All Articles | Otterly Anxious - Anxiety Relief Tools

Tools

Find What's Right For You.

Tools that helped me when anxiety took over.

‍This space gathers practices and approaches I’ve personally used to regulate my nervous system, release tension, and feel safer in my body.
‍
Some offer immediate relief, others support deeper healing.You can explore by theme: Immediate relief, emotions, shame, the body, balance, joy, and support.

There’s no right way to use this.
Take what helps. Leave the rest.

Immediate Relief

A Ready-to-Go “Activity Kit”

Immediate Relief

A Ready-to-Go “Activity Kit”

Keeping a few go-to activities—like reading, sketching, or journaling—ready to grab helps reduce overwhelm and supports emotional balance when decision-making feels too hard.

Immediate Relief

Schedule More Sessions with Your Therapist

Immediate Relief

Schedule More Sessions with Your Therapist

Asking for help—whether from a therapist or someone you trust—isn’t a setback but a powerful act of self-care. When things feel too heavy, reaching out can be the fastest way forward.

Immediate Relief

Why I create “Safe Places” ? Spaces Where I Feel Safe ?

Immediate Relief

Why I create “Safe Places” ? Spaces Where I Feel Safe ?

Having a few familiar, calming places, like a favorite café or walking route, can provide emotional relief during stressful moments by offering predictability, comfort, and a sense of safety.

Immediate Relief

Creativity – A Powerful Tool for Managing Anxiety

Immediate Relief

Creativity – A Powerful Tool for Managing Anxiety

Creative activities like writing, painting, or gardening reduce stress, boost mood, and help process emotions—much like meditation. They can bring joy, focus, and a sense of growth through the simple act of creating.

Immediate Relief

Healing CPTSD outside of Therapy: Gentle, Real Ways to Rebuild Yourself

Immediate Relief

Healing CPTSD outside of Therapy: Gentle, Real Ways to Rebuild Yourself

Can you heal Complex PTSD outside of therapy? Many trauma survivors do through somatic work, mindfulness, and self-compassion. Here’s what actually helps when you’re healing on your own, drawn from real community experiences and my own journey.

Immediate Relief

The 8-Minute Empathy Phone Call

Immediate Relief

The 8-Minute Empathy Phone Call

An 8-minute call with someone you trust can ease anxiety, loneliness, and low mood—offering quick emotional relief through simple human connection.

Immediate Relief

Using Cold exposure to calm anxiety, fast!

Immediate Relief

Using Cold exposure to calm anxiety, fast!

Cold showers, ice on the wrists, or a cold foot bath can quickly interrupt anxiety by shocking the body, boosting focus, and breaking the cycle of overwhelming thoughts.

Immediate Relief

Change Location to Shift Your Mindset

Immediate Relief

Change Location to Shift Your Mindset

Predictions for the future of Content Management Systems and their evolution.

Immediate Relief

Breathing Techniques for emergency

Immediate Relief

Breathing Techniques for emergency

When emotions run high and time is short, simple breathing and grounding techniques offer relief and help calm the nervous system in just a few minutes.

Emotions: Understanding & Identifying Them

Identifying Emotions

Emotions: Understanding & Identifying Them

Understanding our emotions can be challenging, but the Wheel of Emotions offers a valuable way to identify and articulate what we're experiencing.

When Kindness Turns Into Shame

When Kindness Turns Into Shame

Have you ever said something with the best of intentions, only to replay it later and wish you hadn’t said anything at all? That sinking feeling — the heat in your chest, the loop of “why did I do that?” — that’s shame. And it’s one of the most human experiences there is.

Somatic Self-Care for Stress Relief

Somatic Self-Care for Stress Relief

Sometimes the best way to ease anxiety is to let your body be cared for. Here are simple self-care rituals, like osteopathy, massage, sauna, or a warm bath, that help me feel grounded and calm.

When Setting a Boundary Feels Like a Breakup

When Setting a Boundary Feels Like a Breakup

Sometimes setting a boundary doesn’t feel peaceful at all! It feels like heartbreak.

The Subtle Ways I Keep My Body Stuck in Survival Mode

The Subtle Ways I Keep My Body Stuck in Survival Mode

Lately, I’ve been noticing how easy it is for me to slip back into survival mode, even when things are mostly fine. I can be doing all the right things and still feel like my body is quietly bracing for something.

Shake it off, litterally

Shake it off, litterally

Embodied exercices are just fancy words to mean bringing movement to the body. Explore some of my recommendations, things that work for me, to reconnect to my body and be in the now instead of in my head.

Small Rituals That Bring Me Balance When Life Feels Too Much

Emotional Balance

Small Rituals That Bring Me Balance When Life Feels Too Much

I’m not a big routine person, but I’ve found that a few gentle rituals can make a world of difference. Here I talk about the small things I do in the morning and evening that keep me grounded, plus how planning little joys helps me feel lighter and more stable.

Food, Supplements, and Emotional Balance

Emotional Balance

Food, Supplements, and Emotional Balance

What I eat and drink has a real impact on how I feel emotionally. In this post, I share the simple food choices and supplements that help me feel calmer and more balanced, without turning it into a strict or overwhelming set of rules.

Learning to Live in Sync With My Cycle

Emotional Balance

Learning to Live in Sync With My Cycle

Tracking my cycle has changed the way I understand my moods and energy shifts. Here I share how I plan around different phases of my cycle and why working with my body instead of against it has brought me more ease, balance, and self-compassion.

Social Media, Notifications, and Anxiety

Emotional Balance

Social Media, Notifications, and Anxiety

Constant pings and endless scrolling were quietly feeding my anxiety. In this post, I share the simple phone boundaries I set for myself, like deleting apps and silencing notifications, and how these changes gave me more peace of mind and presence in my everyday life.

DBT tools I use for Anxiety, Overthinking and Emotional Dysregulation

Emotional Balance

DBT tools I use for Anxiety, Overthinking and Emotional Dysregulation

DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) can sound complicated, but it is really just a set of tools that help you stay grounded. I share the ones I reach for when my emotions run high.

Learning to Cultivate Joy

Cultivating Wonder

Learning to Cultivate Joy

Noticing small, everyday moments of wonder can shift your perspective and soften anxious thoughts. From stargazing to morning coffee, simple joys can become anchors of calm.

Take up space & laugh and Play Like a Child

Cultivating Wonder

Take up space & laugh and Play Like a Child

Laughter and play aren’t just silly extras — they’re powerful ways to shift your mood, reduce stress, and reconnect with joy.

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