I Need to Calm Down — A 10-Minute Anxiety Reset for Panic & Overthinking

If you've just thought the words, I need to calm down. Stop. Don't do anything else yet. Just stay right here for a second with me.

Your heart might be racing. Your chest may feel tight. Your mind might be moving too fast to catch. I know.

I know how loud that feels. So let's just breathe together for the next 10 minutes. This is calming anxiety and I'm marting. And if you need this being again, anchored instant calm session is there anytime no waiting.

For now though, let's stay right here. Let's try something simple, a gentle breath in and a slightly longer breath out. Nothing complicated, nothing to count perfectly. Just let the out breath run a little longer than the in breath.

The longer exhale is one of the simplest ways of giving your body permission to ease down, even slightly. To breathe in gently and out a little longer than feels natural.

Again, breathe in gently and out longer slower.

One more, breathe in and out. Let it go almost as if blowing a candle out softly through per se lips. Good. However that felt, that's enough.

Here's something worth knowing. Your body has an alarm system and right now it might be going off loudly. The racing heart, the tight chest, that rush of adrenaline, the feeling of panic itself.

An alarm can be very loud, but an alarm isn't proof that there's a fire. It's a signal, not a verdict. Now if this is a new feeling for you or something feels different this time, do you get it checked by a doctor? This practice is for the anxiety you already recognise, not a replacement for medical care.

But if this is the familiar, if this is your known alarm, then here's what tends to happen.

You feel the sensation. Your mind notices it. Your mind decides it's dangerous, that fear creates more sensation and around it goes.

As a hypnotherapist, I've sat with a great many people caught in exactly that loop and the way out is really fighting harder. It's usually something much softer. You don't have to solve this sensation. You don't have to prove it isn't dangerous.

You can simply notice it without adding another layer of fear on top. Notice where you are right now. The surface beneath you, the air around you. The sounds nearby if there are any.

You are here. You're not in danger, just uncomfortable. Those aren't the same things. Let's keep your mind a few things to hold on to.

And with every out breath, maybe imagine a hand on your shoulder, just a gentle squeeze with every out breath. To say, I'm with you, we've got this. So relax, imagine these words in your thoughts with every out breath. Repeat them softly within the sanctuary of your consciousness.

I can feel this without fighting it. My body is allowed to settle at its own pace.

A sensation is not a prediction. I do not have to solve this moment. I can breathe and stay here. I can let this wave pass.

Let those words now sit quietly, however true they feel right now. In the next time round, I wonder if you could imagine the echo of these words, the shadow of each letter, drifting further down to find their place within your soul.

However you imagine it is perfect just for you. To relax, unwind, imagine and repeat. I can feel this without fighting it. My body is allowed to settle at its own pace.

A sensation is not a prediction. I do not have to solve this moment. I can breathe and stay here. I can let this wave pass.

Now simply focus on the rhythm, the sensations of the rise and form of each and every breath, an intimate connection of mind, body and soul. Relax now, deeper and deeper and deeper because simply put, you are worthy and carry this sense of calm with you. Not only through today, but the days, weeks and months ahead. Here are your three daily caring tips.

One, notice the first sign of anxiety rather than waiting until it is overwhelming. Two, when it arrives, lengthen your out breath rather than trying to take one enormous breath.

Three, try not to investigate every sensation straight away. If it is a moment before deciding what it means, you don't have to go from panic to perfectly calm. Nobody does that in ten minutes. You just need it somewhere to begin.

I need to calm down and I don't have the force it. You just need it to stop for a moment and breathe. Now bring your awareness back within the space around you. Wiggle your fingers and your toes.

Breathe in, hold at the top, then as you exhale, roll the shoulders then stretch out the arms and when you are ready, open your eyes. If this feeling comes back, anchored will be there. There's the big blue button on the main page, instant calm. It works without signal on the free version and the premium as often as you need it.

I'm always there in your pocket. Come back tomorrow my friend. Let's reconnect again. I'll be right here with you.

Have a beautiful day. Treat yourself softly. No, whenever you can and then in everything, be kind.