Exercises To Calm Your Anxious Thoughts
Here are five exercise for calming an anxious mind:
Creating a mindful color scape. What to do:
Close your eyes and imagine your favorite calming colors (e.g., soft blues, greens, or pastels).
Visualize these colors spreading over your body, starting from the top of your head down to your toes.
Imagine the colors absorbing your anxious energy and replacing it with calm.
Why it works:
Colors have a psychological impact on our mood, and visualization helps interrupt anxious thought loops.
2. The Curiousity Map. What to do:
Grab a piece of paper and divide it into four sections: “What I Know,” “What I Can Control,” “What I Don’t Know,” and “What Doesn’t Matter.”
Write down your anxious thoughts and categorize them.
Focus your energy on the “What I Can Control” section.
Why it works:
Organizing thoughts reduces overwhelm and fosters a sense of control.
3. The reverse story telling game. What to do:
Take a moment to reflect on your anxious thoughts. Then, create a humorous or overly exaggerated backstory for the scenario causing your anxiety.
For example, if you’re anxious about a meeting, imagine the meeting room turning into a secret mission headquarters with everyone dressed as spies.
Why it works:
Humor and creativity diffuse anxiety and shift your brain’s focus from fear to playfulness.
4. The “Emotion Detective Journal”. What to do:
Set a timer for 10 minutes. Write about your anxious thought as if you’re solving a mystery.
Include details about when it started, how it grew, and what might “solve the case.”
End with a concluding statement like, “Case closed for now.”
Why it works:
This method externalizes your anxiety, making it feel less overwhelming.
5. The “Walk and Whisper Method.” What to do:
Go for a 10-minute walk somewhere safe and quiet. As you walk, softly whisper encouraging affirmations to yourself, like, “I am okay,” or “I can handle this.”
Sync the affirmations with your steps for a rhythmic, meditative effect.
Why it works:
Combining movement, self-soothing language, and rhythm calms both the body and mind.