I’m so glad you’re here! Since this post, I’ve actually added another guided relaxation with a GIF that I had commissioned just for Duff the Psych. You can see that post here!
Breathe along to this. Nice and slow. Breath comes in, breath goes out.
Please follow along with me and if you would like…
Play some relaxing background music:
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Now, I want you to listen to what I say very carefully. What you’re experiencing right now. The tightness in your chest, the racing thoughts, the tingling in your fingers, the shortness of breath… I know it feels dangerous, but please trust me when I say that this cannot hurt you. It’s not possible. People don’t die from anxiety. It sucks, but bear with me… let’s get through this, okay? Keep breathing.
You’ve gotten through this before and you can do it again. I want you to notice this time how you have become just a little bit better than you were last time at dealing with your anxiety. You are here, right now. You are in your body, not outside of it. Take a moment to notice the feeling of your chest expanding and contracting with each breath. Feel the cool air rushing in and the warm air flowing out. This warm air is carrying away your stress and your worry. You’re doing great. Keep it up.
Try to go easy on yourself. You deserve a break right now. Anything that you have going on can wait. I promise you that you will be a better version of yourself after you take this break. You will be able to meet those challenges with more strength and clarity. I have nothing but confidence in you. I don’t know you, so you might wonder how I can claim that confidence… You are here. You decided to take a chance on this. You gave it a shot. You are making a difference for yourself. You have control.
Keep breathing. No need to put pressure on yourself to relax. Just keep filling your lungs and then gently letting go of all of that murky stress. Notice your body. You don’t need to hold that weight anymore. Let it go. Nice and slow. You got this. Feel yourself getting lighter and looser. Your posture has become less effortful and you are already feeling a bit different than you did when you started. Now, I want you to imagine in your mind some place that is relaxing to you. Maybe it is the beach, maybe it is in a cozy library in front of the fire, or maybe it is in the middle of a coffee shop in the rain. Now just let yourself be there in that wonderfully relaxing place and continue breathing as long as you would like. This is your time. You deserve this. See you next time.
Here are a few more popular blog posts on anxiety that you might want to check out:
Find the NEW post on how to stop your anxiety using a GIF here
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What to learn more about how to battle that beast called anxiety?
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In Hardcore Self Help: F**k Anxiety, I talk to you like a friend. There is a lot of swearing and humor along with loads of helpful and actionable information. You learn about anxiety and how to find the weapons within yourself to slay it for good.
Kindle | Paperback | Audiobook
Here is an audio version for you to listen to as well:
[…] Breathe to this gif. […]
[…] You’re supposed to breathe in as the object builds up and breathe out as it folds back down. The full exercise can be found here. […]
Thank you so much! I came here because I was under a lot of stress due to a call that can change my entire future regarding my professional life. I felt like I blew it, and that thought put so much stress on me. Event though I knew I had irrational thoughts, couldn’t help it, that’s when I rememberd this page. I feel great and more confident now.
[…] you feeling overwhelmed? This GIF circling the internet surprisingly helps SO much. I’ve used it lots this […]
i absolutely loved this it helped me thank you
Hi Robert,
My name is Amanda, and I am an allied educator (Teacher Aide) for learning & behavioural support (Special Needs) in a Singapore secondary school.
I was wondering if I could get your permission to use/post your YouTube video https://youtu.be/c4iGlwhy7l0 on a website that I am currently creating for the students in my school, targeting those with special needs (Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dyslexia and more…)
Your video would help them greatly for anger management and anxiety management, as it is a great visual representation of the steps that they should take to calm down.
Hopefully, you would allow me to use this video on my website. Nevertheless, I would understand if you decline my request.
Thank you for your time.
Regards,
Amanda Lim
Go right ahead, Amanda. Please link to this post. Best of luck.
This is beautifully written; I can’t thank you enough for writing it. It always calms me down, something I thought was impossible several weeks ago. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Found this site and page after listening to you on the SPI podcast.
This page is a great anxiety / stress relieving exercise that’s simple and effective. The way you walk us through it works wonders. 🙂
Continue your good work, best of luck!
Marc
[…] Breathe in time to this. (source) […]
I have this page bookmarked on my phone. It’s great when I’m feeling worried or nauseated. Thank you.
Thank you so much for sharing this gif. I have it book marked on my phone and has helped me numerous time. Is it possible to make it into an app?
[…] GIF below is from Duff the Psych to help with anxiety. The site says, “Breathe along to this. Nice and slow. Breath comes in, […]
I haven’t dealt with much depression or anxiety for a couple months and I’ve been incredibly happy and busy lately. But, tonight its 4am and I started crying over work (which is a really silly reason compared to how I usually feel ya kno?). I realized my new antibiotic stopped my antidepressant. I texted a friend and he sent me here and honestly when I read “no need to put pressure on yourself to relax” its exactly what I needed to hear. I push myself so much to the point where I’m sick or forcing a day off work for myself and when I start crying I always rush myself to stop. When situations like tonight happens, and you rush to shut your tears, you just end up crying harder and suffocating on your own snot honestly….
So thanks Trev for always being up at 4am and texting me cute things to make me smile.
Here’s a song about a cup: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10153995471260956&id=12677350955
I was just full on anxiety attack and this gif helped so much I cannot begin to explain. So thank you very much!
Thankyou x
[…] you’ve already reached this boiling point, the best thing to do is breathe out all that heat. Try syncing your breathing to this wee […]
Read this blog post ages ago when I didn’t need it. Started having racing thoughts this morning and figured I’d try a new thing to try and calm down. Worked like a charm. Thank you so much!
I work for a call center and come to this bookmark on my phone whenever I have a “bad” call. I thank you so very much for the visual and sound. Helps me finish my day with confidence.
[…] site – https://www.duffthepsych.com/stopanxiety/ – also gives you background music (another element I think my app needs) and a few […]
[…] In these circumstances, the best thing to do is use your breath to release the remaining heat. Try syncing your breathing to this wee […]
Thank you for posting this article. It has soothed my mind. I’ve used this gif and your words several times when I’m feeling anxious and it’s helped me come out of attacks.
[…] Breathing In and Out With This GIF […]
I don’t know what I’d do without this. Thank you so much!! I don’t call 911 anymore and can get through almost every bad panic attack with this and have it always open on my phones browser for easy access. I always share it when I find myself here ?
Thank you for creating this space for those who need it. I think I’ll be able to keep going, to sleep, to get back in tracks. Bless you