Feeling panicked?

It might sound like a conflict in terms, but sometimes finding calm feels like an emergency. You鈥檙e not likely to be running from a bear, but you might be running from a looming deadline or a dreaded phone call 鈥� and your physiological response can be very similar.

Maybe you鈥檝e put off your usual sanity checks: meditation, exercise, or (perhaps worst of all) sleep. Maybe your attention to study is taking needed attention away from personal relationships, or the other way around. Whatever鈥檚 causing you anxiety, it鈥檚 no fun. Compartmentalization has its place, and is even sometimes a healthy coping technique, but a temporary one. Let emotional pressure build up over time unaddressed and you might find yourself in an anxiety mudslide.

If you find yourself in acute fear, you鈥檙e often not sure what to do. All you know is you鈥檝e let things spiral out of control and you鈥檙e paralyzed. It鈥檚 hard to figure out how to get your center of gravity back on your own, especially if you鈥檙e overcome by fears. If you don鈥檛 have time to book a retreat, and taking personal time is off the table, here are a few quick fixes that might help:

Grounding Techniques for Runaway Anxiety

Okay. You鈥檙e having acute anxiety or a panic attack. They鈥檙e different, but they鈥檙e both at best uncomfortable and at worst, incapacitating. Even if you鈥檝e had a panic or anxiety attack in the past, suffering through it isn鈥檛 your only solution. If you鈥檝e never had one it can feel even more terrifying. Here are some grounding techniques recommended to quickly bring yourself back to a sense of sanity:

5-4-3-2-1

If you feel outside of your body, use your five senses to bring you back. is simple: Start with one sense and use it five different ways: Look at five things wherever you are (a picture, a waste bin, a doorknob, whatever catches your eye). Don鈥檛 rush it, take a moment to really register each object. Speak it out loud if that helps. Then move to another sense (the order doesn鈥檛 matter). Touch four things. Smell three things. Listen for two things. Taste one thing (this one might be best for last, since you might need to get up for a snack).

Don鈥檛 Pace

Pacing is a common instinct when anxiety, fear, or even depression get the best of us. The clinical term is 鈥減sychomotor agitation鈥� and this is one occasion to consider ignoring your instincts. Why? Because pacing is your body trying to distract you from whatever internal conflict or sensation is bothering you 鈥� it鈥檚 not a real solution. Instead, try to identify exactly what鈥檚 affecting you and either sit with it or, if you must drum your fingers or bounce your knee, or pace, do so with focus on what鈥檚 at stake and remind yourself that this, too, is surmountable.

Play a Game of Trivia

If you鈥檝e ever played Categories with friends, this is the same thing, but the solo version. Pick a category you like and know a little bit about: dog breeds, fruits, colors, sports 鈥� dealer鈥檚 choice! But keep it simple; something that makes you think but not too hard. Name as many as you can, out loud or in your head. Then, if you need to, pick another. Category, rinse, repeat.

Tell a Friend

Acute anxiety can be a very lonely feeling, and just knowing that someone else is aware of what you鈥檙e going through can be a huge help. It might also help you realize that you truly are not alone: up to , and the numbers are much higher for anxiety. What you鈥檙e going through is normal. Tell or call a friend.

Anxiety Aftercare

Once your anxiety ebbs (and it will) remind yourself that fear is a biological expression, nothing more or less. Don鈥檛 force yourself right back into the cause immediately. Take a walk, meditate, make a call, or eat a snack to put something between you and a traumatic emotional episode. Then deal with whatever鈥檚 causing you distress directly, once you鈥檙e grounded and ready.

PS: Did you know? Combatting anxiety starts with staying on top of your health. 国产主播 offers all of our active students free access to , a health coaching app to help you form and sustain healthy habits that can support you in times of stress.

Need immediate help? If you鈥檙e having thoughts of suicide or self-harm, contact the national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

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It鈥檚 natural and healthy to think ahead, get excited about the future, and make plans. But studying for a degree at any level, in any discipline, can lead to what is called 鈥渁nticipatory anxiety,鈥� or 鈥渇uture tripping.鈥� Sometimes midterms or finals can feel like the big bad wolf. A whole host of 鈥渨hat ifs鈥� invade your brain. What if I fail? What if I choke? What if I forget everything or can鈥檛 deal with the stress? Or it can be as simple as feeling like something unknown is going to happen soon.

If you feel fear of the future edging in and are wondering how to handle anticipatory anxiety, we highly recommend what we call 鈥淭he Four M鈥檚鈥�:

1 ) Movement

Get out of your head and into your body. , help you sleep, and keep your appetite even. Study can be a sedentary experience, and sometimes you must remind your head that it鈥檚 held up by your body. Your body misses you! Give it a turn. You’ll likely experience both instant and delayed gratification in the form of better sleep and reduced stress.

Not everyone is raring to do twelve sets of squats and planks, or has the upper body strength (yet!) to do ten pull-ups, or is on a competitive squash team. And many of us don鈥檛 have the time to do two hours at the gym. If it鈥檚 been a while, start slow. Even if all you do is a solo dance party with yourself once a day, or even take short walks, it can help absorb some of the stress of an overactive fear of failure or impending events.

