Exercises to cultivate curiosity

Anxiety often keeps us stuck in unwanted habits. This mindfulness practice allows you to calm your racing thoughts by tuning into your embodied consciousness.

After years of researching how habits work in the brain and how mindfulness can help, we’ve found that curiosity is a simple tool that helps people drop directly into embodied experience, regardless of language, culture, or background. Curiosity allows us to tap into our natural capacity for wonder and interest, putting us in a sweet spot of openness and engagement. From this state of mind, we have more power to break old habits and build new ones.

Here are some simple exercises to get you curious. This two-minute practice acts as a kind of panic button when you’re feeling anxious.

Step 1:

Find a quiet and comfortable place. You can sit, lie down, or stand up. All you need is the ability to concentrate without distractions.

Step 2:

A habit loop is a habit you fall back into when you’re worried or anxious.

Focus on what felt right at the time you were about to perform the habitual action, and see if you can recall the scene and relive the experience. What was the urge to go ahead and “give it a go”?

Step 3:

Check with your body. What feeling are you feeling most strongly right now?

Below is a list of single words or phrases you can choose from. Please choose only the one you feel most strongly about.

Pressure Pressure Contraction Restlessness Breathing Shallow Burning Tension Tension Clenching Heat in the pit of the stomach Buzzing/vibrations

Step 4:

Notice where this sensation is in your body. Is it on the right side or on the left side? Is it in the front, middle or back of the body? Where do you feel it most strongly?

Also, have you noticed anything when you are wondering which part of your body has sensations? Did being a little curious help you get closer to this feeling?

Step 5:

Explore what else you can feel in your body. If that feeling is still in your body, be curious and see if you can notice what else is out there. Are there any other sensations you are feeling? What happens if you become interested in them? Will they change? What if you really want to know how they feel?

Step 6:

Follow them for the next 30 seconds. Don’t try to do anything to them or do anything to them, just observe them. Will something change if we observe with curiosity?

Whenever I do this exercise, I like to use the “hmmm” sound. In other words, it’s the ummm sound you make naturally when you’re interested in something (not to be confused with the traditional mantra “Om”). Saying “hmm” to yourself will help you get out of your head and experience your curiosity firsthand. You can also bring a playful and even fun attitude to what you do. It’s hard to take yourself too seriously when you’re thinking hmmm.

This short exercise is designed to support your natural ability to be curious and aware of what’s going on in your body and mind at any given time, rather than getting caught in a habit loop. If you notice that your curiosity allows you to feel even one microsecond more of your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations than you ever have before, you’ve taken a big step.

Sometimes I get asked, “What happens if I’m not interested?” My answer is to use the “hmmm” sound and put it directly into your experience. Ask yourself, “Hmm, what does it feel like to not be curious?”

This helps people move from thinking, a fixed state of mind to a curious awareness of the immediate sensations and emotions of their body, moving away from the thinking head and into the feeling body.

Find detailed information and science-backed practices for dealing with anxiety with the Unwinding Anxiety app.