When It's Hard to Become Calm

Deep Breathing : Put your hands on your stomach and breathe in for 7 seconds, hold for 5 seconds, and breathe out for 10 seconds as you feel your stomach rise and fall. Breathe as slowly as you can.

The 5-4-3-2-1 Game : Out loud, state 5 things you feel; 4 things you see; 3 things you smell; 2 things you hear; and one thing you smell. Repeat as needed.

Physical Grounding : Feel how the ground feels under your feet, how the chair you are sitting on feels, and do a general body scan. If it's hard, try squeezing and relaxing your toes or fingers--it'll give your something less static to think about.

Meditation : I can't meditate on my own, so I always use guided meditations. UCLA has a great series of short meditations, and Wellbeing has awesome longer meditations.

Run : Get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes, and you'll feel better afterwards. Guaranteed.

Vinyasa Yoga : Okay, so maybe you hate running. Find a vinyasa flow you like (I'm a fan of going back and forth from downward dog to upward dog) and go for it in a quiet space.