How To Calm Your Anxiety， From A Neuroscientist

You know when you get that ambiguous email from your boss and you start to feel sweaty palms and that empty， freaked out sensation in your stomach？ Welcome back， anxiety.

Most of us think of anxiety as a bad thing， something to be avoided at all costs. But what if it weren’t？ What if you could take all of that energy racing around your brain and your body and transform it into something helpful？

Global anxiety levels， both the clinical kind and what I call the everyday kind， have increased tremendously in recent years. And many of us are noticing this at work.

We might think of anxiety as something that we’d rather just leave on the side of the road if we could. But anxiety is an important tool that arose during our evolution that we use to avoid danger. It’s essential for our survival.

So how come we don’t even feel vaguely protected by it？ It’s because the volume of our individual and collective anxiety levels has been turned way up too high， and too much of even a potentially good thing like anxiety is bad.

So I would like to share two powerful， science-based tools for turning down the volume on our anxiety and helping us get anxiety back to its helpful， protective state. And both of these tools begin by connecting with our bodies.

Tool number one is breath work. It’s just simple， deep breathing. Slowly inhale and exhale. This can be one of the most immediate ways to calm anxiety， because deep breath directly activates the natural de-stressing part of our nervous systems called the parasympathetic nervous system.

I recommend a boxed breathing approach， which is： inhale deeply on four counts， hold at the top for four counts， exhale deeply on four counts and hold at the bottom for four counts. You can even do this in the middle of any anxiety-provoking conversation， and no one will even know. Lots of people， from ancient monks to modern meditators， have figured this tool out and use it all the time.

Tool number two： moving your body. This one also has immediate positive effects on your mood state， but for a different reason. Every time you move your body， you’re releasing a whole bunch of beneficial neurochemicals in your brain.

These neurochemicals include dopamine， serotonin， noradrenaline and endorphins， mood and reward-boosting neurochemicals that work to both increase positive mood states and decrease negative ones. I like to say that every single time you move your body， it’s like giving yourself a wonderful bubble bath of neurochemicals for your brain.

So when your boss’s email comes in and your heart starts to race， what exactly can you do？ If you’re in an office， try taking a short walk around the block or even to the supply closet for some sticky notes. If you’re working from home， put on two of your favorite songs and dance around the living room like no one is watching.

Studies have shown that all it takes is ten minutes of walking to get those mood-boosting effects. But be creative with your movement session. Whether that’s a quick session of power vacuuming a la Mrs. Doubtfire when you’re stressed about a deadline or doing a set of jumping jacks or getting off the elevator one floor early to do a power walk up that last flight of stairs before an important meeting. All of these possibilities will all help your anxiety levels come down.

In fact， I tested this effect on my own NYU students. First， I had them take an anxiety assessment before leading them in a movement session that included movements from kickbox and dance and yoga and martial arts together with positive spoken affirmations.

Then I had them retake that same anxiety assessment again. What happened？ After our movement session， their anxiety scores had decreased to normal levels.

Now that’s powerful， real-world example that you can use in your life today. So make sure to incorporate these bursts of activity in your day， and try one out next time you’re feeling stress.

It can really make your anxiety feel less all-consuming. Once you connect with your body and turn the volume down on your anxiety， two important things will happen.

First， when that email comes in， you’ll be in a better position to evaluate what about it makes you anxious.

Is it that you’ve taken on too much or that you feel insecure about a particular skill set？ In other words， you’ll be able to use this emotion， anxiety， for exactly what it was evolved to do： warn you about potential dangers so you can become aware of them and find ways to effectively and creatively address them in your everyday life.

Second， once you find the warning signals in your anxiety， you’ll be able to communicate with others.

You might seek out advice from a trusted colleague when that difficult issue arises. Or you might even have a conversation with your boss about how to prioritize projects. Because you’re no longer in fight-or-flight mode， asking for that support won’t feel nearly as threatening.

And one of the best gifts of approaching your anxiety in this way is that you will be able to notice those telltale signs of anxiety in everyone else around you， especially those forms of anxiety you’re most familiar with. And what will that do？ That will allow you to give that person a smile or a kind word to help them through that moment.

In other words， your own form of anxiety can boost your personal super power of empathy. And I can’t think of anything we need in this world today more than higher levels of empathy for one another.

Your take-home in all of this？ If you breathe， move and take note of what your anxiety is signaling， you’ll feel more fulfilled， more creative， more connected and less stressed overall. And that’s my wish for every one of us.

