Exercises To Calm Your Anxious Thoughts
If you struggle with racing thoughts, constant worry, or the feeling that your mind won’t turn off, you’re not alone. Anxiety is one of the most common reasons women seek therapy—and when it’s left unchecked, it can interfere with sleep, relationships, work, and your ability to feel at peace in your own skin.
The good news? There are simple, effective exercises you can use to calm anxious thoughts and bring your body and mind back into balance.
As a therapist in California who specializes in anxiety, perfectionism, and people-pleasing, I teach my clients practical tools they can use every day to quiet their minds and restore a sense of ease. Here are a few of my favorite exercises to calm anxiety.
1. Grounding Through the 5-4-3-2-1 Method
When anxiety spirals, your mind is in the future, worrying about what might happen. Grounding techniques help bring you back into the present moment.
Try this:
Notice 5 things you can see
Notice 4 things you can feel
Notice 3 things you can hear
Notice 2 things you can smell
Notice 1 thing you can taste
By anchoring your senses, you interrupt anxious thought loops and remind your brain: I am safe right now.
2. Box Breathing for a Calmer Nervous System
Anxiety often shows up as shallow, fast breathing, which signals to your nervous system that something is wrong. Deep, structured breathing tells your body it’s safe to relax.
Box Breathing Practice:
Inhale for 4 counts
Hold for 4 counts
Exhale for 4 counts
Hold for 4 counts
Repeat 4–5 rounds
This exercise lowers stress hormones, slows down racing thoughts, and helps you feel grounded.
3. Journaling to Release Mental Loops
When your thoughts won’t stop circling, writing them down can help you process and release them.
Try this prompt: “What’s on my mind right now?” Write continuously for 5 minutes without censoring yourself. When you’re done, notice if your body feels lighter. Journaling doesn’t erase anxiety, but it creates space between you and your thoughts.
4. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Anxiety doesn’t just live in your mind—it lives in your body. Progressive muscle relaxation helps release tension stored in your muscles, which sends calming signals to your brain.
Here’s how:
Starting with your feet, gently tense each muscle group for 5 seconds
Release and notice the difference between tension and relaxation
Move up through calves, thighs, abdomen, arms, shoulders, and face
This practice helps you become more aware of where anxiety lives in your body—and teaches your system how to let go.
5. Reframing Anxious Thoughts
Anxiety thrives on catastrophic thinking: “If I make a mistake, everything will fall apart.” Reframing helps you challenge these thoughts and replace them with more balanced ones.
Example:
Anxious thought: “If I don’t do this perfectly, people will think I’m a failure.”
Reframe: “It’s okay to make mistakes. Doing my best is enough, and I can learn as I go.”
This is one of the core skills I work on with clients in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)—and it’s proven to reduce anxiety over time.
Final Thoughts
Calming anxious thoughts isn’t about forcing your mind to “just relax.” It’s about giving your body and brain the tools to regulate, release, and re-center. These exercises can help you feel calmer in the moment—and with therapy, you can build lasting skills to manage anxiety long-term.
If anxiety is interfering with your life, therapy can help. I specialize in working with women in California who are ready to break free from overthinking, perfectionism, and people-pleasing so they can live with more confidence and ease.
Book a free consultation today and start learning how to calm anxious thoughts and create more peace in your daily life.