Soothing Panic + Stress with Temperature

These tips are very effective for calming an oncoming panic attack, reducing anxiety, and soothing high levels of stress. Changing the temperature of our system will ground us back in the present moment when we’re starting to get swept away by overwhelming feelings. When we’re stressed, our muscular and circulatory systems kick into overdrive. We may experience our heart beating faster than normal, our hands may get cold, we may start to sweat, or we may feel ourselves flushing. Each individual is different, but when we're stressed, our muscles tense up, our breathing becomes shallow, and our whole body suffers. By introducing a temperature changes, we can soothe these responses and feel more at ease.

• Get up and leave the room. Go for a walk if possible (fresh air). 
• Sit in the sun. 
• Place a cold towel on your neck, forehead, and hands. 
• Drink some cold water. 
• Splash cold water on your face. 
• Take a warm shower (great for relaxing tense muscles). 
• Take a cold shower (great for increasing stress tolerance. I like to end a warm shower with 30 seconds to a minute of cold water).
• Use a heating pad (Amazon sells microwavable plushies that stay warm for a long time and are great for tense/sore muscles and anxiety). 
• Feel the heat from a mug of tea and enjoy drinking it mindfully. 
• Breathe slowly and deeply. Can you make your breath cooler (hint: roll your tongue into a taco or stick out your tongue and inhale, bringing air through / over the tongue)? Can you make your breath warmer (hint: open your mouth wide and exhale from the back of your mouth)?

Deepen Your Understanding: We calm our mind by fully engaging our sensory experiences in the present moment. Mindfully consuming tea gives us plenty of rich sensations to observe. We can focus on the aroma, taste, warmth, and healing properties of the beverage we're consuming, keeping our attention present and out of our busy mind.

Drinking Tea Mindfully

Smiling to Reduce Stress

Our mind and body have a deep connection. When our mind is stressed, our body becomes tense and tight; and when we’re happy, our body becomes light and energized. We can influence our mind through the body, and our body through the mind. If we make our body more relaxed, our mind will follow. There are many ways to release tension, but my favorite way is to smile. When we’re challenged by difficult feelings or a stressful situation, we can soften our face and smile to soothe our emotions. Studies show that smiling during brief periods of stress can reduce the body’s stress response and keep our blood pressure low. Smiling sparks a chemical reaction in the brain that releases dopamine and serotonin, hormones associated with increasing happiness and reducing depression. Our brain also releases endorphins when we smile that act as mild pain killers, so even if we don’t feel happy in the moment, smiling can bring us both mental and physical relief. When we smile we’re communicating to our mind that we’re okay. We can enjoy the act of smiling to reduce stress, calm our nerves, and gladden our mood. 

What makes you smile?
​It can be helpful to make a list of things that make us smile, so we can familiarize ourselves with inspiration we may not think of otherwise.

Big List of Fun Activities

10 Mantras for Coping with Stress

In times of disorder or discomfort, if we can offer positivity, love, and kindness to a situation instead of dwelling in criticism, judgment, or other negative feelings, we can navigate difficult times with more ease. Here are ten mantras I like to use whenever I feel overwhelmed or stressed:

I am aware I am breathing in. I am aware I am breathing out.
​Breathing in. Breathing out. 
In. Out. Deep. Slow. Calm. Ease.

All is well. 

Be here now. 

Relax. Release. Ease. 

My freedom lies in my ability to kindly and lovingly say "no."

​I am grateful for __________.
I appreciate ___________ with my whole heart.
​
​I can touch joy anytime I allow myself to focus on all that I'm grateful for.. 

Peace is now. I can touch the peace available in this moment by breathing in and breathing out. 

I offer love to this situation. I love. I am love. 

I deserve to live peacefully, happy, and free.