One of our favourite mindfulness exercises is to pick a word, any word, and then see what items you can find in your immediate surroundings that begin with each letter of that word. Say, for example, you’re on the bus. You might choose the word BUS to begin with, and you might see a Bug, an Umbrella, and a Suitcase. It’s essentially a reverse game of eye-spy where you pick the letter first and then look for objects. It doesn’t matter at all what word you choose, or what items you find starting with that letter, in fact it can make it more fun and absorbing if you decide to get a bit creative – perhaps try using whole phrases, or tricky letters of the alphabet like X, Y, Z. It’s also a great one to play with other people. However you decide to play, you’ll often find that using your brain power to focus on something other than your thoughts eases your anxiety significantly.