How To Stop Feeling Anxious For No Reason ∣ 10 Tips

Disclaimer: This blog does not replace the need for depressed and anxious patients to consult with their doctor. People, their situations, and needs vary. Medication and even admission are considerations for some patients.

I suffer from anxiety. I have my whole life, and often, for no reason. It is horrible and incapacitating.

The ten tips for how to stop feeling anxious for no reason are not quick fixes; changes must form part of mental health maintenance.

They help to dampen the physical symptoms of anxiety.

First, read about why you should prioritize seeing a psychologist. Learn about anxiety and why the tools work.

See a psychologist if possible

Often, there is a reason for the anxiety that is not obvious to you and needs to be addressed.

Psychotherapy is the foundation of mental health treatment. A concerning challenge that limits its access is the vicious cycle of finances, depression, and anxiety. Patients can’t justify the time or money for psychology appointments.

As a result, doctors tend to throw drugs at the problem. These treatments block the brain’s warning system and prevent it from inappropriately triggering.

“Medication is a band-aid in a crisis situation. Without the strong sutures of psychotherapy, mental wounds reopen once the plaster is removed.”

Speak to your doctor about possibly accessing psychology sessions through your health insurance. It can often be motivated for and authorized.

This post focuses on changes you can make in your environment and routine to lower panic and lift your mood.

Also read: How To Calm Anxiety At Home ∣ 6 Mind Shift Methods

These are the ten easy tools listed below; some may overlap. I will discuss each one in detail later.

1. Move
2. Stretch
3. Breath
4. Get into nature
5. Grow something
6. Avoid isolation
7. Get a pet
8. Be creative
9. Seek silence
10. Be body-aware and mindful

You do not need to do everything on the list, so don’t let it overwhelm you. 

Find one or two enjoyable interventions that fit into your routine. One activity may even cover several list suggestions.

• Go for a walk on the beach or in a park with your dog. This checks ✔move, ✔ nature, and ✔ companionship.
• Ten minutes of meditation. This checks ✔ mindfulness, ✔ silence, and ✔ breathe.
• A yoga class. This checks ✔ stretch, ✔ move, and ✔ breathe.

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Learn about what anxiety is

Let’s have a speedy lesson in anxiety. This will help you to understand why these ten approaches help.

“Anxiety is your body’s attempt to rescue you from danger.”

Imagined threats trigger a primitive and involuntary false alarm, the sympathetic nervous system. This emergency system goes into overdrive. It sends you into a fright-and-flight response:

• A racing heartbeat
• Twitchy muscles or tremors
• Fast breathing
• Sweating and flushing
• A need to escape
• A feeling that you might die

A panic attack is an extreme of this anxious reaction.

The tools in this post do not replace cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) discussed in this video.

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Why the techniques work

Learn to live slower.

AM, my psychologist

AM explained that when we rush about our daily routines, we keep trigger points high, and the anxiety alarm is more easily activated. We need to learn to live slower. Tame the adrenaline.

The goal of self-treatment, via environment and routine changes, is to

• disconnect the sympathetic crisis wiring
• plug in the safe parasympathetic response.

AM introduced me to the Feel Better, Live More podcast series. I refer to it in the move and breathe sections.

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The 10 tips on how to stop feeling anxious for no reason

1. Move

Movement is medicine, according to Darryl Edwards.

Exercise doesn’t need to be hard, like life. Most people join gyms and start intense exercise programs that feel like punishment. In this podcast, Dr Rangan Chatterjee chats with Darryl.  They discuss finding enjoyment and joy in movement. 

Movement improves all aspects of health. Mood and stress levels are more controlled.

Movement also tricks your brain into thinking that you are escaping from the anxiety-causing imagined threat.

Do something you find fun:

• Join a dance class, or listen to music and dance while cleaning the house.
• Walk around the block and listen to music, podcasts, or audiobooks.
• Do family workouts while cooking.
• Play games in the backyard: Twister or swingball.
• Work in the garden.

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2. Stretch

Stretching stimulates the calming parasympathetic system.

The intensity of the stretch does not matter. ³

It costs nothing and reduces panic within minutes.

Try one of the following:

• Simple, slow, passive stretches of each finger reduce panic in minutes. This is another AM suggestion gem that has saved me many times.
• Interlock your fingers, twist your arms outwards into a stretch, and push your shoulders back.
• Yoga is another accessible option. There are hundreds of classes available online. I have included my partner J and my favorite, which is easy for beginners. 

