Let’s be honest, anxiety doesn’t care if you’ve got things to do.

It doesn’t wait until you’ve got a quiet moment to “breathe it out”.

It arrives when you’re halfway through the school run, in the middle of a work call or when you’re stood in the kitchen trying to remember why you walked in there.

I know this because I’ve lived it. Not just the stress, but the full-body overwhelm that comes with diagnosed anxiety. I used to think I was just “highly strung” a worrier, someone who liked to be in control. But the truth is, when your nervous system is always on high alert, it’s exhausting… and eventually, something gives.

So what do you do when anxiety shows up and life still expects you to function?

Here’s what’s worked for me and what I wish someone had told me sooner.

1. Ground yourself, literally

When your mind is spiralling, your body needs an anchor.

That might sound a bit fluffy, but it’s really neuroscience.

One of the most effective ways I’ve found to interrupt an anxious response is to hold something. Not a phone. Not a fidget toy. Something tactile and solid that reminds your body you’re safe.

For me, that’s what led to creating ChaluMu, something beautiful I could wear that didn’t scream “mental health tool” but actually helped.

When I start to feel the panic rising, I reach for my necklace and breathe through it. It’s subtle, stylish, and no one needs to know I’m doing it, unless I want to tell them.

2. Change your input

If I’m feeling anxious and the TV’s on, the washing machine is going at full spin (and sounds like it's going to explode), someone’s asking me for a snack (again)  I have to stop.

Just for a moment.

I’ll often walk outside, even if it’s just into the garden, and focus on what I can see. A tree, the clouds, the pattern on my shoes.

It sounds simple, but it shifts your brain from panic-mode to present-mode. When you’re anxious, that shift can be everything.

3. Breathe, but not just any old way

I know, I know. “Just breathe” is what people say when they don’t know what else to offer. But breathwork done properly can calm your nervous system within seconds. The trick is to slow the exhale.

Try this: breathe in for 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 6.

Even better if you can do it through a grounding tool like your necklace, so it gives your body feedback and helps regulate your breath without thinking about it.

4. Speak to yourself how you’d speak to your child or someone else you love.

I used to beat myself up for being “too sensitive” or “not coping” or being "too much"

But anxiety isn’t a failure, it’s a message. Your body’s telling you something and we need to listen to this.

When I’m struggling, I try to say to myself what I’d say to my children:

“You’re okay. I’m here. It’s just a moment and it will pass.”

That shift in self-talk can be surprisingly powerful.

5. Have a plan for when you’re not okay

One of the things that helps me cope is knowing I have tools at the ready.

Whether it’s a quick breathwork technique, a calming scent I keep in my bag or simply knowing I’ve got my necklace around my neck, it helps me feel prepared.

Not cured, not fixed… just supported.

Final thoughts from one anxious woman to another

You don’t have to do it perfectly.

You don’t need to be some glowing zen goddess who floats through life unbothered.

You just need to know that even in the middle of the chaos, you have choices. You can interrupt the pattern. You can calm your body. And you can get through it, even with anxiety.

If you want a calm cue you can carry with you, have a look at our collections of beautiful breathwork necklaces — my personal favourite is the Leopard Print from our Chalumu Savannah Collection (Gold and Leopard print, in my eyes is the perfect combination!), when I need that moment of reset in the middle of a mad day.

You’re not alone, and you’re stronger than you feel right now.

With love,

Natasha

Co-founder of ChaluMu

(Anxiety-prone, but managing it one breath at a time)