9 Mindfulness Exercises for Anxiety

Mindfulness exercises are coping tools you can use to relieve the symptoms of anxiety and learn how to observe your anxious thoughts without getting caught up in them. They train your mind to focus on being fully present in the here and now instead of ruminating about the past or being anxious about the future.

They also help you accept your thoughts, sensations, and feelings, without judging them as good or bad, or trying to resist or suppress them. The goal is to help you build emotional resilience and develop a more neutral, detached perspective that keeps you from reacting to triggers in an impulsive way.

The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness. – Abraham Maslow

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Benefits of Mindfulness Exercises for Anxiety

Mindfulness exercises are an evidence-based treatment option that can, in many cases, be just as effective as medication in treating adults with anxiety disorders. They help reduce anxiety by detaching you from your anxious thoughts, shifting your focus to what is happening around you right now and what you are sensing and feeling in the present moment, as opposed to worrying about something that happened in the past or that might happen in the future.

Practiced regularly and consistently until they become second nature, mindfulness exercises can help you become more resilient, less emotionally reactive to anxiety-provoking triggers, and able to respond to them calmly and purposefully rather than impulsively.

How Mindfulness Exercises for Anxiety Affect Your Brain

Studies indicate that engaging in daily mindfulness exercises can literally change your brain, due to its neuroplasticity, which is the ability to reorganize neural connections and grow new neurons in response to repeated experiences.

Mindfulness exercises done regularly and consistently train the brain to become more adaptable and resilient and enhance cognitive function and emotional stability by thickening the gray matter in the cortical regions responsible for learning, memory, and emotional regulation, while at the same time decreasing the volume of the amygdala, which is the area associated with stress, fear, and anxiety.

Examples of Mindfulness Exercises

Changing the way you react to your thoughts is not something that comes easily. It is something you have to practice repeatedly until it becomes second nature. The following are some popular mindfulness exercises you can experiment with to see which ones work best for you and are most sustainable in your day-to-day life. Consistency is the key to lasting results.

Mindful pause The mindful pause involves creating a space between a trigger and your response to it by intentionally pausing for a few moments when you feel anxiety rise. Remind yourself that your thoughts are just thoughts – not necessarily reality – and use the pause to look at them from a more objective perspective rather than automatically reacting impulsively.

Witness state Witness state is similar to the mindful pause. It involves intentionally stepping back before reacting, acknowledging your thoughts as just thoughts that may or may not be true. Take a few slow, deep breaths, and interrupt the flow of anxiety by questioning how likely it would be for what you are anxious about to actually happen.

Is it speculation, or is it true? Are you exaggerating, projecting, or jumping to conclusions? Looking at your thoughts from a witness perspective can help you gain perspective and clarity, and help de-escalate the anxiety.

Mindful breathing When you are feeling anxious, your breathing tends to become rapid and shallow, which can cause you to hyperventilate and make your symptoms feel overwhelming.

Mindful breathing exercises involve taking slow, deep breaths in a controlled way that helps activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is the part of your nervous system that slows your heart rate, relaxes your muscles, and helps calm your body and mind.

The following are a few examples:

Box breathing Sit upright in a comfortable chair and visualize a box to guide your breath. Inhale through your nose for a slow count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale through your mouth for a count of 4, and hold for a count of 4. Repeat.

Triangle breathing Triangle breathing is similar to box breathing, except it has a different rhythm. Instead of four parts to each breath, it consists of only three. Visualize a triangle as you inhale through your nose for a count of 4, hold for 4, and exhale for 4. Repeat.

Belly breathing Belly breathing can be done sitting or lying down. Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen. Breathe in deeply through your nose to a slow count of 4, feeling your belly rise, while your chest stays still; hold for a count of 4; then slowly breathe out through your mouth for a count of 6, feeling your belly go down as you exhale. Repeat.

Five-senses grounding technique The five-senses grounding technique, also known as 5-4-3-2-1, helps you anchor yourself in the present moment by using your five senses to tune in to what’s happening around you and focus on something concrete. It involves naming 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.

3-3-3 exercise for anxiety The 3-3-3 exercise is a simpler version of the five-senses grounding technique. It has the same goal of redirecting your focus to the present moment and what is happening right now. It involves naming three things you can see, three sounds you can hear, and moving any three parts of your body.

FLARE for anxiety FLARE for anxiety is a structured mindfulness technique that helps you cope with your anxious feelings by recognizing them and accepting them rather than trying to avoid them. The acronym breaks down as follows:

F – notice the physical sensations in your body that are associated with your anxious feelings, such as your heart rate and the way you are breathing.

L – give the sensations a label by naming what you are feeling (e.g., anxiety or fear).

A – accept the feeling without judging it or trying to fight it.

R – respond by focusing on your breathing and taking slow, deep breaths.

E – expand your awareness to your surroundings and think of things you are thankful for.

Body scan The body scan involves sequentially focusing your attention on different parts of your body to become more in tune with your physical sensations. It can be done sitting or lying down, and you can either work your way up from your feet to your head, or down from your head to your feet.

As you center your attention on each part, notice what it feels like and if there is any tension, tightness, or discomfort. If there is, breathe into it and imagine it melting away as you exhale.

Progressive muscle relaxation Progressive muscle relaxation involves systematically tensing and relaxing different muscle groups in your body, starting with your toes and gradually moving up to your face and neck. It can be done sitting or lying down. Tense each muscle group for a count of 5 while inhaling, and then release the tension as you exhale. End with a few moments of slow, relaxed breathing.

Connecting with God God is always with us and at work, even in the smallest details of our lives. As you practice the above mindfulness exercises, remind yourself of His presence with you and thank Him for being amid you’re here-and-now experiences.

When doing the body scan, for instance, thank Him for each part of your body and for the way He has intricately designed every detail of it. Or when you are doing the breathing exercises, thank God for each breath and repeat a short phrase in your mind based on a comforting Bible verse. For example, “my rock” as you breathe in, and “my fortress” as you breathe out (Psalm 18:2).

If you need more help than this article on mindfulness exercises for anxiety could provide, and would like to set up a risk-free appointment to meet with one of the faith-based counselors at our location, please give us a call today.