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What is The 333 Rule For Anxiety Management?

by | Aug 5, 2022 | Axiom Medical, Emotional Distress, Tempo Live, Workplace Anxiety, Workplace Mental Health

Anxiety creates racing thoughts that overtake your mind, pushing you further and further into a state of distress. It can hit you anytime and often with little notice. It helps to know a soothing technique to alleviate the anxiety as quickly as possible. One such approach is practicing mindfulness with the 333 Rule.

This simple technique aims to redirect the thoughts speeding through your mind and ground you in the present. Here are the steps to follow.


1. SEE: Calm Anxiety by Accepting It

Stop wherever you are and look around. Find three physical things to focus on. Choose whatever captures your attention, then name each and study it closely.

Examples may be a flower, your notebook, and a coffee mug. For each of the items, describe three things about it.

By stopping and focusing on a physical object, you can begin to calm yourself by acknowledging anxiety exists and accepting it without giving in to it with all your being.

2. HEAR: Ease your Symptoms by Shifting your Focus

Next, start scanning your location and identify three sounds you hear. These sounds may be soothing, random, soft, repetitive, or loud.

You may hear water flowing, birds chirping, and people’s music far off in the distance.

Start with one of them, giving it your rapt attention. Notice its pitch, cadence, and rhythm. Let your eyes stay open to keep you in the external world. Move to the second sound, then the third.

This technique shifts your focus and, in turn, eases anxiety symptoms.

3. FEEL: Feel your Presence

The third step is to choose three body parts you can move, such as your wrist, neck, and ankle. The goal is to activate the sense of touch.

Roll your wrist in circles several times, stretch and roll your neck around, then do the same with your ankle. Do whatever engages your tactile sensibilities.

This act of touching and feeling takes you out of your head and back into your body, so you feel your presence more distinctly.

Practicing this mindfulness technique will help to:

  • Interrupt the negative internal dialogue that is a part of anxiety
  • Shift your thoughts to the external world
  • Halt repetitive thoughts
  • Bring forth a new perspective
  • Calm you

Use this mindfulness technique as much as you can to alleviate anxiety. Yet, if you find yourself experiencing it more and more, it may be time to seek the professional help of a therapist.

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