It’s a tall biblical order–be anxious about nothing. About 40 million of us struggle to follow this command.

In my book, Letting Go of Worry, I explain how worry is the mental part of anxiety. To let go of worry involves the mind, body and spirit. Here are some practical tips to help you be anxious about nothing:

1) The opposite of tension is slow breathing so take a deep breath and exhale slowing. Inhale through your nose, hold the breath, then exhale slowly through your mouth. We do this in Pilates and it begins to relax the body.

2) Reach out to someone–have a conversation. Anxiety can be triggered by loneliness. Call someone. Talk to your minister, a counselor or friend. Human connection lowers anxiety.

3) Burn off anxiety through exercise. It works. No matter how uptight you feel, a hard workout calms the body.

4) Learn to soothe yourself. It is important to know how to calm your body. A hot bath works for me. For others it might be a heating pad, massage, cup of hot tea, etc.

5) Use music to calm your soul. Put on a relaxing CD and unwind. Close your eyes and be swept away.

6) Escape through a good novel (or the Bible) or TV show. Both are distracting and give a racing mind a break.

7) Live in the moment. Anxiety is usually about what might happen in the future. Stay in the moment.

For more tips on how to be anxious about nothing, get a copy of Letting Go of Worry (Harvest House, 2011). Click on the link to the right.