1...Quick Ways to Calm Down

Anxiety zappers that can rescue you from daily stresses By Therese J. Borchard

I'm easily overwhelmed.

When my kids' exuberant screams reach a decibel level my ears can't tolerate, when Chuck E., the life-size "rat" at the pizza place, starts doing his jig while flashing arcade lights blind me, or when I open my email to find 100 messages--

I feel a meltdown coming on.

Which is why I came up with seven quick ways to calm myself down.

I turn to these when I don't have time to call my mom and hear her tell me, "Everything is going to be fine."

They keep me centered and grounded for as long as possible, and they help me relax my body even during those times when screaming kids and dancing life-size rats converge.
Get the first calming tip.

1. Walk Away

Know your triggers.

If a conversation about global warming, consumerism, or the trash crisis in the U.S. is overwhelming you, simply excuse yourself.

If you're noise-sensitive and the scene at Toys-R-Us makes you want to throw whistling Elmo and his buddies across the store, tell your kids you need a time-out.

(Bring along your husband or a friend so you can leave them safely, if need be.)

My great-aunt Gigi knew her trigger points, and if a conversation or setting was getting close to them, she simply put one foot in front of another, and departed.