7 Best Relaxation Techniques for Anxiety

Do you often find yourself feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Here are some more top ways to deal with anxiety before it gets the best of you. (This post is a continuation of Part 1, which can be found here.)

3. Elevator Breathing

Since anxiety increases your rate of breathing, another way to trick your mind into thinking that you are relaxing is to intentionally slow your breathing rate down. Any technique that helps you focus on breathing in slowly—in pulses, or drawn out over four to five seconds—while extending the belly to allow the diaphragm to work its magic is useful. Follow the long, deep inhale with an extended exhale. You can make the breathy sound “chhhhhh” as the air leaves your body to help you really make sure you are thinking about your breathing.

With children, this relaxation technique is often taught using a visualization of the breathing technique called “elevator breathing” and has been shown to successfully promote a subjective feeling of relaxation (Larson, El Ramahi, Conn, Estes, and Ghibellini, 2020). You can use it too if it helps you make each breath longer in duration and the sole object of your focus. An article by the Israel Psychotrauma Center (2020) provides excellent instruction for how to walk yourself or a loved one through elevator breathing:

“Your breath is an elevator taking a ride through your body.”

“Breathe in through your nose and start the elevator ride.”

“Breathe out and feel your breath go all the way to the basement, down to your toes.”

“Breathe in and take your elevator breath up to your belly.”

“Hold it. Now, breathe out all your air." (Pause...)

(…Repeat.)

4. Aerobic Exercise

The connection between physical exertion and stress reduction has been well-established. Activities such as swimming, weightlifting, running, organized classes at a local gym, yoga, and sexual activity can improve physiological symptoms, such as cortisol levels (Wunsch, Wurst, von Dawans, Strahler, Kasten & Fuchs, 2017), and even help us create “positive appraisals of perceived circumstances” (Olafsdottir, Cloke & Vögele, 2017).

I’m not sure if you’re like me, but I often have a hard time motivating myself to actually do the exercise that I know I should incorporate into my life. My day will often go like this:

8 a.m.: Wake up. Resolve to do something today. “Even if you just go for a walk or do some pushups and squats. Gotta do something!”

10 a.m.: A gap in my day appears. “Exercise? Maybe after I put away these dishes … Maybe after I check in with the kids…”

Noon: Time for lunch. Can’t exercise just yet now. I’ll get a cramp. Gotta let the food digest.

1 p.m.: “I’m tired. I’ll get to it later.”

8 p.m.: “Forgot to exercise … Definitely going to tomorrow.”

What’s strange to me is that any time I actually get out the door and do the exercise, I’m always glad I did. Afterward, I feel good in my body, and my mood is often lifted. I can’t figure out why the positive reinforcement I get from exercise doesn’t lead to a desire to exercise. Most likely, the aftereffects are not strong enough to overcome the in-the-moment sensation of it being hard.

What I can tell you is that if you can make it a habit to do something physical when you’re stressed, you’ll give your body a chance to release some tension, and your mind a break from the rehearsal of worst-case scenarios that are causing you to maintain your anxiety. And you’ll be able to go up steps without being out of breath! That has to be a good thing, right?

5. Massage

Numerous studies (e.g., Kim, Kim, and Ko, 2016; Listing, Krohn, Liezmann, Kim, Reisshauer, Peters, Klapp, & Rauchfuss, 2010) suggest that receiving a massage can decrease perceptions of stress and improve mood. This could be because your body is interpreting the release of tension in the muscles as an actual alleviation of the source of stress and/or because your brain is being given a break from perseverating on that stress.

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Who doesn’t enjoy a massage? If you have a loved one who can give you the massage, ask them to help you out. You’ll get the added benefit of closeness with the giver.

If you don’t have anyone who would be an appropriate masseur, find a massage parlor or physical therapy office nearby and treat yourself to some time with an expert. It doesn’t seem like it matters too much which body part is getting the massage. Just the chance to feel the pleasant sensations of rubbing can do the trick. Have you ever gotten your feet rubbed? Heaven! How about your scalp or your shoulders? If you’re looking for an excuse to get a massage, here it is.

In Part 3 of 3, I will discuss the remaining two techniques and then summarize the common themes that the seven techniques all have, which make them such powerful methods for addressing the stressful feelings in your life. As always, if you need some support with your anxiety, please reach out.

To find a therapist, please visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.