You can "trick" your brain into relaxing by using techniques that shift its focus away from stressors and activate your body's natural parasympathetic nervous system (the "rest and digest" system).
Other relaxation techniques may include:
The 3-3-3 rule is a simple grounding technique for anxiety that brings you to the present moment by engaging your senses: 1) Name three things you can see, 2) Name three sounds you can hear, and 3) Move three parts of your body (like wiggling fingers/toes, rolling shoulders). This helps shift focus from overwhelming thoughts to your immediate environment, offering quick relief during panic or stress.
It can help to step away from something stressful for a few minutes. Or take a moment away from your normal routines and thoughts. Doing this can give you enough space and distance to feel calmer. For example, you could spend a few minutes reading a book or a magazine.
Relaxation can additionally be challenging for people whose brain's emotional systems are on overdrive from anxiety and/or depression. Other people may struggle to calm their nervous system due to the effects of past emotional trauma and anxiety. All that late night doomscrolling so many of us do is a culprit as well.
Five significant signs your brain might be in trouble include memory loss (especially recent events), difficulty with familiar tasks or language, confusion about time/place, significant personality/behavior changes, and problems with judgment, focus, or coordinating movement, often indicating conditions like dementia, brain injury, or other neurological issues, requiring a doctor's visit.
Mindful Breathing: Practice deep, mindful breathing to anchor your focus to the present moment. Breathe in slowly through your nose, hold for a moment, and exhale through your mouth. This simple technique slows down your thoughts and centers your attention.
Physical signs of stress
How to Quiet Your Mind
What is the 54321 method? The 54321 (or 5-4-3-2-1) method is a grounding exercise designed to manage acute stress and reduce anxiety. It involves identifying 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
The #1 worst habit for anxiety isn't singular, but avoidance (procrastination), poor sleep, and negative thought patterns (like catastrophizing) are top contenders, creating vicious cycles where anxiety fuels these behaviors, and the behaviors, in turn, worsen anxiety by preventing healthy coping and creating more stress. Other significant habits include excessive caffeine, poor diet, too much screen time, and social withdrawal, all disrupting the body's ability to manage stress effectively.
Teas for stress and anxiety relief
The 3-3-3 rule is a simple grounding technique that helps interrupt anxiety by engaging your senses with 3 things you see, 3 sounds you hear, and 3 things you can touch. This technique works by redirecting anxious thoughts away from future worries or past regrets and anchoring your attention in the present moment.
Activities that help you narrow your focus on a peaceful setting or sound can quickly relax your body and distract you from overthinking.
Such conditions are currently treated with cognitive and dialectical behavioral therapy, as well as medications such as benzodiazepines and buspirone. It has recently been discovered that taking high doses of vitamin B6 supplements significantly reduces feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.
Common Anxiety Triggers
The 30-Second Reset: A Pause That Changes Everything
A short pause—just 30 seconds—gives our nervous system time to calm down and gives us space to choose how we want to show up in the moment. That might mean taking a slow, conscious breath. Relax your shoulders.
Everyone finds different things relaxing, but generally, calming activities include things like meditation, deep breathing, resting, reading, and walking in natural environments.
Exercise, and make sure you are eating healthy, regular meals. Stick to a sleep routine, and make sure you are getting enough sleep. Avoid drinking excess caffeine such as soft drinks or coffee. Identify and challenge your negative and unhelpful thoughts.
Physical symptoms
Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing. Exhaustion or trouble sleeping. Headaches, dizziness or shaking. High blood pressure (hypertension).
Examples of signs and symptoms include:
6 Best Calming Drinks to Relax and Restore Your Balance
The 20-minute rule for ADHD is a productivity strategy to overcome task paralysis by committing to work on a task for just 20 minutes, leveraging the brain's need for dopamine and short bursts of focus, making it easier to start and build momentum, with the option to stop or continue after the timer goes off, and it's a variation of the Pomodoro Technique, adapted for ADHD's unique challenges like time blindness. It helps by reducing overwhelm, providing a clear starting point, and creating a dopamine-boosting win, even if you only work for that short period.
"Frequent racing thoughts may be related to anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), trauma, or other mental health issues that need exploring," says Fabrett.