3-3-3 Technique for Anxious Feelings

By Mila McManus, MD

Are you feeling pressed?  Are anxious thoughts preventing you from making the most of the present moment? Does your mind easily wander off to worrying about things you can’t control?  Give this 3-3-3 technique a try to bring you back into the present and increase your mindfulness. It’s simple and useful for all ages, and repeatable until you feel calm and back in the present moment.

The Technique: Look, Listen, Move

When you feel pressed, agitated, or anxious:

• Look for three things you can see. Observe their details, colors, shapes, and uniqueness.
• Listen for three sounds you can hear. Listen for both obvious, louder sounds, such as the air conditioner, and more subtle ones like crickets or the sound of silence.
• Move three parts of your body. For example, wiggle your toes, roll your shoulders, and take a deep breath, paying attention to each sensation.

How the Technique Works

The 3-3-3 technique interrupts the flow of anxious thoughts.  It also grounds you back into the present moment. We only have so much attention to give to any moment. If we divert that attention to what we can see, hear, and experience in our body, the anxious feelings are denied attention and will decrease.

Calming the autonomic nervous system’s fight or flight mode is mission-critical to good physical and mental health. The 3-3-3 technique engages the senses, promotes mindfulness, calms the stress response, turns off your triggers, and relieves muscle tension.  

Look, listen, and move. Be well.

Reference:

https://www.verywellmind.com/3-3-3-rule-for-anxiety-8660964

The Woodlands Institute for Health & Wellness - Mila McManus MD

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