Exercises To Calm Your Anxious Thoughts
Simple, science-backed ways to ground your body and quiet your mind
When you are juggling work, home, family, relationship, and your own needs, anxious thoughts often arrive like a flood…. How can I do it all? What if something goes wrong? Did I say the wrong thing? What if I can’t fix this? It’s easy to get swept up in these loops—and hard to remember that there are tools to return to steadiness.
At Collective Practices, we teach that anxiety isn’t something to “fight.” It’s something to tend. Anxiety is a sign that your nervous system is doing its job—trying to keep you safe. But sometimes that safety signal gets stuck in overdrive.
These grounding exercises, rooted in mindfulness, movement, and nervous system regulation, can help you create space from anxious thoughts and return to a sense of calm.
1. Box Breathing (4-4-4-4)
This technique is used by Navy SEALs and clinical therapists alike. It calms the stress response by stimulating the parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous system.
How to do it:
Inhale for 4 seconds
Hold for 4 seconds
Exhale for 4 seconds
Hold for 4 seconds
Repeat for 2–4 minutes.
Why it works: Breath control slows the heart rate and creates a sense of safety, which can help deactivate anxiety circuits in the brain.
2. Grounding Through the 5 Senses
This is a powerful practice when your thoughts feel out of control or your body feels “floaty” or disconnected.
Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method:
5 things you can see
4 things you can touch
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste or are grateful for
Bonus: Place your hands on your thighs or heart as you do this to signal safety to your nervous system.
3. Take an “Anxiety Walk”
A 10-minute walk—especially outdoors—can interrupt anxious spirals and help regulate both thought patterns and stress hormones.
Make it mindful by:
Feeling your feet hit the ground
Syncing your breath with your steps
Observing what’s around you without trying to fix anything
Why it works: Gentle rhythmic movement like walking helps regulate the vagus nerve and restore emotional balance.
4. Name It to Tame It
When anxiety strikes, labeling what’s happening can actually help reduce its intensity.
Try saying (out loud or to yourself):
“This is anxiety. It’s not dangerous. It’s just a feeling. And it will pass.”
Based on: Neuroscientist Dr. Dan Siegel’s research on “affect labeling” shows that naming emotions helps engage the prefrontal cortex (thinking brain) and quiet the amygdala (alarm system).
5. Self-Compassion Break (Kristin Neff Style)
Instead of trying to “get rid of” anxiety, meet it with kindness.
Say this to yourself:
This is a moment of suffering.
Suffering is part of being human.
May I be kind to myself in this moment.
Place your hand on your heart or cheek. Take 3 slow breaths. No need to fix—just feel and soothe.
Why it works: Self-compassion reduces cortisol, increases oxytocin (the bonding hormone), and helps you feel less alone with your pain.
6. Thought Dump + Reframe
Sometimes anxious thoughts just need somewhere to go.
Try this:
Set a timer for 5 minutes and write down everything on your mind. No filter. No grammar rules.
Then write down 2–3 kinder truths or grounding thoughts.
For example:“I always mess things up” becomes
“I’ve made mistakes before and survived. I’m learning as I go.”
Why it works: Journaling clears cognitive clutter and strengthens the habit of self-reflection over rumination.
Final Thought: Calm Is a Practice
You don’t need to erase anxious thoughts. You just need to change your relationship to them. Every time you pause, breathe, ground, and offer yourself care, you’re building new neural pathways—ones that lead to steadiness, not spirals.
You don’t have to be anxiety-free to feel peace. You just need tools—and the courage to use them. Consider joining one of our courses to learn more about any of these tools and how to use them in your everyday life.