firmly into the floor. This draws attention away from the racing thoughts in your head and into the physical sensation of stability.
- Name What You Notice: Look around your environment and name what you see, hear, or touch. Dr. Carla Naumburg suggests asking yourself, “Can you notice the floor?” or “Can you notice the couch?” to engage the prefrontal cortex (the thinking brain) and take power away from the limbic system (the panic brain).
- Soothing Touch: Physical touch releases oxytocin and calms the cardiovascular system. Place a hand over your heart or belly, or cup one hand inside the other. This warmth and contact can regulate emotions and soothe the body.
- Co-regulation: We are wired to calm down in the presence of safe others. Dr. Porges explains that hearing a soothing voice or seeing a friendly face can switch our nervous system from defense to safety. Even a 20-second hug has been shown to lower stress and anxiety.
- Change Your View: Dr. Rick Hanson suggests looking at the horizon. Viewing things from a distance activates brain areas associated with holistic processing, whereas looking at things close up (like a phone screen) can increase egocentric, contracted focus.
- Humming: Dr. Stephen Porges notes that humming can stimulate the vagus nerve and open the sinuses (releasing nitric oxide), which engages the social engagement system and calms the body.
- The “Hmm” of Curiosity: Dr. Brewer also suggests simply saying “Hmm” out loud. This sound can help shift your brain from a contracted state of fear into an open state of curiosity.
4. Change the Narrative
While physical tools are the first line of defense, how we speak to ourselves determines how long the anxiety lasts.
- “If-Then” Planning: Anxiety often asks “What if?” (e.g., “What if I faint?”). Tamara Hubbard suggests swapping this for “If… Then…” (e.g., “If I feel dizzy, then I will sit down and drink water”). This shifts you from passive worrying to active problem-solving.
- Name it to Tame it: Simply labeling the emotion – “I am feeling anxiety right now” – can reduce its power. It moves activity from the emotional centre of the brain to the processing centre.
- Sing Your Thoughts: If you have a sticky, repetitive anxious thought (e.g., “I’m going to fail”), try singing it to the tune of Happy Birthday. This technique, used in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), creates space between you and the thought, making it seem less like a terrifying reality and more like just words
- Visualize the Anxiety: Imagine your anxiety as a separate object. For example, you can picture putting the anguish or anxiety into your hand, feeling its weight and texture. This process of “physicalizing” the emotion creates distance, helping you realize that the emotion is not you and that you are the vessel holding it
Cognitive Distancing
When we say “I am anxious,” we are identifying with the emotion.
This makes it feel like the anxiety is a permanent part of who we are.
Use your own name to create emotional space.
Instead of saying “I am scared,” you might ask, “Why is [Your Name] feeling this way right now?”
This third-person perspective helps dampen the emotional intensity.
It turns a chaotic internal experience into a problem that can be solved.
5. Using Your Eyes to Quiet Your Mind
When you are under pressure, your pupils dilate and your vision “focalizes” on a single point.
This narrow focus is a biological signal for the brain to release chemicals like norepinephrine, keeping you in a state of high alert.
Tunnel vision is not just a result of stress, but a primary driver that keeps the anxiety active.
Dr. Andrew Huberman confirms it is biologically difficult for the brain to maintain tunnel vision while the eyes are in a relaxed, wide-angle state.
Shifting to peripheral vision sends a direct mechanical message to the brainstem to disengage the fight-or-flight response.
Expanding your visual field to see the floor, ceiling, and walls simultaneously can trigger a relaxation response in under half a minute.
3 Simple Steps to Wide-Angle Calm
- Unlock the “Focal Lock”: Notice when your gaze is fixed on a single point and consciously relax the muscles around your eyes.
- Activate Panoramic Vision: Without moving your head, expand your awareness to include the far left and right of the room along with the ceiling and floor.
- Hold the Peripheral View: Maintain this “wide-angle” state for 30 seconds to send a direct message to your brainstem that you are safe.
Conclusion
While these techniques reduce anxiety, the goal is not to forcefully eliminate it.
Trying to suppress thoughts often creates a “rebound effect” where they return stronger.
It is more effective to hold the anxiety lightly, allowing it to be there without letting it run the show.
