A perfect 10? British clinical psychologist Kirren Schnack is sharing 10 simple ways to quickly reduce tension and anxiety.
Schnack wrote the book “Ten Times Calmer: Beat Anxiety and Change Your Life,” which came out in January.
In a June TikTok, she recommended holding yourself tightly, singing, humming or chanting, counting backward from 100, massaging near your jaw, performing three sets of exercises, breathing deeply, splashing cold water on your face, repeating a calming phrase, relaxing each muscle group and visualizing yourself in a calm place.
Hold yourself tightly
“Wrap your arms around yourself and squeeze gently but firmly for one minute,” Schnack suggested.
Sing, hum or chant
“Sing, hum or chant for a few minutes,” Schnack said. “You can do this along to some music as well.”
A 2023 study found humming to be a top-tier stress buster because it produces vibrations that stimulate the vagus nerve, which is key to regulating mood. Nerve activation triggers the parasympathetic nervous system, which moves the body out of “fight or flight” mode.
Count backward
“Slowly count backward from 100 to one or even 150,” Schnack advised.
Counting allows you to focus on your breath and not on whatever is causing your anxiety, Stanford University researchers say.
Massage your jaw area
Schnack says that massaging under your jaw for one minute can ease muscle tension associated with anxiety.
Perform three sets of exercises
Three sets of 10 burpees, jumping jacks or running in place with a short break in between each set help release built-up anxiety and increase endorphins, the body’s “feel-good” hormones, Schnack reported.
Breathe slowly and deeply
Schnack directs her 587,100 TikTok followers to inhale through their nose for a count of five, hold the breath for five and exhale through their mouth “as if you’re holding a straw” for a count of at least seven.
“Always try to make the exhale longer,” she counseled.
For his part, Dr. Daniel Amen — a double board-certified psychiatrist and brain-imaging researcher in California — advocates breathing in for four seconds, holding for a second or two, exhaling for eight seconds and holding that for a second or two.
Splash cold water
Schnack supports splashing cold water on your face or holding a cold object against it to stimulate your vagus nerve, distract yourself and ground your body.
Repeat a calming phrase
“Repeat a calming phrase you want to believe, even if you don’t currently believe it, such as, ‘I am safe, I am calm. This will pass,’” Schnack said.
Relax each muscle group
“Tense and then relax each muscle group in your body, starting from your toes and working your way up to your head and face,” Schnack proposed.
This is called progressive muscle relaxation — it can also help relieve insomnia and combat pain.
Visualize yourself in a calm place
“Close your eyes and visualize yourself being in a place where you feel calm, content and happy. It might be a beach, a forest or somewhere else,” Schnack said. “When you picture yourself there, take note of what you can see, what you can hear, the things that you can touch, what they feel like, what you can smell and what you can taste.”
