Stress Reliever and Techniques
Strategies for Calming and Coping with Anxiety
Practice deep, slow breathing (3 or more times)
Imagine your favorite place
Grounding 5,4,3,2,1: Name 5 things you see, 4 things you hear, 3 things you feel…
Think of/name 5-10 of your favorite things/people/places
Say the alphabet slowly. Picture each letter in your mind. Give each letter a color.
Remember the words to a song you love
Run water over your hands
Get a drink of water
Count backwards slowly from 20
Use positive self-talk
Take a shower or enjoy a warm bath
Tense your muscles, then release them
Write in a journal
Draw or color
Write down what’s bothering you, then tear it up and throw it away
Make a worry box
Rub a smooth stone
Do some yoga, stretch
Squeeze a stress ball
Shred paper
Shuffle cards
Take a walk
Wrap up in a soft or weighted blanket
Sip a drink though a straw
Pop bubble wrap
Sit in a bean bag
Turn upside down
Create a playlist
Talk with someone you trust
Write poetry, a song, a story
Get outside. Feel the sun on your face.
Dance
Swing on a swing
Jump rope, ride a bike, go swimming
Read
Jump on a trampoline
Decrease screen time, texting, social media
Start a garden
Do a craft
Clean
Bake or cook
Make playdough or work with clay
Crossword/Sudoku puzzles
Start a gratitude journal
Listen to a free calming app (Smiling Mind, Calm, Headspace, Relax Melodies, Dreamy Kid)
Chew gum or eat a crunchy snack (like celery or carrots)
Blow some bubbles
Stack rocks, blocks or other objects
Draw with sidewalk chalk