You Have More Power Over Your Anxiety Than You Think

Anxiety is a painful thing. I know that—even as a therapist, I’ve dealt with depression and anxiety on and off in my life.

Anxiety is such a debilitating feeling. When I get anxious, I feel it in my chest. I feel it in my stomach. I feel tight. Sometimes I can’t find my words. I don’t know what to say. And my mind spirals into negativity.

What I want to tell you today is something I have to tell myself: we all have much more power to self-soothe than we realize. We have much more power to manage our own emotions. We have much more power to regulate ourselves—to bring our anxiety down with just a couple of basic techniques.

One of the most fundamental is simply breathing.

Here’s a technique that has been studied and I believe can help you: just taking in a breath and blowing it out slowly. I like to breathe in for three counts and breathe out for six.

Try that. Try breathing in for three, blowing out for six—calming your nervous system, bringing the anxiety down.

I know it will help.