你知道那种感觉吗，就是收到老板一封模棱两可的邮件，就开始掌心冒汗，心里发虚、害怕？没错，这是焦虑又找上门了。

绝大多数人认为焦虑是个坏东西，要不惜一切代价避免。但如果它不坏呢？如果可以把驰骋于你脑海和身体里的这些能量变成有用的东西，怎么样？

全球的焦虑水平，无论是临床诊断的那种还是我称之为“日常”的那种，近年来都在暴涨。很多人在工作中都注意到了这一点。

我们可能会把焦虑看作只要可以就弃如敝履的东西。但是，焦虑是我们在进化过程中产生的重要工具，可用以避免危险。它对我们的生存至关重要。

那我们为什么丝毫没有感觉到它在保护我们呢？这是因为我们个人和集体的焦虑水平被抬得太高了，高到像焦虑这样可能有益的东西都有害了。

今天，我想分享两个基于科学的强大工具，可以减少我们的焦虑，帮助我们把焦虑调整到起到保护作用的有益状态。这两个工具都始于我们的身体功能。

第一个工具：呼吸。很简单，就是深呼吸。缓缓吸气和呼气。这可能是缓解焦虑最立竿见影的方法之一，因为深呼吸会直接激活我们神经系统中自带的解压部位，即“副交感神经系统”。

我想推荐一种组合呼吸法：深吸一口气，从一数到四，屏住气，再数四个数；然后深呼一口气，从一数到四，屏住气，再数四个数。你甚至可以在任何引发焦虑的谈话中这么做，没人会发现。很多人，从古代的僧侣到现代的冥想者，都发现了这个工具且一直在用。

第二个工具：动起来。这也会对你的心情产生立竿见影的积极效果，但原因不同。你每次运动，你的大脑都会释放大量有益的神经化学物质。

这些神经化学物质包括多巴胺、血清素、去甲肾上腺素和内啡肽——都是增强情绪和回报的神经物质，既能提升积极的情绪，又可降低消极的情绪。可以这么说，你的每一次运动都像让你的大脑享受一次美妙的神经化学物质泡泡浴。

那么，当你收到老板的邮件，心跳开始加速时，到底该做些什么呢？如果在办公室，试着在工区里踱上几步，或去文具柜拿点便利贴。如果在家办公，可以放两首最喜欢的歌，在客厅里旁若无人地跳跳舞。

研究表明，只需要步行十分钟就能产生那些改善情绪的效果。不过，选择什么运动方式，请发挥创意。被截止日搞得焦头烂额时，可以像窈窕奶爸那样用吸尘器猛吸一通；在重要会议前，可以做一组开合跳，或者提前一层下电梯，快速爬完最后一段楼梯。这些操作都能降低你的焦虑水平。

其实，我在纽约大学我教的学生中测试过这个效果。首先，我让他们接受了一次焦虑测试，然后带他们进行了一场运动，包括自由搏击、跳舞、瑜伽和武术，再加上积极的肯定话语。

然后我让他们再次接受同样的焦虑测试。结果如何？在运动之后，他们的焦虑得分降到了正常水平。

这可是个强有力的真实案例，你可以用在目前的生活中。所以，一定要把时不时运动一下融入日常生活，下次感到压力山大的时候试试吧。

这真的会极大减轻你的焦虑感。一旦你与身体沟通好，焦虑减轻，就会发生两件重要的事。

第一，收到邮件的时候，你就能更清晰地评估焦虑的原因。

是你承担的工作太多了，还是对某项技能缺少信心？换句话说，你就能利用这种情绪——即焦虑——来达成它在进化过程中本该肩负的使命：警示你可能会遇到的危险，这样你就能注意并在日常生活中寻找高效、有创意的解决方式。

第二，一旦在焦虑中发现警示信号，你就能与他人交流了。

遇到这样的困难时，你可以向信任的同事寻求建议。或者，你可以和老板谈谈，如何为项目的优先级排序。由于你不再处于“或战或逃”的纠结状态，寻求这样的支持不会让你感觉有威胁。

以这样的方式应对焦虑的一个好处是，你会注意到身边人的焦虑迹象，尤其是你最熟悉的那几种焦虑表现。这又有什么作用呢？这样你就可以给予焦虑的朋友一个微笑或一句友善之辞，帮他们度过那个时刻。

换句话说，了解自己的焦虑表现能增强你个人超强的共情能力。当今世界，我想不出除了更高层次的共情，人们彼此间还需要什么。

你都学会了吗？如果学会了，你呼吸、运动且注意到自己的焦虑在传达什么信号时，就会更满足、更有创意、更容易产生共鸣，整个人也会更放松。这就是我对每个人的祝愿。