How to Deal With Anxiety: 13 Ways to Cope
Medically reviewed by Kathleen Daly, MD
People often use the word “anxiety” to describe general feelings of nervousness, unease, or worry. However, there’s a difference between feeling anxious and having an anxiety disorder.
It’s normal to feel anxious during stressful times in life, but if you’re experiencing persistent anxiety that interferes with your daily life, you may have an anxiety disorder.
Though it can be debilitating for some, anxiety is typically manageable or treatable through a variety of short- and long-term interventions. This article will provide several ways to cope with and treat anxiety.
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How to Calm Anxiety Immediately: 5 Skills to Adopt
Anxiety symptoms can be distressing and can adversely impact your life. Though treatment needs will differ from person to person, there are many techniques for coping with anxiety that you can try on your own.
Question Your Thought Pattern
Anxiety often causes worrying thoughts and distressing images that feel intrusive and uncontrollable. One way to stop negative thought patterns is to catch them as they are happening and replace them with positive thoughts or ideas. These positive images don't need to be related to the worrying situation; any positive image can reduce anxiety.
You can also try questioning the validity of your thoughts. Try not to focus on things that are not factual or helpful. As you notice yourself thinking something unkind or untrue, stop and reframe your thoughts toward something more useful.
For example, if you have the thought, "I'm so bad at public speaking," a kinder and more helpful thought replacement could be, "I'm not as skilled at public speaking as I am at other things, but I will set a goal for myself to practice and learn new techniques to improve."
Deep Breathing
Intentional breathing is an effective way to reduce anxiety symptoms in the moment. Deep breathing exercises can be twice as effective: They help minimize stress in the body by encouraging relaxation and serve as a distraction when used as a focal point to interrupt intrusive thoughts.
There are many different kinds of deep breathing exercises. Here is one to try called 4-7-8 breathing:
Find a comfortable position and intentionally relax your muscles.
Close your eyes or soften your gaze.
Take a deep breath in as you expand your belly, counting to four as you inhale.
Hold your breath while counting to seven.
Exhale while contracting your belly and counting to eight.
Continue for as long as desired.
Grounding Techniques
Grounding (or earthing) exercises connect the body to the natural environment. Grounding is a stabilizing factor that can improve sleep, slow heart rates, and reduce stress and anxiety. The easiest way to practice grounding is to spend time outside in the dirt, grass, and other natural environments.
Grounding is most effective when you allow your skin to come into direct contact with Earth's surface, so try taking off your shoes and walking barefoot.
Special equipment can also be used for grounding when it's unsafe or impossible to spend time outdoors.
Exercise
Physical exercise and movement are linked to better mental health and reduced anxiety symptoms. Exercise includes all movements that are routine, structured, and intended to improve health. Though exercise may impact types of anxiety differently, most exercises have a positive effect on symptoms, especially when added to a treatment plan that also includes things like therapy and medication.
Here are some examples of exercises to try:
Aerobic exercises, such as biking, walking, hiking, or swimming
Weight-bearing exercises, such as squats, weight lifting, and push-ups
Stretching exercises, such as yoga, Pilates, or tai chi
Always check with a healthcare provider before starting a new exercise routine.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is a method of using essential oils to encourage relaxation and promote health. Depending on the oil, different oils can be inhaled, used in massage, added to compresses, used in baths, or even consumed. Essential oils have been used for a long time as an alternative medicine, and certain oils have been shown to reduce anxiety. These include:
Rose oil
Lavender
Bergamot
Orange
Lemon
Aromatherapy oils can be purchased over the counter for use at home. Before using aromatherapy, be sure you understand its recommended method of use and never consume an oil without knowing if it's safe. For expert guidance on using aromatherapy, consult an aromatherapist who can help you determine the best oils for your symptoms and offer advice on how to use them.
Long-Term Strategies for Coping With Anxiety
In addition to in-the-moment coping strategies, there are also techniques you can use for managing anxiety symptoms over the long term.
Identify and Learn to Manage Your Triggers
Keeping track of your triggers, or things that bring on or worsen anxiety symptoms will allow you to recognize when they are happening and what causes them. Try keeping a log to track your symptoms. Include what you did before your symptoms started and how long they lasted.
You can also keep track of what relief strategies you tried at the moment and which were most (and least) effective. Once you've logged a few experiences, review them to see if you notice any patterns.
Try Therapy
Working with a mental health provider can be a helpful way to understand your anxiety symptoms and develop a long-term treatment plan. The most commonly used approach to treating anxiety is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
CBT teaches coping mechanisms such as relaxation, problem-solving skills, methods for questioning or stopping unhealthy thoughts, and psychoeducation.
