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Practice guide3–5 minutes4 sections

How to Calm Anxiety Right Now

Begin step 1

How to Calm Anxiety Right Now is a short visual guide for moments connected to anxiety grounding exercises.

It covers one core idea: breathing slowly with a longer exhalation can reduce physiological arousal and prevent anxiety from building up.

You will breathe comfortably and more slowly, allowing the exhalation to be slightly longer than the inhalation, then choose what fits next.

The aim is A small reduction in autopilot and a clearer next step.

Edited aspractice guide·4 focused visual steps
Working edition 1Published July 22, 2026Last reviewed August 2, 2026Editorial standardsSuggest a correction
01
A person standing by a bright window, resting one hand lightly near the chest and noticing a slow breath.

Step 1 of 4

Check your starting point: How to Calm Anxiety Right Now

When anxiety is loud in your body and thinking harder is not helping…

Notice what fits this situation today:

  • Breathing influences physiological arousal
  • A long, gentle exhale can support settling
  • Regular practice is easier to achieve under stress
  • I am not sure yet—I just want to understand
Next: Breathing slowly with a longer exhalation can reduce physiological arousal and prevent anxiety from building up
02
A person standing by a bright window, resting one hand lightly near the chest and noticing a slow breath.

Step 2 of 4

Breathing slowly with a longer exhalation can reduce physiological arousal and prevent anxiety from building up

  • Breathing slowly with a longer exhalation can reduce physiological arousal and prevent anxiety from building up.
  • Practice takes time; regular movement also supports regulation.
  • The tool reduces the intensity but does not automatically solve the cause.
Next: Breathe comfortably and more slowly, allowing the exhalation to be slightly longer than the…
03
A person standing by a bright window, resting one hand lightly near the chest and noticing a slow breath.

Step 3 of 4

Breathe comfortably and more slowly, allowing the exhalation to be slightly longer than the…

  • Pause for a few seconds. Check whether this practice feels safe enough right now.
  • Breathe comfortably and more slowly, allowing the exhalation to be slightly longer than the inhalation.
  • Notice what changed in your body or thoughts. Do not grade yourself—collect information.

Quick check after the practice:

  • What changed, even by 1%?
  • What stayed the same?
  • What do you need now: continue, stop, or ask someone for support?
Next: Choose a next step: How to Calm Anxiety Right Now
04
A person standing by a bright window, resting one hand lightly near the chest and noticing a slow breath.

Step 4 of 4

Choose a next step: How to Calm Anxiety Right Now

You do not have to resolve this whole situation today. You worked directly with “How to Calm Anxiety Right Now” and chose one possible response.

Choose what fits now:

  • “Save one next step”
  • “Come back later”
  • “I need support from a person”

After this guide

Keep the next step small.

A small reduction in autopilot and a clearer next step.

Back to Body and Basic SupportsChoose another topic

Where to go next

Choose the next useful idea

Choose one if it fits what you need now.

Sources & evidence

Where this guide comes from

The book is the editorial starting point. The research below checks or qualifies the broader ideas used in this guide.

Adapted from

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

Chapter 24, “How to Calm Anxiety Right Now” · source pages 177–180

View publisher record (opens in a new tab)
Written by
Julie Smith (opens in a new tab)Clinical psychologist with NHS and private-practice experience; not a medical doctor.
Edition used
Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK, 2022 · ISBN 9780241529737
Formal review
The edition does not identify a formal peer-review or clinical-review panel. Publisher praise is not formal review.
Public endorsements — not formal review

Lori Gottlieb (opens in a new tab) — Psychotherapist and author

Editorial limitations of this book source
  • Broad popular self-help reference, not an individualized formulation or treatment plan.
  • Exercises involving exposure, breathing, nutrition, or inward attention are not suitable for every reader.
  • Scientific claims paraphrased for a general audience still need claim-level checking against primary research.
  • The source PDF contains an unrelated and medically unreliable second book after page 308; that material is excluded.

Research context

Supporting and qualifying references

Reviewed 2026-08-04

  1. 01

    Peer Reviewed Meta Analysis · 2025

    Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia: A Meta-Analytic Review of Clinical Components to Maximize Efficacy (opens in a new tab)

    H. W. Jung, K. W. Jang, S. Nam, A. Kim, J. Lee, M. E. Ahn, S.-K. Lee, Y. J. Kim, J.-K. Shin, D. Roh · Journal of Clinical Medicine · DOI 10.3390/jcm14051771

    What it supports: Digital CBT for panic/agoraphobia showed benefit versus passive controls; interoceptive exposure was an important component.

    Limits and disclosures

    Limit: Many included studies had therapist and attrition bias; a brief breathing or grounding screen is not equivalent to CBT.

    Disclosure: Authors declared no conflicts of interest.

  2. 02

    Systematic Review · 2018

    How Breath-Control Can Change Your Life: A Systematic Review on Psycho-Physiological Correlates of Slow Breathing (opens in a new tab)

    Andrea Zaccaro, Andrea Piarulli, Marco Laurino, et al. · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · DOI 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00353

    What it supports: Slow breathing is associated with autonomic and central nervous system changes relevant to arousal regulation.

    Limits and disclosures

    Limit: Heterogeneous methods and outcomes; breathing exercises are not a universal treatment and can feel uncomfortable for some people.

    Disclosure: No product-specific conflict identified.

  3. 03

    Clinical Guideline · 2011

    Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: management (opens in a new tab)

    National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline committee · NICE Clinical Guideline CG113, with later surveillance

    What it supports: Stepped-care assessment and evidence-based management for GAD and panic disorder, including when self-help is insufficient.

    Limits and disclosures

    Limit: UK guideline; local care pathways and emergency resources vary by country.

    Disclosure: Guideline committee conflict processes are governed by NICE.