9 Proven Techniques to Reduce Anxiety and Stop Intrusive Thoughts

Anxiety is one of the biggest problems of the modern age. When we speak about clinical anxiety disorders, we’re referring to about 15–20% of the population who will experience one or more forms of anxiety disorder during their lives.

Even those who don’t meet the criteria for a clinical diagnosis can still suffer from anxiety. It’s important to remember that anxiety and fear also have an important role to keep us alive and protect us from danger.

What can we do about anxiety, intrusive thoughts, and fears? First and foremost, it’s wise to consult a professional, ideally someone experienced in treating anxiety. Beyond that, following are some general tools that may be helpful:

1. Make it worse — on purpose.

The more we try to control or suppress an anxious or scary thought, the stronger it gets. Try exaggerating the thought deliberately, and notice what happens.

This may sound counterintuitive- who wants more anxiety? When we deliberately invite something scary, it starts to feel less threatening, and our bodies begin to get used to the sensation. Think about your first skydive (even with an instructor): you’re terrified in the plane, screaming on the way down, but after a minute, you open your eyes and start enjoying it. Your brain realizes it’s not actual danger, and begins to calm down.

2. Repeat yourself until even you get bored.

Take the thought that’s bothering you and repeat it slowly and softly for 20 minutes. Eventually, even your brain will get bored and want to move on.

This technique, sometimes referred to as “flooding,” isn’t recommended for highly anxious people, but for mild fears or obsessive thoughts, it can be surprisingly effective, especially when combined with relaxation exercises. Eventually, your brain decides that thought is no longer worth its time.

3. Stop fighting your thoughts.

We all have strange or scary thoughts now and then, and everyone occasionally imagines failure, disasters, or loss.

Remember the times your kids (or someone else’s) ran around screaming during playtime, and you thought for a second, “I want to throw them out the window.” Scary? Yes. Real? No. We all have dark or weird thoughts that don’t mean anything. In therapy, we may even ask clients to close their eyes and imagine doing the thing they fear the most. Strangely, this often helps reduce its power.

4. Turn it into a Hollywood movie.

Take your fear and turn it into an absurd, over-the-top plotline. The more ridiculous it gets, the less scary it becomes. If you're afraid of fainting in an elevator, take the story further: you faint, the elevator gets stuck, they call in a SWAT team to rescue you, the traffic in the city freezes, and the government discusses your case in a press conference. Sounds absurd? That’s the point. It makes the fear less believable.

5. Recognize false alarms.

Not every heartbeat or headache is a sign of a heart attack or stroke. Your body operates all the time, regardless of your anxiety. Learn to interpret physical symptoms realistically. If you let your body do its job without interference, most of the time nothing bad will happen.

6. Schedule worry time.

Why worry all day? In the same way that you schedule work or errands, schedule your anxiety for 4:00 PM when you allow yourself to worry and brainstorm solutions. Until then? Focus on other things. Odds are, by 4:00 you won’t even remember the problem.

7. Breathe deeply.

When things feel overwhelming, stop and take slow, deep breaths. People tend to dismiss this simple trick, but when anxiety surges, sometimes all you need is to pause, inhale, exhale, and reset.

8. Reclaim time.

When you’re anxious, time feels frozen, and one minute can feel like an hour. Ask yourself: What will I think of this moment a week, a month, or a year from now? Usually, the answer is: “I’ll be focused on something else entirely.”

9. Don’t let anxiety stop your life.

Worries and anxiety are real, but they don’t need to prevent you from living, enjoying, or exploring the world. What can anxious people do? Pretty much everything.

Not every technique will suit everyone. Some can benefit just by reading these strategies, while many of us need someone to support and guide us through the difficult moments. Anxiety may feel limiting, but it can be overcome.

The most effective treatment for anxiety is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)- give it a try if you need support!

Orly Samira is a couples counselor and CBT psychotherapist.