Stop Anxiety Quickly

How Do I Stop My Anxiety Quickly?

There are times in our lives when we need to deal with our anxiety in a timely manner. But getting there isn’t always simple. Whether you need to get to sleep for a big day at work, calm yourself down so you can put a baby to sleep, or want to calm your nerves before you give a big speech, knowing how to soothe your anxiety quickly can be a huge help. So what helps with anxiety when time is of the essence?

Tolerating Distress With TIPP

TIPP is a DBT skill meant to help us regulate when we’re experiencing intense feelings. It’s essentially hacking into the deep tissue of our brains to tell ourselves to stop feeling so intensely upset. When you undergo the behaviors outlined in this acronym in order, you will generally come out the other side feeling less upset, more mindful, and at a further distance from the situations that may have triggered you. The crazy thing is that when you do it right, it just works.

• Temperature Change. By exposing your body to a temperature change, you can start the process of de-escalating from your distress. This can work whether you use hot or cold, so just do whatever is most easily available to you. You can change your temperature by letting an ice cube melt in your hand, washing your face in the sink, stepping into a hot tub, taking a shower, or using a heating pad.
• Intense Exercise. This step will stamp out any of the emotional intensity that’s left over after your temperature change. Now intense exercise will look very different from person to person, and what one person finds intense, another might find understimulating. You can use your heart rate and breathing as a personalized barometer for intensity. When your heart is beating fast and you start to feel out of breath from your exercise, you can be confident that your workout is intense enough. 
• Paced Breathing. This means any type of breathing where you’re doing it consciously and with purpose. You can try out 4-7-8 breathing, or you can pick out whatever your personal favorite breathing method is. Just be sure to take your time (there is no rushing through breathing), and try to combine it with the next step in TIPP. 
• Paired Muscle Relaxation. You might be asking yourself: what is paired muscle relaxation? Often combined with paced breathing and meditation, paired muscle relaxation is the progressive and meticulous process of letting go of the tension in your muscles. That might sound complicated. How are you supposed to keep track of all that? The good news is, you don’t have to! There are lots of resources online like this one that can guide you through the whole process.

Learn How To Self Soothe

Self-soothing is a necessary skill when it comes to being a human. We learn how when we’re young, that’s why anywhere in the world you can find a baby sucking on their thumb. But somewhere along the way to adulthood we stop learning the more advanced methods of self-soothing and often suffer as a result. 

• Manage Your Inner Critic. It is difficult to be calm when you are judging and criticizing yourself. Could you relax if your boss was always yelling at you? In order to be soothed, you need to learn how to talk to your inner critic. You can start getting your inner critic to chill out when you shift your perspective. Would you speak that harshly to a child when they have made a mistake? Honor the child self that still lives within you. They deserve kindness and compassion for their mistakes. 
• Acknowledge When You Are Triggered. Suppressing your triggers instead of acknowledging them only leads to a buildup of negative emotions. Triggers serve as important messages, revealing our unmet needs. Ignoring them disconnects you from yourself. Your inner child loses trust in your ability to care for them, leading to uncharacteristic behavior. This can create issues at work and in relationships. Listen to yourself, acknowledge your pain, and release it. Simply acknowledging the pain can often be enough to move forward. 
• Self-Soothe With Sensory Experiences.  During times of heightened stress, engaging your senses in soothing activities can help regulate your emotions. When you focus on sensory experiences, you shift your attention away from distressing thoughts or feelings, allowing yourself to find comfort and calm in the present moment. 
• Set Intentions And Believe In Them. Setting intentions is akin to casting a magical spell over yourself. The key lies in believing in the potency of intention setting. Where you direct your focus, things tend to flourish. If you dwell on worst-case scenarios, your attention to negativity creates more negativity, as it becomes all you see. On the other hand, when you set positive intentions—like having a successful, joyful day—you become attuned to the tiny little moments that contribute to that success and joy. By focusing on positivity, you invite more positive experiences into your life.

 If you feel stuck on your healing journey, working with a therapist can help. Based on your needs, our intake specialist will help you get matched up with your perfect therapist. Click here to schedule a consultation.

Sunny Ebsary is an educator, multi-modal artist, and writer specializing in the intersection of myth and mental health. Sunny’s writing walks the line between poetic and logical, giving readers a chance to interface with the mind and imagination. Sunny’s been putting pen to paper since he was a child, writing everything from albums, novels, and plays, to essays, interactive games, and of course, many articles! While studying both psychology and writing, he realized his real passion in life was helping others unlock their creative spark. Whether he’s leading a D&D game, directing a production, or diving deep into the brain, you can be sure Sunny will be ushering you toward finding meaning in your life.