If you truly suffer from extreme anxiety I would highly recommend working with Jon Kabat Zinn’s process called “Catastrophe living” or by enrolling in a local DBT class if it’s offered in your area.

Mindfulness:

The practice of learning to sit with whatever is occurring in the present moment, is in my mind one of the very best ways too reduce anxiety. Unfortunately for an individual who is already stressed or anxious, learning to sit still and focus on ones breathor scan the body can often be overwhelming at first. This is why I would recommend a professional too help guide you through a process that works for you in a simple and titrated manner.

Exercise:

for many simply going for a walk for exercising can be a great way to get out of their mind and back into their body. Yoga, your favorite sport, dance and basically anything that you enjoy that is physical can help most people shift from excessive mental activity to a more peaceful embodied state.

Nature:

For many nature has the ability to calm the mind and thus reduce anxiety. Simply the sounds that are available to the auditory system in nature hope to set the mind at ease. Nature bags are becoming more and more common and sometimes we can even find gods who will take us to particular places which or more likely to assist us in returning to a state of present score thoughtlessness.

Music:

Whether you like to play music or simply lay down and listen to it music is a powerful force for most people in creating shifts of consciousness.

Animals:

Many of my personal clients have found great relief by playing or taking care of an animal. Some have even gone so far as to volunteer at the local animal shelter in order to have access to cats or other creatures that have a calming effect on their nervous system.

Touch:

Often contact with another human being can help to alleviate or relieve stressful states. For some simply even being in the presence of others like at a local café it’s helpful. One of my clients finds the use of a heavy weighted blanket helpful in reducing stress and bringing them back to a state of call.

Sleep:

Taking a nap it’s not just for small children. A nap has the ability to relax the mind and the nervous system into a state of unconsciousness. Most people when they awaken feel surprisingly better.

Breath: Perhaps the most effective tool for relaxing the nervous system and reducing stressless anxiety is the breath. Simply bringing our attention to our breath will help us too exist more within the present moment. Most stress and anxiety is the mind predicting future events that are based on past experiences which were not pleasant. Or what I call the fortune teller predicting catastrophic events in the future. By simply bringing our attention to the inflow and outflow of oxygen as we breathe we can become more present and reduce our anxiety.

When I was hiking in a Canyon in the state of Colorado last fall I became desperately lost. It was a Canyon that had no actual trail. You were simply to follow the streambed down until it came to the ruins which were over 12,000 years old and nestled in the side of a Cliff. I not only became lost but began to panic. My mind raced and I no longer knew where I was. I wasn’t sure I could find my way back to my vehicle. I remembered being lost as a little boy I’m feeling extremely overwhelmed. Being lost in this Canyon brought back the sensation of worrying that I might die or go unnoticed. There were many voices in my head that gave me contradictory suggestions. It felt as though I had group of people inside my mind each one telling me to do a different thing. As I got more and more lost I began to lose control of my breath. I was hyperventilating and thought I might pass out. In a moment of severe panic I remembered to put my hands on my knees period to focus on my feet. I made my stance very wide. I began to slow down my breath as best I could. Focusing on the in breath and the out breath. Eventually my heart which was racing began to slow. At one point I thought I had calmed myself sufficiently. I looked up and immediately all of the voices in my head began to advise me contradictory things. I put my hands back on my knees focused on my feet at this time I focused on my breath for a good 10 minutes. When my mind said I was calm I continued to simply focus on my breath. Eventually I could feel myself returned to the present moment. I could feel myself back in my body. I then realized that my phone was in my backpack. I pulled it out and opened the GPS. It showed a blue dot and on the map the Ranger station. I knew that all I had to do was walk back towards the Ranger station. Even with this knowledge I managed to get lost two more times period each time panic returning at each time the practice of breathing brought me back to the present moment and into my body. Eventually I made it back to the Ranger station and was able to lay down in my camper vehicle. I have coached many people with anxiety. This was the first time as an adult that I remember having a panic attack. It was extremely humbling. I was grateful for all of the practices that I have taught many people over the years. The simple practice of returning to the breath is so powerful.