15 Ways to Calm Down Quickly When You’re Overwhelmed

Inside: 15 sure-fire ways to calm down quickly when life gets a little stressful. And here’s the good news, these methods all take under 5-minutes each!

You’re busy! I get it; you have 96 million things to do today. Likely every day.

When the daily chaos of life becomes overwhelming and you’re pushed to the edge of the cliff, don’t plunge straight down with increasing speed to the ground below.

You do know that’s going to hurt, right?

Instead, use these 15 techniques (all take under 5 minutes) to open up your parachute of calm down quickly so you can float freely and peacefully into the horizon.

(**Everyone around you will thank you.**)

15 Ways To Calm Down Quickly (In Under 5 Minutes)

1. Spray some lavender to calm down quickly

Studies have shown that this popular flowering herb can be applied topically to relax your muscles or it can be inhaled for calming effects.

Smelling lavender will absolutely help you calm down quickly.

It’s an effective remedy for anxiety, depression, irritability, panic, stress and sleep problems.

Mom keeps a bottle on your night side table. Spray that magic lavender every night on your pillow.

2. Find a new perspective for instant relaxation

Change your perspective on whatever situation has gotten your frazzled.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Why are you feeling overwhelmed?
• Is this really worth stressing over?
• Can you solve this problem?
• Will this moment pass shortly?

Make a list of five things you have to be grateful for today.

Gain a positive attitude and be sure to laugh along the way.

3. Go for a walk.

To reap the calming effects of walking, you don’t need to pound the pavement for hours on end.

A comfortable stroll can be just as effective as a power walk. The secret is to use your mind, focus on the present moment and connect with nature.

Walking is one of the best ways to find calm quickly. Perhaps make your walk, a walking meditation.

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4. Play soothing music (one of my favorites to calm down quickly)

Pick music that is soothing with a slow tempo and light instruments.

Music is my number one anchor to calm. Every time stress sneaks in, I play this song by Paul Fogarty, and I’m instantly at peace.

What are your favorite songs?

We’ve heard it a million times. Meditation can increase your quality of life.

There are so many benefits to meditation, (too many to list right now) but one of those benefits is that it invokes calm and peace of mind.

In our busy world, kids, work, errands, household responsibilities, we need to SLOW down.

Taking even two minutes a day to quiet the mind and stop spinning (and you can literally feel your body stop swirling,) is so rewarding.

Meditate in short intervals throughout your day. Relax, relax, relax.

If you are new to meditation grab our free meditation starter kit. This kit includes 7 pages of meditation’s most frequently asked questions, along with a printable meditation cheat sheet and a fillable meditation journal. (Plus more bonus resources and guidance.)  GET IT HERE.

6. Smile! (Look now I’m calm)

Calm down quickly with a smile.

Smiling releases endorphins, which are responsible for making us feel happy, and they also help lower stress levels. Those same feel-good endorphins that exercise releases.

And what’s interesting is faking a smile or laugh works as well as the real thing—the brain doesn’t differentiate between real or fake.

When you smile, a sense of peace and well-being develops; simply put, you just feel happy. Try smiling, even when you’re stuck in traffic.

7. Breathe deeply.

When we feel agitated, we tend to breathe rapidly or shallow. And shallow breathing is a key indicator of stress. While deep, full breaths flood our bodies with oxygen and relax us.

Pay attention to your breath and you can experience quick and instant relaxation.

And the good news?

Breathing is free and easy to do. Check out our 10 best breathing exercises right here.

“Breathing exercises can help you relax, because they make your body feel like it does when you are already relaxed,” explains WebMD.

Count your breaths until you get to 7.

If your mind has wandered then start over. Inhale for one, exhale for two, inhale for three, exhale for 4. 

You can also try breathing in through your nostrils, holding your breath for a count of three and exhaling slowly for a count of 4.

Slow everything down and enjoy a release from stress and tension.

8. Water the plants.

Gardening and spending time in nature can help restore your attention and relax your body and mind.

