Three Simple Tools to Calm Anxiety and Quiet the Mind

What I’ve taught patients for decades and still practice myself

Dec 16, 2025

Dear friends,

This week, I wanted to offer something simple and practical.

Anxiety and intrusive thoughts are two of the most common struggles I’ve seen in my clinical work over the past six decades. They don’t usually arrive all at once. They build quietly, through pressure, criticism, and a mind that never quite slows down.

In this week’s episode, I walk you through three tools I’ve taught thousands of patients over the years — tools that are effective, free, and available to you anywhere.

We begin with conscious breathing from the abdomen.
Then we add a simple visualization to help the nervous system settle.
And finally, we use focused counting to interrupt intrusive thoughts before they take over.

None of these requires long meditation sessions or special equipment.
They work for 30 to 60 seconds at a time.

What matters most is repetition.
A little something over a long period of time is a lot of something.

You don’t have to push through everything.
A pause can be enough.

If this season feels heavy or scattered, I hope these practices offer you a moment of steadiness and relief.

And if you feel that a quiet, one-on-one conversation might be supportive right now, I am making myself available for a limited number of private sessions. These are calm, practical meetings focused on skills for reducing anxiety, overthinking, and emotional overload. You can find details on my website if you’d like to explore that option.

As always, thank you for being here and for taking care of yourselves in whatever way you can.

Golden light,
Dr. Richard L. Miller'

A Year-End Invitation

As the year comes to a close, I want to make my work more accessible for those who may need it most.

For the final months of 2025, I’m opening a limited number of one-on-one sessions at a reduced rate — $350 for 1 hour (regularly $500) and $200 for 30 minutes (regularly $300).

These are not traditional therapy sessions. They’re practical, compassionate conversations where we explore tools to quiet the mind, ease anxiety, and find calm amidst the noise of daily life.

If you’ve been thinking about reaching out, now is a good time.
Let’s take a quiet moment together to reflect, breathe, and reconnect before the new year begins.

Book Your Session Here

1-minute mind control (my latest book)

Traditional mindfulness and meditation techniques often require a huge investment of your most precious resource (time) without guarantees of results.

My own version of mindfulness—what I sometimes refer to as “mind control”—can be mastered in much less time if you commit to regular 60-90 second practice throughout the day.

Buy the book

Breathing. Witnessing. Changing the channel on negative thoughts.

I’ve honed these techniques over a lifetime of personal and professional practice, and now I’m sharing them with the world.

Get my new book Master Your Mind, and as a thank you for your support, I’ll give you a free 30-day subscription to our premium newsletter and exclusive content. Just reply to this email after you buy it to confirm your purchase.

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After six decades as a practicing psychotherapist, I'm offering limited opportunities to work directly with me. I bring extensive experience addressing anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, addiction, and psychedelic integration.

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