3 Quick Anxiety Relief Tips
If you’re stuck in traffic, in a tense work meeting, waiting in line at the store, or even sitting on the couch, take at least 15 seconds to try these three quick anxiety relief tips:
Unclench your jaw. When we are stressed, we tend to tighten our jaws. My jaw is even tightened as I type this - it’s such a habit! We can even inadvertently tighten our jaws as we sleep due to stress and anxiety. To unclench my jaw, I simply just drop/release it — but this Healthline article has a handful of additional jaw relief exercises that could be interesting to try!
Drop your shoulders. When I am anxious, sometimes I notice my shoulders are almost up to my ears! As soon as I realize this, I drop them. Once I drop them, my neck relaxes and my jaw loosens even more!
Inhale 6 seconds, exhale 6 seconds. Stress can also cause shortness of breath and quick breathing, which is why breath-work can be so important for managing anxiety. I found that actually counting my breathing distracts me from my anxious, overthinking mind and pulls my awareness to my breath and body. If breathing in and out for 6 seconds doesn’t feel good, try whatever breath lengths work best for you!
I have found that implementing these tips have brought so much more awareness and relaxation to my mind and body. And, although these tips might not entirely relieve all of my anxiety in the moment, they sure help!
