Anxiety Relief - 4 Helpful Tools with Bonus Art Therapy Directives
Anxiety can feel like an overzealous alarm system—sometimes helpful, often way too loud. Being a therapist and art therapist in the Tampa area of Florida, I have many clients that come to me with their primary concern being anxiety. Luckily, research-backed techniques can help turn down the volume. Below are proven strategies, complete with citations and a creative art therapy twist for each!
1. Deep Breathing (AKA "The Nervous System’s Reset Button")
Why it works: Slow, controlled breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing physiological arousal (Jerath et al., 2015).
How to do it:
Sit comfortably with your feet on the ground (no slouching like a deflated balloon).
Inhale through your nose (4 sec), hold (4 sec), exhale through pursed lips (6 sec), hold (4 sec). Use diaphragmatic breathing, using your diaphragm and you’ll see your belly rise and fall with the breaths.
Repeat for 3-5 minutes—longer if your brain is still yelling about that thing you said in 2012.
Art Therapy Directive:
🎨 "Draw your breath as a winding path or a series of shapes. Compare your ‘calm breath’ vs. ‘anxious breath’ in color or texture."
2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) (AKA "Unkinking the Garden Hose of Tension")
Why it works: Systematic tension-release reduces somatic anxiety and improves body awareness (Conrad & Roth, 2007).
How to do it:
Tense muscle groups (10 sec), then release. Notice the difference.
Start with feet (curl toes like you’re gripping sand), slowly move up your body tensing and releasing each muscle until you reach your face (scrunch like you bit a lemon), and finish with a full-body "flop" (like a ragdoll).
Art Therapy Directive:
🎨 "Create a ‘body map’ using colors or lines to show where you hold tension. Add a symbol for ‘release’ (e.g., eraser marks, watercolor bleeds)."
3. Cognitive Restructuring (AKA "Putting Anxiety’s Ridiculous Claims on Trial")
Why it works: Challenging irrational thoughts reduces catastrophic thinking (Beck & Clark, 1997).
How to do it:
Examine the evidence: "Is this worry based on facts or feelings?"
Courtroom drama: "Would this hold up in the Court of Reasonable People?"
Alternative verdict: "What’s most likely to happen? (Spoiler: You survive.)"
Art Therapy Directive:
🎨 "Illustrate your anxious thought as a comic strip—then redraw the ending with a realistic (or absurdly positive) outcome."
4. Guided Imagery (AKA "A Free Vacation from Your Overthinking Brain")
Why it works: Vivid sensory imagery reduces cortisol and shifts focus from threat to safety (Nguyen & Brymer, 2018).
How to do it:
Close your eyes, take some slow, deep breaths, and imagine a peaceful place (real or fictional).
Engage all 5 senses: "What do you see, hear, smell, taste, and feel?" (Pro tip: If your happy place is a bakery, lean into that.)
Spend time in this peaceful place, explore, or just lie down and enjoy it.
Art Therapy Directive:
🎨 "Create a mixed-media ‘safety postcard’—combine drawings, magazine cutouts, or textures to represent your sanctuary. You can also create it online with an app. Just make sure to have it handy as an anchor for when you need to feel safe."
Final Note:
These tools aren’t magic (though PMR does make you feel like a human stress ball), but with practice, they can help recalibrate your anxiety response.
Therapist Feedback Prompt:
"Which technique resonated most? Any surprises when translating feelings into art?"
Now go forth and breathe/draw/pretzel your way to calm—you’ve got science on your side! 🌟
Ready to explore more techniques? Great, contact me and let’s get started!
📚 References
Beck, A. T., & Clark, D. A. (1997). An information processing model of anxiety. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35(1), 49-58.
Conrad, A., & Roth, W. T. (2007). Muscle relaxation therapy for anxiety disorders. CNS Spectrums, 12(1), 34-41.
Jerath, R., et al. (2015). Self-regulation of breathing as a primary treatment for anxiety. Medical Hypotheses, 85(1), 17-20.
Nguyen, J., & Brymer, E. (2018). Nature-based guided imagery as an intervention for stress. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1578.
