5-Minute Tools for Relief from Anxiety and Stress
In today’s busy world, it can be easy for stress and overwhelm to build up throughout the day. Whether it’s from work pressures, family strain or personal challenges, stress and anxiety can take a toll on the nervous system, leaving us feeling exhausted and even burnt out.
In my sessions with counselling and meditation clients, we sometimes focus on building in quick tools that can support you to access relief from stress and anxiety within your everyday life. Because it doesn’t need to take hours of meditation in order to feel the benefit of these techniques. You can experience support with stress in just a few short minutes.
That’s why I’ve created the ‘Practise with me - for anxiety and stress relief’ Playlist on Youtube.
This is a series of videos with simple and effective practices for kids and adults alike. Each is designed to support you to manage stress and anxiety in everyday life, and they are Tools you can practise at home, work or school and that take only a few minutes each.
In this post, we’ll be exploring some of these tools and how you can use them throughout your day to manage stress and anxiety, by tuning in to present moment awareness, step back from your thoughts, and ground in your sensory experience. Each of these techniques requires only 2-5 minutes out of your day.
How to relieve stress and anxiety
3 quick tools that you can practise at any point throughout your day.
1. The 3 3 3 Rule
This simple and effective practice can be a helpful circuit breaker for stressful times. Using these three senses of Sight, Sound and Touch, you will attune to your sensory experience as a way to be in the present moment.
Practise this regularly to take time out of the fight/flight response - as it becomes more familiar to you, it will be more available in times of high stress or panic.
How to practise the 3 3 3 Rule
1. Notice 3 things you can see:
Start by casting your gaze to register 3 things you can see. Look around and rest your gaze on one thing - an object - and really see it, name it, then move to another object in your field of vision and find something different - see it, and name what that object is. Then one more…notice it, name it.
2. Notice 3 things you can hear:
Tune into your soundscape and listen to name the sounds you can hear. Then tune in a little more and name another sound you can hear, and then one more sound…
3. Notice 3 body parts you can move:
You might move your fingers, look to them to see them, and really move them.
You could move your feet - wriggle your toes or stamp your feet (this is especially great for grounding), then
Perhaps you notice your neck or your head, or your chest or your belly breathing as you breathe in and breathe out.
4. Notice how you feel after the 333 practice.
Watch this practice on YouTube here.
2. 5 Finger Breathing
For kids and adults alike, this tactile practice supports an equal length inhalation and exhalation, and is a great way to calm your nervous system. It works by regulating your breath and anchoring you in the present moment through bringing awareness to 1. tactile sensation and 2. the breath in and out.
With regular practise, this can help to give you time out from the fight/flight response (sympathetic nervous system), and give your body some time in the rest and digest response (parasympathetic nervous system).
How to practise 5 Finger Breathing
Open up one hand, then using the index finger of the other hand, trace along the thumb of your open hand
As you trace along your thumb, breathe in
Notice the sensation of touch as you trace along the outside of your thumb
Then, breathe out as you trace down the other side of your thumb
Then, trace along one side of your index finger, and breathe in
Trace along the other side as you breathe out
Repeat this pattern across each finger, breathing in as you trace upwards, and breathing out as you trace down the other side of your finger
You can also trace the movement of your hand with your gaze
Check in with how you feel and if you want to continue, you can trace back the other way, continuing the pattern of breathing in and out as you trace each side of each finger.
To expand this practice:
Try breathing into your belly, feeling it expand and contract with your breath
Feel the sensation of touch on your fingers
Trace your moving hand with your gaze.
Notice how you feel at the end.
Watch this practice on Youtube here.
3. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)
PMR (Progressive Muscle Relaxation) is a great practice to release physical and nervous tension in the body. This is an abridged version of the practice (there are many recordings online of longer practices that move through the whole body).
PMR is known to have positive impacts for individuals who are experiencing difficulty in relaxing to go to sleep, or falling asleep, or getting back to sleep. If this is you, do try this practice in its longer format. If you are having sleep difficulties, please feel free to get in touch. I work with clients to improve a variety of their life experiences, including sleep - with good results from our work together.
How to practise a short abridged PMR variation
Start by forming fists with your hands, enough that you can feel some tension
Breathe in and hold your breath for a moment
Then, breathe out and allow your hands to slowly uncurl
Notice the feeling of the muscles releasing from the contracted state
Repeat a few times
Wriggle your fingers gently.
Look at your hands and notice them - notice where they are and how they feel. Sometimes after this practice, your hands will feel more relaxed than they were before.
Move to your feet - scrunch your feet as you breathe in.
Breathe out and let your feet relax and uncurl.
Finish with the shoulders - gently bunching your shoulders up if that feels comfortable for you. Breathe in
Breathe out and slowly let your shoulders drop back down
Repeat a few times
Notice if they feel lower and more relaxed than before.
Watch this practice on Youtube here.
If you’ve found these practices helpful, you can find the full ‘Practise with me - for anxiety and stress relief’ Playlist on Youtube. Access the Series here.
To work 1:1 with Nicky Angelone, for an individualised approach to understanding and managing anxiety, stress, overwhelm, or burnout, visit www.flourishmindfully.com.au
Sessions are online via Zoom or in person in Dingley Village, Melbourne, Australia. Nicky is a registered Counsellor & Psychotherapist, and Yoga & Meditation Teacher.