“It’s a little bit of a formula. You want outlets that allow you to be active, creative, reflective, emotive, and restorative,” said Mayner, 34.
Above all, reducing anxiety is about grounding yourself in the present moment and using any resource available to loosen the grip of worry and fear, Mayner said.
“Anxiety about the future is the threat to being present, and practicing gratitude is the antidote to that,” she said.
Here are eight simple things people can do to reduce feelings of anxiety and unease, according to Mayner and fitness experts.
A hot yoga class at Bode NYC’s Upper East Side studio in Manhattan, Feb. 27, 2025. HIROKO MASUIKE/NYT
Trainer Kristin Callahan helps clients at Mike’s Fitness Jamaica Plain deal with anxiety through exercise and getting in tune with their bodies. Callahan, who has been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, said physical activity of any kind brings her relief when she feels like her head is “locked up.”
“Exercise produces endorphins, so we always feel better after we move, no matter what we do,” said Callahan, who has worked as a trainer for 10 years.
In Brooklyn, N.Y., trainer Matt Danner focuses on mobility exercises with clients, including stretching and breathing.
Holding a stretch engages and calms the central nervous system, which sends pulses of energy through your muscles, he said.
“It’s almost as if you’re tuning out,” while holding the stretch, controlling what your muscles are able to do in response to your nervous system’s instructions, Danner, 33, said.
Do these two breathing exercises
At their worst, anxiety and panic attacks can make it feel difficult to breathe, as if a heavy weight is on your chest and throat.
Breathing exercises can bring a measure of relief, Danner said.
He recommends inhaling for four seconds, holding the breath for seven seconds, and exhaling for eight seconds, a strategy developed by Andrew Weil, an integrative medicine doctor at the University of Arizona.
Mayner incorporates what she calls “good, better, best” breaths, in which you take three “increasingly deeper and cleansing” breaths in succession.
“Setting a conscious rhythm to your breathing can be pretty powerful for immediate stress relief,” Danner said.
Any physical movement releases endorphins, which are the body’s natural mood boosters, said Kristin Callahan, a fitness trainer in Jamaica Plain.Sophie/Adobe
If you feel powerless, take action
The current political and financial turmoil is likely causing many people to feel helpless, Mayner said.
Fear about the future is understandable and to some degree inevitable, said Callahan, 49. But you don’t have to let it overwhelm you.
“The answer to anxiety is action; if you feel like you’re doing something, it’s going to help your anxiety calm down,” the trainer said.
If you’re worried about grocery prices, budgeting, or retirement savings, there are helpful online tools you can access or financial advisers you can call, Mayner said.
“There might be answers to those questions out there. We just have to seek them,” Mayner said.
Talk to someone about how you feel
Feelings about worrisome events should be acknowledged, Mayner said, and we should try to express our emotions in healthy ways.
Talking to a friend or a professional therapist about what you’re going through will likely make you feel better, she said.
Bonding with a friend can build community, which Mayner described as “an antidote to the isolation that can be brought about by anxiety.”
At the same time, she said, people should be mindful whether their social circles are contributing to their anxiety.
“Potentially reassess the community you have around you,” Mayner said.
Spend more time outside to reduce feelings of worry, fear, and anxiety that may be building up inside you, said therapist Daja Mayner.Brett Phelps for The Boston Globe
You don’t have to go to the gym to exercise — sometimes just going for a walk can bring enormous benefits.
Now that it’s spring, simply being outside with a friend can positively affect one’s mood, Mayner said.
“Sit in the sunshine,” she said.
Callahan said she sometimes sees gym-goers take work meetings on the treadmill or watch movies on their phone.
Yes, working out isn’t always the most pleasant activity, but we should try to give exercise our undivided attention, Callahan said.
“I get it, working out can be hard. Maybe it’s something you don’t like,” she said. “But let it be its own thing.”
Mayner said she recently started doing jigsaw puzzles, including a colorful 750-piecer featuring fruits, vegetables, and ice cream.
“People in my life will help me, and we’ll sit down together, and it’s been really helpful to have something else to focus on,” Mayner said.
Endicott College hockey player Jack Smiley, 24, does medicine ball exercises at Endicott College.Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff
Slam a medicine ball on the ground
Callahan said her favorite anxiety-relieving exercise is throwing around a medicine ball, which can range in weight from 2 to 25 pounds.
Pick the ball up, raise it above your head if able, squeeze it between your hands, and then throw it to the floor as hard as you can, Callahan recommended. The exercise is “hard to mess up, feels really good, and you get a lot of stress out that way,” she said with a laugh.
For the best form, release the ball at shoulder height, Callahan said, and bend your knees into a slight squat.
Then “throw it through the floor like you’re trying to break it,” she said.
Sure beats doomscrolling.
Claire Thornton can be reached at claire.thornton@globe.com. Follow Claire on X @claire_thornto.