Daily or Routine Meditation
Mindfulness is being aware of the present moment rather than getting stuck in thoughts about the past or worries about the future. You can develop mindfulness through meditation and decrease rumination, worry, and other anxiety symptoms.
Try carving out time each day for meditation. There are many different approaches to try. Here is a simple option to get started:
Sit comfortably with your eyes closed.
Start to focus on your breathing.
As you inhale, label the breath by saying "in breath" silently to yourself.
As you exhale, label it "out breath."
While you do this, you'll start to notice thoughts. Without judgment, notice them, label them "thoughts," and bring your attention back to your breathing.
Do this for as long as you can, building upon the length of time with practice. Remember that meditation is about noticing and intentionally slowing down the body and mind; it's not about clearing your thoughts.
The 3-3-3 Rule for Anxiety
The 3-3-3 rule can help you stop ruminating thoughts and bring you into the present moment. Whenever you feel anxious, look around the room and name three things you see, name three things you hear, and move three parts of your body.
Ask About Medications
For some people, medication serves as a way to help treat severe anxiety symptoms. The most common medications used to treat anxiety disorders are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
These classes of medications are found to be equally effective, though some people may respond better to one over the other. Talk to a healthcare provider to learn more about medications for anxiety.
Change Your Diet and Supplements
Diet can have a significant impact on anxiety. Generally speaking, unhealthy diets that include a lot of processed foods can cause or worsen anxiety symptoms. Healthy diets that are associated with lower levels of anxiety include:
Anti-inflammatory diets
Diets that feature large varieties of foods
The most important factors of these healthy diets are that they include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and minimally processed foods, and they do not include a lot of sugar or refined grains.
Supplements can be a healthy way to add insufficient nutrients to diets. For example, taking an omega-3 fatty acid supplement can improve anxiety if your diet doesn't include enough of it. Always talk to a healthcare provider before taking a supplement, especially if you take medications.
Stay Active
Developing a regular exercise routine can help keep anxiety symptoms at bay over the long term. Try coming up with a plan you can stick to by finding enjoyable activities that fit your budget and are easily accessible. By implementing a plan, it will be easier to follow when anxiety symptoms worsen.
Journal
Journaling is a great way to get anxious thoughts out and keep track of them over time. There are many ways to journal, and no way is right or wrong. Here are some ideas to get started:
Keep a log.
Write about your thoughts, behaviors, and feelings each day.
Write about your activities.
Do a brain dump.
Follow a prompt.
Socialize
Anxiety can make it tempting to isolate, especially when symptoms are at their worst. Staying in touch with friends and loved ones serves as a protective factor against anxiety. Try planning at least one social event per week and following through even as your anxiety increases. To cope with anxiety in the moment, try one of the previously mentioned exercises, such as breathing or grounding techniques.
Attending an anxiety support group online or in person can also be helpful. Support groups can be found online or by asking a mental health provider for recommendations.
Understanding Anxiety Symptoms
Anxiety and panic disorders are both common and can be disruptive and challenging to cope with. Though similar, an anxiety attack is different from a panic attack.
Anxiety Symptoms
There are different kinds of anxiety disorders, each of which has its own set of symptoms. The most common anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, and phobias. Panic disorder is another type of anxiety disorder and is characterized by panic attacks. Anxiety symptoms can differ from person to person and vary depending on the specific disorder. Here are some common symptoms associated with anxiety:
Restlessness
Increased heart rate
Nervousness or shaking
Difficulty concentrating
Feeling tired
Difficulty sleeping
Uncontrollable worry
Panic Attack vs. Anxiety Attack
In contrast to the often ever-present feelings of anxiety, a panic attack usually comes on suddenly and unexpectedly. Panic attacks are characterized by a racing heart, quick and shallow breaths, chest pain, dizziness, and feelings of dread or doom. Someone having a panic attack may think they are dying or have a sensation that they are outside of their own body.
Though anxiety attacks are not diagnosable mental disorders, some people may have an increase in anxiety symptoms in connection with a stressful or triggering event or experience. This acute onset of anxiety symptoms is often described as an anxiety attack.
Summary
There are many techniques you can try for managing and treating anxiety. To cope with anxiety in the moment, try interrupting negative thought patterns with positive ones, deep breathing exercises, grounding techniques, getting exercise, or using aromatherapy. To treat anxiety and manage long-term symptoms, it may be helpful to track your triggers, seek therapy, or talk to a medical provider about medication. Eating a healthy diet, staying active, journaling, and keeping an active social life are also shown to positively affect anxiety.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
