As	we’ve	seen,	good	sleep	hygiene	is	perhaps	the	most	impactful	way	to
improve	mood	and	anxiety.	A	regular	nightly	wind-down	ritual	cues	the
brain	to	calm	and	switch	into	sleep	mode.	Make	that	a	goal,	starting	with
a	regular	bedtime.	Identify	which	sleep	aid	techniques	discussed
previously	you	will	incorporate	into	your	wind-down	habit.	It’s	essential
to	do	the	routine	consistently	and	at	roughly	the	same	time	each	night.
After	a	week,	journal	about	how	you	feel	physically	and	emotionally
compared	to	last	week.	Do	you	feel	any	more	positive	about	your	ability
to	cope?	Have	you	experienced	even	slightly	less	physical
tension/anxiety	this	week?	Could	you	continue	this	for	another	week?
Everyday
	
Body	Awareness
When	we’re	anxious,	one	worried	thought	replaces	another	and	another.	This
can	keep	us	so	stuck	that	even	a	few	moments	away	from	anxiety	feels
impossible,	but	it	is	possible	to	short-circuit	anxious	thinking	by	shifting	our
attention	to	our	physical	sensations.
Try	this:	Imagine	looking	at	the	sky	and	focusing	intently	on	one	small
black	cloud.	Now	pull	back	your	perspective	so	you	take	in	the	entire	sky,
horizon	to	horizon.	From	that	perspective,	the	black	cloud	loses	its