What are we always told in stressful moments or times filled with anxiety? Take a deep breath. But what if deep breathing doesn’t calm the chaos? When anxiety hits hard or your nervous system is already overloaded, deep breathing can sometimes feel ineffective. Deep breathing is just one tool in a much larger self-care toolkit, and like any tool, it doesn’t work in every situation.

If you’ve ever found yourself trying to breathe your way to calm and feeling like it’s not working, you’re not alone. We asked NCHPAD Mindfulness Curriculum Coordinator Emily Hornsby about calming methods in those moments when deep breathing doesn’t work, and here’s what she shared:

The power of touch can have a positive impact. Tapping is a technique that I’ve heard about, which is all over the internet and is considered reputable. You can also try placing a hand on your heart, with one hand inside the other, or on your cheek, which is soothing.

Doing a guided visualization meditation where you transport yourself to some safe place you love and picture yourself there is helpful. Try meditating while repeating a mantra, focusing on simple breaths or focusing on imagery like a wave in the ocean.

Try exercise and mindful movement. Walking or strolling in your wheelchair in nature is always a way to come back to the present moment and move out of fight, flight or freeze. Watching animals play or playing with your pet is good.

If you feel more comfortable holding physical objects in stressful moments, having a crystal or stone in your hand and focusing on the stone in your hand when you are nervous brings you back to the present.

Anything you can do to slow your racing mind and create some space between thoughts is good like stretching, yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong or mindful movement is good. Focusing on bodily sensations from the inside is helpful to move away from the thinking mind.

Some other useful ways to stay grounded include massaging your feet or hands, listening to music or journaling.

Many people find breathing exercises can cause more anxiety for them so, find the right alternative that works best for you.

More about tapping and other techniques to try

Tapping is known as an Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) that is rooted in traditional therapeutic techniques found in acupuncture. Individuals use fingers to tap pressure points on their body to handle emotional and physical stress. The general idea is to identify the issue, acknowledge the problem, using a tapping sequence and repeating a reminder phrase to yourself and continue until you feel comfortable.

Staying “grounded” means just staying in the moment and being connected with where you are at that moment. Try this NCHPAD video for being grounded in nature.

We understand these techniques might not work for everyone, but if you are able, we encourage you to try each technique or a combination of these techniques.

Additional self-care resources from NCHPAD

• Check out our Mental and Physical Self-Care Tips article with ideas for adding self-care practices to your daily routine!
• The Self Care for Caregivers article offers wellness techniques for those who provide care for others.
• Our article with Haleigh Black from UAB Arts in Medicine is a great resource for self-care! Haleigh discussed the mental and physical health benefits of engaging with music.
• Cold therapy techniques can be helpful for reducing anxiety and activating the vagus nerve. Check out our cold therapy techniques for mental health video.