anxiety de-escalation tips

7/15/22

often times, when we are in the state of anxiety it is hard to think of life normally. anxiety tricks our brains into thinking that we must fear and worry about everything. anxiety is a liar that cripples us from doing and being who we truly are.

many times, our brains are on default and cannot focus on the big things. we have to process everything at a super slow snail speed in order to properly understand what we are going through. the key to calming our brains and focusing on bringing our minds into a state of clarity is to have ways to de-escalate.

as most of my ideas come from Pinterest, I do not own these ideas. I just find lots of helpful info that I feel like needs to be shared. with that being said, here are some tips that I've found:

• chew on ice

• place a baggie of ice on an area of the body

• wrap up in a blanket

• take your shoes off and walk in the grass or a surface in nature for a bit

• hum, whistle, or sing

• place a fan in front of you and feel the moving air

• drum up and down your legs and arms to increase circulation

• doodle

• rock or swing

• sit on your hands or legs

• drum, tap, or snap fingers

• write/describe who you are in a calm regulated state, flight/ fight state, and shut down state

• create a personal calming space for yourself at home

• hand massage

• splash cold water on your face

• run your hands under warm water

• take a walk

• text/call a trusted friend or family member

• three deep breaths

• find a smooth stone and roll it on your hands for a few seconds with deep breaths

• run your hands through uncooked rice, beads, marbles, sand, etc.

• make a sensory table or space

• write a letter or draw an image of how you feel in the moment

some phrases to go along with these activities could sound like:

• I am stronger than I think

• my body and I are on the same team

• my mind is just trying to protect me

• I am in control

• this is a normal human emotion

• this is my body trying to keep me safe

• I've survived this before. I will survive it again

• this is a false alarm. I am safe

• my feelings are allowed to be here

• my anxiety does not define me

• this feeling is a single to take a deep breath

• this feeling is temporary. it will pass

I hope that this post helps someone out there.

remember that you deserve to be here.

keep your heads up cherubs!

xx Loryn