Feeling anxious? Here’s how to lower your heart rate quickly

Stress & Anxiety

Aug 26

Written By Calm Editorial Team

Clinically reviewed by Dr. Chris Mosunic, PhD, RD, MBA

Anxiety isn't just in your mind, it can affect your body, too. Explore why anxiety can get your heart pumping and how mindfulness can help lower your heart rate.

Think of your heart like a built-in dashboard for your emotions. When stress or worry shows up, your pulse is often the first thing to signal it. You could be having a perfectly normal day when a terse email from your boss triggers you, and suddenly your pulse is hammering.

Science points to the fight-or-flight response as one of the key reasons for increased heart rate during moments of anxiety, which is simply biology doing its job, preparing you to act. But when that response is triggered too often, it can leave you feeling drained and unsettled. But here’s the silver lining — learning how to lower your heart rate isn’t just about calming your body, it’s also one of the fastest ways to quiet your mind.

Mind-body practices like breathwork and mindfulness are proven tools for decreasing your heart rate, giving you a natural way to reset your system in real time. By gently shifting your attention to your breath or the sensation of your feet on the ground, you’re telling your body that it doesn’t need to stay on high alert.

Here’s why mindfulness can help with a high heart rate and how you can use it to also lessen anxiety.

Can anxiety affect your heart rate?

Oftentimes, when you feel anxious, your body activates its "fight-or-flight" response, which is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. This response releases stress hormones like adrenaline that prepare your body to react quickly to danger (even if the threat isn’t dangerous).

As a result, your heart beats faster to pump more blood and oxygen to your muscles and brain. This is why anxiety often causes a noticeable increase in heart rate, along with sensations like pounding, racing, or skipped beats.

This doesn’t always happen with chronic anxiety or for people with an anxiety disorder, where anxiety may exist like a constant hum in the background. In those cases, the body might feel stable until a stressor—like a missed deadline, a terse email from your boss, or a tantruming child—pushes you into a state of high stress with the body responding accordingly.

Why mindfulness can help decrease a high heart rate

When your heart is pounding and your thoughts are spinning, the advice to “just be present” can feel almost laughable. But mindfulness isn’t just about acting calm — it’s a practice to help teach your body that you’re safe.

Here’s the science: mindfulness activates the parasympathetic nervous system, the body’s natural “rest-and-digest” mode, and the biological brake to fight-or-flight. By focusing on something simple—your breath, a sound, the feeling of your feet on the floor—you send a signal that there’s no need to stay on high alert.

Think of it less as instant chill and more as a pattern interruption. Even something small, like lengthening your exhale, can slow your heart rate and lower stress hormones. And mindfulness doesn’t require silence, stillness, or a meditation cushion. You can do it in line at the store, on a walk, or lying awake at 2am.

The point isn’t to do it perfectly — it’s to pause and offer your body and mind a new script to follow.

How to lower your heart rate: 10 tips for calming anxiety and your heart

When your heart’s racing and your thoughts are spiraling, it can help to have a calming practice in your back pocket that you can do any time, anywhere. And luckily, mindfulness tools are available to you no matter what situation you’re in.

Here are 10 ways you can mindfully lower your heart rate when you’re feeling anxious.

1. Try box breathing

This type of breathwork helps regulate both your breath and your heart rate. To practice, inhale for four counts, hold for four counts, exhale for four counts, and hold for four counts. Then repeat for 1–3 minutes.

You can do this silently anywhere your anxiety strikes — at your desk, in the bathroom at a party, or while commuting.

2. Extend your exhale

Longer exhales help activate your parasympathetic nervous system. A simple pattern you can try is inhaling for four seconds and then exhaling for six or more seconds.

Try doing this for 3–5 rounds as it can make your body feel safer and more grounded.

3. Ground yourself with the 5–4–3–2–1 technique

Bring yourself back into your body by naming five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can feel, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.