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3. Breathe

Controlled, slow exhalations activate the calming parasympathetic nervous system.

Dr Andrew Weil talks about the 4-7-8 breath in the Feel Better, Live More podcast.

• Breathe in quietly through your nose to a count of four.
• Hold your breath for a count of seven.
• Blow air forcibly out your mouth for a count of eight.
• Repeat this for four cycles.

Use it in a crisis:

• This strategy is simple, accessible, and free. It slows heart rate within minutes and will not draw attention.

Use it as a long-term treatment:

• Repeat this powerful tool twice a day. It will reprogram your involuntary nervous system after 4 to 8 weeks.

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4. Get out into nature

Studies prove that getting into nature reduces stress hormones, reduces anxiety, and improves mental health. ^3,4

Nature includes green zones with plants and blue outdoor water spaces.

For most people living in cities, green environments are more accessible.

Examples of green zones are

• Parks
• Botanical gardens
• Forests
• Nature reserves
• Local plant nurseries

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5. Grow something

Contact with soil bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae is thought to help regulate immunity and make people feel good. ⁵

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6. Avoid isolation

In their nature study, Coventry et al. found that community or group activities resulted in better mental health results. ⁴

In other words, it is important to interact with other humans. 

Join walking, hiking, or crafting groups. Meet like-minded people and make friends. 

According to Bessel van der Kolk, feeling safe with others is the most important aspect of mental health. He explains that this doesn’t just mean being in the presence of others; it needs to be a situation where love and friendship flow both ways. ¹

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7. Get a pet

For some anxious and depressed patients, the thought of being in a group triggers a panic spiral. They find no comfort among humans. ¹

Dogs, in particular, help fill this companionship void. They need care, provide unconditional love, and give affection. 

“I have always had dogs in my life. They are good therapy.”

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8. Be creative

… they suffer from a failure of imagination, a loss of mental flexibility. Without imagination, there is no hope, no chance to envision a better future, no place to go, no goal to reach. ¹

Bessel van der Kolk 

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9. Seek Silence

Worst of all, noise disrupts sleep, which further affects mental health. 

According to Basner, if you are changing your behavior because of a noise, it is too loud.

Seek out quiet environments.

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10. Be body-aware and mindful

Tying it all together.

Body awareness and mindfulness are similar concepts. ¹

Also read: Mindfulness is discussed in How To Calm Anxiety At Home ∣ 6 Mind Shift Methods

Focus on your body’s physical sensations and feelings. Note how they change and disappear with environmental changes, movement, and breathing. ¹

Realizing that these symptoms of anxiety are temporary, empowers you. ¹

You are in control.

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Our bodies and long-term behaviors also hold clues to our pasts.

References

1. Van Der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score.
2. Imagawa, N., Mizuno, Y., Nakata, I., Komoto, N., Sakebayashi, H., Shigetoh, H., Kodama, T., & Miyazaki, J. (2022). The Impact of Stretching Intensities on Neural and Autonomic Responses: Implications for Relaxation. Sensors, 23(15), 6890. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23156890
3. Olafsdottir, G., Cloke, P., Schulz, A., van Dyck, Z., Eysteinsson, T., Thorleifsdottir, B., & Vögele, C. (2020). Health Benefits of Walking in Nature: A Randomized Controlled Study Under Conditions of Real-Life Stress. Environment and Behavior, 52(3), 248-274. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916518800798
4. Coventry, P. A., Brown, J., Pervin, J., Brabyn, S., Pateman, R., Breedvelt, J., Gilbody, S., Stancliffe, R., McEachan, R., & White, P. (2021). Nature-based outdoor activities for mental and physical health: Systematic review and meta-analysis. SSM – Population Health, 16, 100934. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100934
5. Foxx, C. L., Heinze, J. D., González, A., Vargas, F., Baratta, M. V., Elsayed, A. I., Stewart, J. R., Loupy, K. M., Arnold, M. R., Flux, M. C., Sago, S. A., Siebler, P. H., Milton, L. N., Lieb, M. W., Hassell, J. E., Smith, D. G., Lee, K. A. K., Appiah, S. A., Schaefer, E. J., Panitchpakdi, M., … Lowry, C. A. (2021). Effects of Immunization With the Soil-Derived Bacterium Mycobacterium vaccae on Stress Coping Behaviors and Cognitive Performance in a “Two Hit” Stressor Model. Frontiers in physiology, 11, 524833. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2020.524833