Exercises to Reduce Anxiety

click here for audio version

Anxiety can be caused by a wide variety of underlying factors. This is why the treatment of anxiety must begin by making sense out of what is causing your anxiety. This page is designed to help you discover the emotional truth of your anxiety. With this understanding, deep and lasting change is possible.

To schedule a free phone consultation with Tim Desmond, MFTI please fill out the form below. If you find that session helpful and decide to schedule again, I charge a sliding scale fee from $125-$60. You can scroll down to find the anxiety exercises.

Free Self Help Exercises

You wil be asked to feel your anxiety while you do some of the exercises so that you will be able to learn about it first hand. However, if it gets too strong, it will be hard to concentrate on following the directions. So if you become overwhelmed at any point, just stop and rest. You may discover some uncomfortable truths about yourself in doing these exercises. Try to be nice to yourself, and schedule a session if you want some help or support.

You might find that one or two of these exercises may not be a perfect fit for you, but it is important that you try each of them. Some of these exercises ask you to complete a sentence. Please read the sentence-stem either aloud or silently and then let the sentence finish itself without trying to pre-think an ending. Feel free to change the sentence-stem in order to make it feel more true. Repeat the exercise over and over until you are not getting any new endings before going on to the next one.

1. Begin by imagining a situation that would provoke your anxiety and allow yourself to feel it. Name what it feels like in your body. Now in this scene, say the sentence, "Right now I am afraid that..." and let the sentence finish itself without pre-thinking an ending. Keep doing this until you are getting no new endings.
When you are finished, write down some of the sentences that felt strongest.

2. Still in touch with your feeling of anxiety, ask yourself how old you feel, or when it was that you first felt this way. Let yourself remember what it was like when you first felt this feeling. Staying in that memory, finish the sentence again, "Right now I am afraid that..."
Keep doing this until you are getting no new endings.
When you are finished, write down some of the sentences that felt strongest.

3. Now imagine waking up in the morning and going through the day feeling completely safe and without any trace of anxiety. Not only do you not feel any anxiety, but you know that you never will again. Pay careful attention to anything that feels unwelcome about this reality. Spend some time with this experience before moving on.
Write down what you learn.

4. Still in touch with your feeling of anxiety, name how it feels in your body. Now ask it, "What is your job?" or "How do you serve me?" and wait for it to answer.
Spend some time with this experience before moving on.
Write down what you learn.

5. Please imagine the important people in your life (including your family) and get a clear picture of them. Now imagine saying to them, "If I'm not anxious, then..." and let the sentence finish itself.
Keep doing this until you are getting no new endings.
When you are finished, write down some of the sentences that felt strongest.

6. Now continue to be there with those people and try saying to them,"I need to be anxious because..." and let the sentence finish itself.
Keep doing this until you are getting no new endings.
When you are finished, write down some of the sentences that felt strongest.

By this point, many people will feel like they have found a part of themselves that they did not know existed. You may have found that your anxiety served an important purpose. It may help you feel connected with your parents, or to keep you safe. It is important not to turn this part of yourself into an enemy, but rather make it into a friend. You can do this by not trying to change it. Instead just accept it and let it be true. You should also spend some time each day reading over what you have learned about your anxiety. Many people will feel a strong need to have someone with whom to share this new truth. You can tell a trusted friend, a support group or schedule a session with a therapist.

If you would like to share your emotional truth with others, you can enter it into the form below. Offerings will be posted within 48 hours. If you would like to donate to PsychResources.net, click here.

"If I stop feeling anxious, I will be attacked as soon as I let my guard down."
--anonymous

"Thank you. I feel a lot better now that my anxiety makes some sense to me. I really liked the part about making friends with it."
-- Joan T.

Other factors in anxiety treatment

In addition to working with emotions, there are other important factors in helping to relieve anxiety. Please look over the following in addition to discovering your emotional truth. It is very important to remember that if anything on this list is difficult for you to do, there may be a hidden emotional truth against doing it. If so, try adapting the discovery exercises above to learn about this emotional truth, or click schedule a session to get help from a therapist.

• If you can, find a place that makes you feel safe. Common places are a bedroom or somewhere in nature. Try to spend as much time there as you can, preferably each day. Make sure to let yourself feel safe while you are there.
• Try to stop sugar, caffeine and any other stimulant you may be taking.
• Get enough sleep, eat right, find some support (like a friend or group). Some people do not want to burden their friends with their troubles. Going to a support group is a good solution to this situation. You might try AA, or CODA.
• Get enough sunlight and exercise. They have been shown to be as effective as many forms of therapy at treating stress.
• Another exercise to reduce anxiety is to practice deep breathing for 10-20 minutes each day. Find a safe, calm place, sit comfortably, and take deep slow breaths. Try to concentrate on the sensation of breathing in your nose, chest or belly. You will soon find yourself lost in thoughts and worries. When you do, congratulate yourself. You successfuly noticed that your mind wandered. Then go back to the breathing. It is not important that you prevent your mind from wandering. Just try to notice that it has, and return to your breathing.
• You may want to practice sending yourself love and compassion for 10-20 minutes a day. Find a safe, calm place, sit comfortably, and take deep slow breaths. Now say to yourself, "May you be safe. May you be loved. May you be healthy. May you be peaceful." Repeat these over and over again, just knowing that you want good things for yourself. You can also try sending these wishes to others. Knowing that someone wishes you well can be deeply helpful for people. You may also sit knowing that someone else wishes you well too.

This site is maintained by Tim Desmond, MFTI 51287
copyright © 2007 Tim Desmond, MA. Last updated 07October2008.