208 — Coping With Anxiety: An Anxiety Toolkit for Fast Relief
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May 2, 2025
Discover quick relief strategies for anxiety that can be applied instantly! Learn how overcoming avoidance can break the anxiety cycle, while a unique breathing trick called "smell the pizza" calms your nerves. Uncover the surprising benefits of ice water on your nervous system and create a reverse worry list to reframe anxiety into excitement. Plus, find out how scheduling worry time can help manage your day. Build your own mental strength toolbox to tackle anxiety effectively!
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insights INSIGHT
Anxiety as a Faulty Alarm System
Anxiety feels like an alarm system meant to keep you safe but is often faulty in modern contexts.
Today's threats differ greatly from ancient dangers, causing the anxiety response to misfire frequently.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Change Your Mental Channel
Change the channel in your brain by shifting focus to a task or activity.
Activities like reading aloud or solving puzzles interrupt anxious rumination effectively.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Instant Calm With Pizza Breaths
Use "smell the pizza" breathing: inhale deeply through your nose, then slowly exhale through your mouth like cooling pizza.
This quick trick calms the fight-or-flight response instantly and is easy to remember.
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When anxiety creeps in slowly (or skyrockets suddenly), you're going to want fast relief. With the right tools, you can calm yourself down right away.
Anxiety is one of the most common mental health challenges, but often the advice given for managing it is long-term lifestyle changes that feel out of reach when you're in a state of panic.
As a therapist, however, I often teach people fast-acting tools for coping with anxiety. Some of the things I share in this episode are:
Why overcoming avoidance is key to breaking the anxiety cycle and regaining control of your life.
How to "change the channel" on your anxious brain to interrupt racing thoughts and ruminating.
A simple breathing trick called “smell the pizza” that calms your fight-or-flight response instantly.
The surprising power of ice water and the mammalian reflex to reset your nervous system.
How creating a reverse worry list can trick your brain into reframing anxiety into excitement.
Why scheduling time to worry so you put your anxiety in its place and stop it from hijacking your day.
How to build a mental strength toolbox that will help you start coping with anxiety effectively today.
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Mentally Stronger with Therapist Amy Morin 