2) Mindfulness听

Mindfulness is a term that encompasses a lot of things, and might seem vague, but the core of mindfulness is learning to stay in the present. Research has even demonstrated changes in the brain over time in those who make mindfulness a part of their self-care routine. It takes practice, but once you settle in, its rewards can decrease anticipatory anxiety and improve your mood over time.听 听 听听

What does that mean in practical terms? Start simple. The next time you鈥檙e in a conversation with someone, notice if you鈥檙e really just crafting your response instead of listening, or if fears are intruding while you try to read, and you have to go back and reread because you let worries steal you from studies. Start by just noticing it. Acknowledge the thought and show it the door. It鈥檒l try to get back in, of course, but soon you鈥檒l be able to trade anxiety about the future for listening and learning.

There are also mindfulness apps that you can download and use to help you stay present, like and .

3) Meditation

Meditation is mindfulness鈥檚 鈥渒issing cousin.鈥� It鈥檚 not just complementary to Mindfulness, it鈥檚 one of the most powerful ways to take a break from fear of the future and just breathe your way back into the moment. If you don鈥檛 have a guru on call, this is also where you can go to your app store and download popular meditation apps like and

Start small and don’t expect an overnight change, but make yourself a priority for even five minutes of meditation. Your thoughts might wander, and most meditation coaches will make a point of telling you that鈥檚 fine. Like mindfulness, meditation takes practice. Put on an app or some soothing music. Anything ambient and gentle will do. We like but a recording of anything from nature sounds to Gregorian chants can help you let your diaphragm give your busy brain a little time off to bring you back to the present and just breathe.

4) Mantras

Your internal monologue isn鈥檛 always your friend. If you have rushing thoughts about things going wrong in the future, consider exactly what it is you鈥檙e worried about. Take the future fear that鈥檚 eating at you and turn it on its head. Changing your mindset from something to fear to something to look forward to can be as simple as creating a mantra that鈥檚 its opposite. For example:

• 鈥淲hat if something bad happens?鈥� to 鈥淲hat hasn鈥檛 happened yet can鈥檛 hurt me now鈥�
• 鈥淚鈥檓 not safe鈥� to 鈥淚 am safe.鈥�
• 鈥淲hat if I fail?鈥� to 鈥淚鈥檓 going to succeed.鈥�
• 鈥淚鈥檓 not worthy鈥� to 鈥淚 deserve this.鈥�
• 鈥淚 can鈥檛 do this鈥� to 鈥淚 can do it.鈥�

Think of a mantra as turning the negative question mark in your mind into a positive period. You listen to your mind, and your mind listens back. Tell it you love it, you love yourself, and you deserve and will achieve your goals. Change the narrative. You can鈥檛 control the future, but you can control the now. Get back in it. The future can wait.

Practices like The Four M鈥檚 might seem intangible and abstract, but there鈥檚 scientific research that continues to suggest that these are powerful tools for handling anticipatory anxiety or 鈥渇uture tripping鈥�. And most of them take almost no time. Namaste.

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Sometimes you don鈥檛 have a lot of time to de-stress. You need a quick fix. There鈥檚 actually some tried science behind pressure points you can apply to yourself that can have an almost instant relaxing effect. Here are a few to keep in your pocket when you just need to chill, just a little. Some of these techniques are also thought to help with headaches, menstrual cramps, and other common things that can interfere with your work and wellbeing.

Most of these only take a few seconds. And they have all been around awhile 鈥� we didn鈥檛 invent them 鈥� but for fun, we gave them names.

1. Face It: This one鈥檚 pretty intuitive. We tend to pinch our upper nose or rub our temples to calm the mind or distract ourselves from a headache. This one鈥檚 slightly different. The pressure point you want to target is directly between your eyebrows, and you can use a thumb or finger to apply some pressure to that point. So use your digit of choice to press on that spot and close your eyes. Then create a firm circular motion for, ideally, at least five minutes.
2. Ears to Lobes: There鈥檚 some belief and evidence that stimulating your ears (gently) can calm your lobes. Not the ear lobes 鈥� the brain ones. At the top of your ear, below the ridge, a subtle pinch and circular motion may create a greater sense of calm. It makes sense: Noise is stressful, and your ears are the gatekeepers to that stress. Give them a small massage 鈥� they鈥檝e earned it.
3. The Thumb Bucket: This is that sort of batwing-shaped spot between your thumb and your pointer finger. It鈥檚 what gives us the opposable thumb! And it deserves a little massage, too. Here鈥檚 what to do: use your other hand to give that spot a pinch and hold it for a few. It might be a little uncomfortable, but it鈥檚 just for a few seconds. Breathe. Then give yourself a thumbs up.
4. Wristy Business: This one鈥檚 just a little more complicated, because it鈥檚 recommended you target a very specific part of the lower arm. Measure three fingers (not scotch, inner wrist!) and press gently between your tendons for a few seconds. There鈥檚 some theory that this can induce labor so if you鈥檙e pregnant, skip this one.

As with anything, use what works for you. Anxiety on the job is inevitable, and not everything works for everyone. But a few innocuous options are good to have in your toolkit for getting through class, or shift, or even a social situation. See you at the next Decompression Session!

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