Tips for Managing Overwhelming Anxiety in Minutes

Overwhelming anxiety can leave you breathless and feeling out of control. If you live with chronic anxiety, then you may be unaware of your trigger, or it may be the combination of several external and internal factors.

Chronic stress and overwhelming anxiety can lead to physical conditions if left untreated, including high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, heart attack, and stroke. Learn how to manage your overwhelming anxiety for immediate relief and long-term management.

Tips for Managing Overwhelming Anxiety in Minutes

Sometimes you need immediate relief. You need a few minutes to calm your overwhelming anxiety, lower your heart rate, regain normal breathing, and soothe your mind. The following tips will provide some relief in those moments when you need it most.

5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique

Grounding brings you back into the present moment. Often, our fears keep us stuck in the past or worried about the future. A grounding technique like 5-4-3-2-1 engages the senses and helps you to focus on what’s in front of you. This method is also effective during a panic attack.

To begin the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique, take note of your surroundings. Name five things you can see. Next, touch four things closest to you. Feel the texture and temperature of the item. Thirdly, name three things you can hear. Focus on the sounds. Afterwards, name two things you can smell. Lastly, name one thing you can taste.

Deep Breathing Exercises

Deep breathing exercises are effective in lowering overwhelming anxiety levels. Stress causes shallow breathing as we prepare to fight or run away. Deep breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, slowing heart rate, releasing tension, and lowering blood pressure.

Try an easy-to-remember deep breathing exercise to start. Close your eyes and take a deep breath, inhaling through your nose for four counts. Hold your breath for the count of four, and then release slowly through the mouth for another count of four. This 4-4-4 method is easy to start, but feel free to increase the time, such as 4-7-8, holding the breath for seven beats and exhaling through the mouth for eight beats.

Walking It Off

Stress raises cortisol and adrenaline. If these two stress hormones remain elevated, it leads to anxiety, inflammation, and other conditions. Walking is a low-impact and natural way to lower stress hormones while boosting serotonin and dopamine levels, brain chemicals that leave you feeling happy and confident.

If possible, take a ten-minute brisk walk to release tension. Long-term, aim to walk for at least thirty minutes most days of the week to receive the most mental and physical benefits. Some people find walking in the morning a great way to start the day and set their intentions; some use the time to talk to God. Others like walking during a lunch break or after dinner. There is no perfect time to walk, except for a time when you can consistently walk daily.

Lifestyle Tips for Managing Overwhelming Anxiety

If you want to manage overwhelming anxiety in the future, then you need to make lifestyle changes now. Leading a healthier life will enable you to regulate your emotions, decrease anxiety and depression, and increase serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins, leaving you feeling happier and more able to manage stressors.

Exercise consistently

Exercise in any form will lower stress, especially heart-pumping workouts like cardio and resistance training. Pilates, yoga, and stretching sessions can help soothe tense muscles and increase balance and flexibility.

Speak to your physician before starting an exercise regimen. Once you receive clearance, start slowly and learn proper form. Watch videos or hire a personal trainer for a session to ensure you are assuming correct poses and form. Aim for 150-300 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous exercise.

Identify and reframe negative thoughts

Have you ever had a negative thought that suddenly left you feeling down or upset? Learning to identify and reframe negative thoughts for a different outcome (changing the emotion and behavior) is a foundational principle of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

First, write down any negative thoughts as they come to you. Sometimes these thoughts flitter through the mind, and we may not be aware of their impact on emotions and behavior. Try to pause to identify and analyze these negative thoughts.

Next, look at the thought from another perspective. For example, instead of worrying about being late for an appointment because of a traffic jam, reframe the thought to thanking God for the delay in case something worse is up ahead, or for the opportunity you may have missed without the inconvenient delay.

Study the Word of God more

The Bible is full of pointers to problems and solutions. Maybe this is why Christians are commanded not to worry and fear not. The Bible opens God’s heart to us and shows how much we mean to Him. When we study His Word to learn more about Him, we ultimately learn who we are in Him.

We automatically lean into God, which can provide us with peace that surpasses all understanding. Even in dire situations, we can look to God for healing, reconciliation, rest, and peace. Spend five to twenty minutes daily reading the Bible. Try a Bible reading program, such as The Bible Recap, to remind you about the daily Bible reading and understanding what each passage means.

Eat well

Ultra-processed food, sugars, caffeine, and alcohol can worsen anxiety symptoms. In some individuals, too much caffeine or added sugars can exacerbate the occurrence of panic attacks. Sticking to food without added processing can save your physical, emotional, and mental health.

The goal is to eat a well-balanced diet of lean proteins, fresh fruits and vegetables, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. You want to nourish the body without going overboard with a particular mineral or nutrient and without taking away entire food groups, which could lead to nutritional deficiencies.

Sleep better

At some point, we relished staying up late as adults. But then came the jobs and the families, and staying up late was no longer the lure it once was. Sleep deprivation worsens emotional dysregulation and anxiety. Our bodies begin to break down because they lack proper care. Even God rested on the seventh day. He commanded us to rest because He knew our bodies would wear out without adequate time to rest and rejuvenate.

Scale back as much as possible by going to bed fifteen minutes early nightly for one week. The following week, scale back another fifteen minutes until your bedtime is around seven to nine hours before wake-up time. For example, if you want to sleep for eight hours from 10 pm to 6 am but typically go to bed at 11 pm, try going to bed at 10:45 pm for one week, then 10:30 pm for another week. Slowly, change the bedtime back until you reach your goal.

Prioritize your peace

As Christians, we want to serve others. We want to tell them the good news and help other people. Unfortunately, that can leave us in a position to be hurt by allowing other people to encroach on our boundaries. Maybe you, like many people, have never set boundaries because you have always treated others the way you want them to treat you.

Setting boundaries prioritizes your peace and your mental health. It tells others that you and your time are just as important as theirs. You are worthy of protecting your peace.

For example, suppose you have a cousin who always calls or messages you during the night. She makes you feel guilty if you do not answer her right away. You must set a boundary to prioritize your sleep and your time. For example, you could tell her that you do not answer calls or messages after 9 pm, and will connect with her after 8 am.

Christian Counseling for Anxiety

<>If overwhelming anxiety is derailing your life, contact us today to work one-on-one with a Christian counselor. You will learn strategies and psychological techniques to manage stress and anxiety to get back to living your life on your terms. Say goodbye to overwhelming anxiety and hello to help.