Explore next steps to improve your mental health. 
When you’re stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, or all of the above, there’s nothing less helpful than being told to “calm down,” even if it’s your own internal monologue. Whether you’re drowning in work, trying to balance parenting with your own needs, or grappling with the loss of a relationship, sometimes life presents us with challenges that can feel like too much to manage.
In those moments, remember two important things:
- All the emotions triggered are simply a reminder that you are human.
- When emotions are high, you can’t expect yourself to do something hard.
This doesn’t mean you need to power through; instead, it means you need something easy (truly!) to provide quick relief. That’s where the strategies below can be invaluable. All are backed by science and proven to trigger a calming physiological response—in 10 minutes or less. Keep them in your toolbox for whenever life feels like a little too much.
Try Cyclic Sighing
There’s a reason most therapists recommend taking a deep breath (and getting good at it). It’s one of the most accessible and effective ways to regulate your mood, says Evan Csir, a licensed professional counselor at Thriveworks.
Start with “cyclic sighing,” one of the most relaxing ways to inhale and exhale. In a 2023 study, researchers asked 114 people to sit in a chair or lie down and set a timer for five minutes. The participants were put in groups and asked to try three different breathing exercises.
In the “cyclic sighing” group, people slowly inhaled through their noses until their lungs felt a bit expanded; they paused briefly and inhaled again until their lungs felt full. Then, they slowly and fully exhaled via their mouths or noses. They continued their five-minute practice every day for about one month.
Out of all the breathing techniques studied—including the popular box breathing method (inhaling for a count of four, holding your breath for four, exhaling for four, and holding again for four)—the researchers found cyclic sighing was the most effective in reducing anxiety and boosting mood when compared to mindfulness meditation.
Why does it work so well? It’s all in the exhale. Cyclic sighing forces you to release all that air for longer, which can reduce your heart rate and reset how quickly you’re breathing.
Take a 10-Minute Grounding Walk
It’s no secret that exercise is a key player in your mental health: It can help you sleep well, tamp down stress, boost energy and alertness, and ease feelings of anxiety and depression, among other perks. Even a little bit can make a difference: Research shows a 10-minute walk—ideally combined with meditation—might be all your brain needs to reset and calm down.
One way to meditate while you move: Try the 5-4-3-2-1 technique while you stroll in a natural space (a local park will do). Time and time again, research has shown that immersing ourselves in parks, forests, gardens, lakes, oceans, and other green and blue spaces does wonders for our emotional well-being. That’s why the following grounding practice is so soothing. Rather than keeping your mind trapped in a state of overwhelm, you’ll focus your attention on the world around you by identifying:
- Five things you can see: Seek out the little things, like how the afternoon light dances on a tree trunk or the blending of colors in a blooming hydrangea.
- Four things you can touch: Graze your fingers over the architectural details of an old park bench or twirl a rock in your palm.
- Three things you can hear: Close your eyes and listen for rustling leaves, birds chirping, or children playing.
- Two things you can smell: Take in the waft of a pine grove or damp moss after the rain.
- One thing you can taste: Pay attention to the lingering notes of your morning coffee or maybe a hint of mint from toothpaste. If you can’t taste anything, think of your favorite food or drink and imagine its taste.
Write Down 3 Good Things
For some people, doing a brain dump of everything that’s weighing on you can be very therapeutic. But Csir challenges you to try flipping your focus—that is, write down positive thoughts, like three things you’re grateful for or looking forward to.
“With this approach, we’re retraining our minds to focus on the good things,” he explains. “What we pay attention to, we reinforce.”
Csir suggests starting with three things as a low-effort approach, but you can also build your way up to something more substantial if it works for you, like gratitude journaling for 15 minutes a day.
There’s some real science behind this:
- One 2016 study found that people who wrote about gratitude (specifically, letters giving thanks to others) had significantly better mental health than people who jotted down their deepest thoughts related to stressful experiences.
- A 2023 review of research found people who embraced gratitude felt less anxious and worried and more satisfied and optimistic about life.
- Finally, some evidence suggests feeling grateful and optimistic can trigger physical changes too, like lowering your heart rate and blood pressure, improving your sleep quality, and even encouraging you to be more active—all key players in feeling better physically and mentally.
Listen to “Work Flow” Music for 10 Minutes
Ever feel so intimidated by your to-do list that you just… can’t do anything? A new study published in PLUS One says a particular type of music might help you feel unstuck: work flow music, which is characterized by strong and groovy rhythms, simple melodies, and no lyrics.
In the study, researchers grouped 196 people into four listening groups: work flow (from a music therapy app), deep focus (from a music streaming service), top-charting pop songs, and office background noise. Each person listened to their designated audio while completing a mentally stimulating task within a 10-minute window. The researchers measured cognitive markers, like how quickly people responded to information, as well as the participants’ mood before and after the test.
Work flow music came out on top, likely because the songs helped people feel more alert without distractions. (Deep focus tunes were more minimalistic, with slower tempos and weaker rhythms.) Work flow listeners not only felt better after just seven to 10 minutes, but they also completed their tasks faster without sacrificing accuracy.
These benefits were independent of their baseline stress and anxiety levels, meaning “work flow music may be effective for mood management even when people are suffering from emotional distress,” the study authors wrote (about 30% of the work flow listeners had moderate to extremely severe anxiety).
The takeaway: During stressful times, a playlist with jazzy songs may actually serve you better than a spa-like lineup.
Tense and Relax Your Muscles Before Bed
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)—the scientific term for tensing and releasing your muscles—is a popular anxiety and insomnia treatment because it can tame your fight-or-flight response, lower blood pressure, boost blood flow, and help you fall asleep. PMR has also been found to ease certain pain-related health issues, like tension headaches, migraine, temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), and back and neck pain—all of which are linked to chronic stress.
Research shows that 20 minutes of PMR can seriously relax your body and mind, but if you’re new to this, 10 minutes is a good start. How it works:
- Starting at your head and gradually moving down to your toes, you’ll work through each part of your body.
- Gently tense the individual muscle group and notice how it feels. Then, release that tension and observe how it fades as the muscle relaxes.
- As you do this, breathe deeply or match your breath to your movements (inhale while tensing, exhale while releasing).
Want more guidance? Here’s a great resource and video guide on how to practice PMR.
When to See a Mental Health Professional
Even the sunniest walk and most soothing playlist aren’t permanent fixes for chronic stress and anxiety. The strategies above can help you feel more balanced in high-pressure moments, but if your feelings of worry, overwhelm, uneasiness, dread, or fear become so pervasive that you can’t go about your daily life, it’s time to reach out to a mental health professional. Signs to watch for include:
- You avoid doing things you enjoy (like seeing friends).
- Your symptoms are persistent and always seem to be present.
- Your mental health symptoms are affecting your physical health too, like triggering headaches, body pain, high blood pressure, lack of appetite, or constant tossing and turning at night.
You deserve to feel better, and a licensed mental health provider can help you get there. They’ll listen to what’s on your mind without judgment, help you ID your main stressors, and work with you to implement strategies that make you feel more at peace.