If you don’t have time to get dirty in the garden, simply watering your plants can induce the same results.

Researchers have found that simply being around plants can ignite a relaxation response in your body.

One Washington State Study found that a group of stressed-out people who entered a room full of plants had a four-point drop in their blood pressure.

Wondering what type of plants to buy? Here’s a guide to houseplants that de-stress your home (or office!)

9. Write down everything.

Journaling will allow you to clarify your thoughts and feelings and will help you gain valuable self-knowledge and reassurance.

If you are feeling frazzled, grab a notebook and write down what’s bothering you.  You could also write down how you will spend your next block of free time.

Being a worrywart, I keep a worry journal, and this allows me to write it down, and then let it go.

If you want access to our free printable worry journal you can grab it here.

Our free worry journal is filled with writing prompts, quotes and fillable pages. This step-by-step workbook will help you de-stress, reduce anxiety, and gain control of your thoughts and life. Get it here. And if you love this journal, then you can upgrade to our amazing 3-month guided journal!

Take a moment to write down what you are feeling, you can release powerful emotions, gain clarity, and let go. Let go of what you don’t need and stop worrying about what you can’t change.

10. Stretch your way to calm

Stretch your way to calm. Plus it feels so darn good.

Find calm quickly with stretching.

We all know the stress-relieving benefits of yoga, but if you don’t have time to attend a daily yoga class you can still reap the benefits by incorporating a stretching routine into your day.

Learn amazing relaxation techniques that all take 60-seconds or less!

Health line suggests trying this five-minute exercise routine today to prepare you for the busy day ahead, or to get some much-needed relaxation after work.

1. Runners stretch
2. Forward Fold (my favorite to release stress)
3. Seated Back Twist
4. Bound Angle
5. Chest Stretch in door

Get detailed instructions here.

11. Visualize a more peaceful scenario

The mind is very powerful; when you visualize peaceful, serene scenes, it invokes calming feelings, as if you were really there.

Though visualization our bodies can relax and the stress will melt away. Close your eyes and imagine rhythmic waves on a long, white sand beach.

Try this peaceful ocean waves guided meditation,  or try this guided meditation made specifically for calm.

12. Call a friend. (Voted A+ to calm down quickly)

If you’re chronically stressed, you probably haven’t figured out how to change your perspective. Friends who make you happy will help you bounce back and regain your inner peace.

It’s important to nurture our friendships, we can’t expect one person to be our complete emotional outlet ears.

Call a friend and just chat.

13. Ring a mindfulness bell.

This might seem silly, but it’s actually an effective way to bring you into the present moment. And yes, there are mindfulness bell apps. Set an alarm as a reminder; when this bell or alarm goes off, it brings you into a different frame of mind.

Tell yourself to breathe and relax.

14. Don’t turn on the TV (or turn it off!).

Don’t watch the evening news while eating, and every now and then take a break from stressful, fear-based media.

This goes the same for your cell phone. Every now and then it feels amazing to unplug. Forget about what everyone on social media is doing, stop wasting precious time and energy on things that we really don’t care about.

Instead, spend that energy on self-improvement and self-care. You might even find you wish to permanently disable your social media connections.

15. Use S.T.O.P.

Stop. Think. Observe. Pause!

There you have it! 15 quick ways you can calm down quickly. It’s important to take time for self-care, after all, we need to be healthy and happy in order to provide the best environment for those around us (especially our kiddos).

Now that you’ve found a little peace and calm, why not consider digging a little deeper into organizing your life. Because it’s hard to stay peaceful when your life is flinging you in every direction.

Ruth Soukup has a life planner I’m obsessed with. The Living Well Planner. I recommend it to everyone (I currently have about 7 friends who are using it and LOVING it.) It literally changed my life. Meal planning, budgeting, goal setting, and so much more.

Check it out here, you won’t be disappointed.

Please comment below with some of your own personal calm tactics. I’d love to add some new ones to my repertoire.