When Your Mind Won’t Stop Racing: How To Find Calm In The Now
Anxiety About The Future
Even in the best of times, life offers us many situations where we may experience dread of what is to come. Dread, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, is a strong and overwhelming emotion that makes us feel stuck in our heads. When we get stuck in our heads, everything circles back to fearing dread and we become preoccupied, overwhelmed and ultimately, may have difficulty functioning and carrying out our daily responsibilities.
Uncertainties in our immediate political, financial and social futures abound. Future-focused anxiety is fueled by the belief that something will go wrong in a bigger way than it may already have… even when things may be unchanged for us personally at this very moment. What coping mechanisms may keep you grounded in this very moment - so you can find some peace, where decisions are more clear, and your nervous system can rest?
1. Focus on One Breath at a Time
Anxiety pulls us into imagined futures. The breath pulls us back to the present. Practicing slow, conscious breathing—just 4 seconds in and 6 seconds out—activates your parasympathetic nervous system, lowering heart rate and reducing cortisol. An editorial in Family Medicine reflects on how accessible our breath and breathing is to help us achieve physiologic calm. Just one minute of this practice can restore a sense of calm and control.
2. Acupuncture to Calm the Nervous System
Acupuncture regulates the autonomic nervous system and has been shown in recent research (Medical Acupuncture, 2024) to lower anxiety symptoms by reducing sympathetic (fight-or-flight) activity. At Seyhart, we specifically target points like Yin Tang, Heart 7, and Ear Shen Men to help you feel safe and grounded—even when life feels uncertain.
3. Name the Fear in Writing
When thoughts are spinning, writing them down can give them structure—and reduce their emotional power. Journaling allows your brain to move from panic mode to processing mode, which helps you detach from fear and access clarity.
4. Get Morning Sunlight Exposure
Exposure to early daylight helps regulate your circadian rhythm, improving sleep, mood, and focus—all of which are disrupted by chronic anxiety, in a review of published evidence linking light exposure to mood in Translational Psychiatry, 2017. Just 10 minutes of natural morning light tells your brain it’s safe to wake up and fully engage with today.
5. Eat Warm, Nourishing Meals
In Chinese medicine, cold or raw foods can weaken digestion and make anxiety worse. Cooked meals (like soups, stews, or roasted vegetables) ground your energy, support the gut-brain axis, and provide nutrients needed for neurotransmitter balance. A calm gut supports a calm mind.
6. Do One Thing With Full Attention
Mindfulness doesn’t have to be formal meditation. According to scientists at the Mayo Clinic, you can practice mindfulness by brushing your hair, sipping tea, or walking the dog—as long as you give it your full presence. Being present with even the smallest task pulls you out of future fear and into embodied calm.
7. Limit Time Scrolling or News Watching
Too much time on screens—especially scrolling social media or reading the news—overstimulates your brain, disrupts attention, and reinforces fear-based thought loops. Set limits and give yourself screen-free moments to reconnect with real life and your real body.
8. Practice Grounding Techniques
Try this: place both feet flat on the ground, close your eyes, and say to yourself, “I am safe. I am here. I am okay right now.” This somatic technique teaches your nervous system that the present moment is not a threat—especially helpful when your anxiety feels irrational.
9. Go Outside and Touch the Earth
Take off your shoes, put your hands in soil, or sit under a tree. Nature immersion—even in a city—reduces rumination, lowers blood pressure, and activates areas of the brain associated with calm and empathy.
10. Seek Community or Safe Connection
Anxiety isolates. Connection heals. Even a brief, non-judgmental conversation with a trusted friend, partner, or therapist can reduce stress and bring perspective. Our bodies calm when we feel seen and supported—this is known as co-regulation, and it’s biologically healing.
At Seyhart, We’re Here for You
Our acupuncture treatments are designed to help all who feel stuck in worry, fear, or overthinking. If anxiety about the future is taking away from your joy now, we invite you to come in, lie down, breathe, and let us help your body re-learn how to feel safe.