This sensory awareness exercise is a gentle way to anchor yourself in the present moment, no special tools needed.

4. Place a hand on your chest or belly

Physical touch can be soothing, especially over your heart or stomach.

Place one hand on your chest and breathe slowly. You might notice your heart beating fast at first, but stay with it. That awareness typically fades as your body settles into it.

5. Take a mindful pause

Give yourself permission to do nothing for a full minute. Just breathe and be still.

You could even say a simple phrase to yourself, like “I am here” or “This moment is enough,” to help anchor your focus.

💙 Take a moment to rest and reset by listening to The Pause with Jeff Warren

6. Move your body

Light movement can help discharge anxious energy.

You might try going for a short walk, stretching your arms overhead, rolling your shoulders slowly, or shaking out your hands.

7. Change your position

Shifting your posture, especially uncrossing your legs and relaxing your shoulders, can help reset your nervous system.

If you’ve been sitting or lying down, stand up and stretch. If you’ve been standing, try sitting with your feet firmly planted.

8. Try a calming visualization

To help regulate your nervous system, picture yourself somewhere safe or peaceful, using all of your senses.

Ask yourself what the air smells like, what you can hear, and feel the imaginary ground beneath your feet.

9. Use temperature to your advantage

If you’re feeling hot or flushed from anxiety, hold something cold like a drink or a frozen pack. You could also splash your face with cool water.

This can help slow your heart rate through a mechanism called the mammalian dive reflex.

10. Talk to yourself the way you’d talk to a friend

Validation can calm your inner critic and help you move through anxiety with more self-compassion.

The next time you feel your heart racing, say to yourself, “I’m noticing my heart’s beating fast, and that’s okay,” or “I’ve felt this before, and it passed. It’ll pass again.”

💙 Keep your inner critic at bay by listening to Tara Brach’s Radical Self-Compassion series.

How to lower heart rate FAQs

Why does my heart race for no reason?

Many times, it can feel like your heart is racing for no reason. But your body could be reacting to subtle stress signals or low-lying anxiety. Poor sleep, dehydration, low blood sugar, and even scrolling through overwhelming news can all tell your nervous system to go into high alert.

It can also happen when your system’s on edge, and as a result, it doesn’t take much to push it over. When this happens, this is usually just your body trying to protect you.

Can mindfulness help lower heart rate?

Mindfulness can help lower your heart rate. Techniques like breathwork, grounding, and body scans have been shown to activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which slows your heart rate and helps regulate stress responses.

Practicing mindfulness can be as simple as noticing your feet on the ground or taking a few deep breaths after you brush your teeth. Little moments like this can help remind your body that it’s not in danger.

What are some tips for decreasing your heart rate?

A good way to decrease your heart rate is to slow your breathing, especially your exhale. This signals safety to your nervous system. Other useful tools are:

Practicing the 5–4–3–2–1 technique by naming five things you can see, four things you can hear, three things you can feel, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.
Placing a hand over your chest to create a sense of connection and calm.

Changing your body position by uncrossing your legs and relaxing your shoulders.
Getting some fresh air by going for a brief walk.
Engaging your senses by holding something cold.

How can I lessen my anxiety by lowering my heart rate?

Anxiety and elevated heart rate often reinforce each other. This is because when your brain senses a threat, your heart races. Then your racing heart convinces your brain that something must be wrong. But the good news is that lowering your heart rate can help disrupt this cycle.

Some ways to do this are slowing your breathing, moving gently, and bringing your attention back to your body. All of these actions can create just enough space for your thoughts to soften.

Is it bad to have a high heart rate while resting?

An occasional spike during rest, especially when you’re anxious or overtired, is usually not dangerous. But if your resting heart rate is consistently elevated, it could be worth talking to a healthcare provider. Chronic stress, certain medications, and underlying conditions could be playing a role.

With that said, bodies do fluctuate. So pay attention more to the broader pattern of how often it happens and what might be triggering it.

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Calm Editorial Team