6. Watch Your Thought-Movie
In his blog, Psychotherapy and Mindfulness, psychologist Elisha Goldstein explains that we can practice mindfulness and experience some relief from anxiety by procuring some distance from our thoughts, so that we learn to watch them as we would a movie (in my case, The Rocky Horror Picture Show). That way, we can sit back with our bag of popcorn and be entertained by our wacky fear-driven thoughts. As you do this, try to let go of judgments … but remember, bad movies aren’t worth watching again. The same goes for toxic, anxious thoughts that seem to be on permanent “on-demand” repeat in our brains. It might just be time to change the channel.

7. Eat Supper-Mood Foods
Unfortunately, anxiety is usually the first clue that I should, once again, analyze my diet: to make sure I’m not drinking too much caffeine, not ingesting too much processed flour, and not bingeing on sweets. If I’m honest with myself, I’ve usually committed a misdemeanor in one of those areas. So I go back to power foods. What are they? Elizabeth Somer, author of Food and Mood and Eating Your Way to Happiness mentions these: nuts, soy, milk and yogurt, dark leafy greens, dark orange vegetables, broth soups, legumes, citrus, wheat germ, tart cherries, and berries.

8. Return to the Breath
Here’s a confession: the only way I know how to meditate is by counting my breaths. I merely say “one” as I inhale and exhale, and then say “two” with my next breath. It’s like swimming laps. I can’t tune into all the chatter inside my brain because I don’t want to mess up my counting.

When I bring attention to my breathing—and remember to breathe from my diaphragm, not my chest—I am able to calm myself down a notch, or at least control my hysteria (so that I can wait five minutes before bursting into tears, which means I avoid the public cry session, which is preferred).

9. Break the Day Down
One cognitive adjustment that helps relieve anxiety is reminding myself that I don’t have to think about 2:45 p.m., when I pick up the kids from school and how I will be able to cope with the noise and chaos when I’m feeling this way, or about the boundary issue I have with a friend—whether or not I’m strong enough to continue putting myself first in that relationship. All I have to worry about is the very second before me. If I am successful at breaking my time down that way, I usually discover that everything is fine in this present moment.

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