5 Anxiety-Killing Habits To Live A Calmer Life, By A Psychologist

Anxiety is the silent epidemic of the modern age. But a clinical psychologist writing in Forbes argues that five counterintuitive habits can rewire the brain for calm. These anxiety-killing habits don't tell you to 'just relax'—they target the mechanisms that keep anxiety alive.

The article, authored by psychologist Dr. Mark Travers, outlines five evidence-based practices. The hook is simple: the most effective anxiety-killing habits often feel wrong at first. The lead method, 'scheduled worry,' forces you to postpone anxious thoughts to a designated 15-minute window. It sounds cruel, but studies show it reduces rumination by training the brain to compartmentalize fear.

Context matters. Anxiety disorders affect 40 million U.S. adults annually, and the post-pandemic era has only deepened the crisis. Traditional advice—deep breathing or 'think positive'—often fails because it ignores how the brain processes threat. Travers draws on cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) to offer a new toolkit.

Key details include five specific habits. The first, as mentioned, is worry time: set a daily slot to fret, and when anxiety strikes outside it, jot down the thought and return to it later. The second is relabeling physiological arousal: a racing heart is not 'anxiety' but 'excitement' or 'preparation'—a cognitive shift proven to improve performance under pressure. The third is diaphragmatic breathing, but not the slow, counting kind; instead, rapid exhale-focused breaths to discharge tension. The fourth is 'urge surfing' from ACT: instead of fighting anxious urges, observe them like a wave that peaks and passes. The fifth is questioning catastrophic thoughts with a simple query: 'What's the most likely outcome?' This reframes probability and defuses panic.

Analysis shows these methods work because they respect the brain's design. CBT founder Aaron Beck showed that changing thought patterns alters neural pathways. The worry-time technique, pioneered by psychologist Thomas Borkovec, leverages the brain's ability to habituate to feared stimuli when exposure is controlled. Relabeling arousal taps into the cognitive appraisal theory of emotion—how we label arousal determines our response.

The outlook is hopeful. Travers emphasizes that these habits are not quick fixes but skills to build resilience. The goal is not a life without anxiety but a life where anxiety doesn't call the shots. As readers incorporate these anxiety-killing habits, they may find that calm is not the absence of anxiety—it's the ability to move through it.