Riding the Storm || 5 Ways to Calm Anxiety When Everything Feels Pressured
In today’s climate, it's hard not to feel the tension in the air.
Many businesses are zeroed in on the bottom line. Markets are volatile, forecasts are grim, and executives often emphasize leaner operations and tighter margins. The overall economic sentiment has tilted negative, and that uncertainty bleeds into all of us. When the environment feels unstable, it’s natural for anxiety to creep in, especially for those juggling performance metrics, leadership, and growth expectations.
But anxiety needn’t dominate your inner world. While it’s not about eliminating stress entirely (that’s unrealistic), you can build tools to manage it more effectively. Below are five ways to help calm anxiety during high-pressure times — with supporting research to back them up.
1 | Name & interrogate your thoughts
When your mind spirals into “What if we miss the target?” or “What if I fail?”, anxiety tightens its grip. One of the most robust therapeutic approaches, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), teaches that distress often comes from unhelpful thinking patterns, not just external problems.
You can apply a simplified version yourself:
Pause and name the thought: “I’m imagining the worst-case scenario about revenue dropping.”
Ask: “Is this 100% guaranteed?” or “Am I skipping alternative outcomes?”
Reframe: “Risks are real, but we have mitigations. Even if a quarter dips, I can adapt plans.”
Ask: “What action, however small, can I take right now?”
Taking small steps forward accumulates the small wins into momentum. Repeatedly doing this builds mental agility, reducing the power of fearful thinking. Self-help consensus studies also affirm that cognitive strategies (restructuring, problem-solving) are among the most endorsed for coping with mild anxiety.
2 | Use your body: move, breathe, reset
Anxiety doesn’t live solely in the mind. Your body pays the price (tight shoulders, shallow breathing, racing heart). Engaging in deliberate movement and breathwork can interrupt that feedback loop.
Physical activity: Research indicates that regular exercise correlates with reduced anxiety symptoms. Even light-to-moderate exercise (a brisk walk, stretching) helps.
Deep breathing/relaxation techniques: Techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or guided imagery are low-risk and often effective for calming physiology.
Grounding exercises: Tools like the “5-4-3-2-1” method (noting 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, etc.) help orient you to the present moment and break free from mental loops.
Even a 5-minute mini-break, such as pausing, walking outside, or doing a few deep breaths, can shift your internal state. Don’t wait until you’re overwhelmed.
3 | Schedule “worry time” and limit rumination
One paradox: trying to suppress anxious thoughts often gives them more power. Research on rumination and worry reveals that many people struggle to stop excessive thinking; however, distraction or structured outlets can be helpful.
Here are a few things you can do to limit your worry time:
Allocate a short, defined window (say 10–15 minutes per day) as “worry time.”
During that time, allow yourself to surface anxieties, journal them, or mentally examine them.
Outside that window, if anxious thoughts arise, gently remind yourself: “I’ll handle that in worry time.”
This helps contain spirals and prevents worries from hijacking your entire day.
4 | Lean into social support and perspective
You’re not alone, though anxiety often whispers otherwise. Humans are wired for connection, and talking helps. When you're under stress, sharing your concerns (with a friend, mentor, or coach) does more than offer emotional relief: it helps you reframe and externalize the problem.
Researchers consistently note that social support is a protective factor against anxiety and distress. Additionally, financial worries (a big stressor in lean times) are strongly linked to psychological distress. So, reach out. Even 10 minutes with someone you trust can help you recalibrate perspective.
5 | Tune lifestyle levers: sleep, nutrition, boundaries
Anxiety is harder to manage when your baseline is already depleted. Some foundational habits can help counteract the pressure.
Sleep: Prioritize regular, restorative sleep. Poor sleep can amplify anxiety. We have likely all experienced how a poor night’s rest takes a toll on our day and inhibits our brain function.
Nutrition: Go for stable, nourishing meals. Limit caffeine, alcohol, or sugar spikes that can exacerbate jitters. (Some preliminary evidence also suggests omega-3 fatty acids can play a modest role.)
Set boundaries: In high-pressure seasons, it’s tempting to cancel breaks, blur work/life lines, or skip self-care. But overextending leads to burnout, which worsens anxiety.
Micro breaks & “time-outs”: Take short resets. 5 minutes to stretch, breathe, step outside. ADAA and other mental health bodies recommend scheduling time-outs as a deliberate self-care habit.
These may feel basic, but often they’re the scaffolding that lets more advanced tools work.
These five strategies are not a replacement for clinical treatment. If anxiety becomes overwhelming or persistent, professional support from a psychologist, therapist, or physician is recommended. Psychological treatments (especially CBT) have a strong evidence base for anxiety disorders.
However, for the everyday high-pressure times, those months or quarters when the stakes feel high, these tools can provide you with more breathing room. They don’t deny reality; they help you hold it together without dissolving into worry.
You might try combining them: after recognizing a thought (step 1), take a 2-minute grounding break (step 2), postpone deep worry to “worry time” (step 3), call someone if needed (step 4), and maintain your sleep/nutrient baseline (step 5). Over time, you’ll likely notice the difference, where you experience more clarity, less tunnel vision, and more agency.
