5 Tips for Coping with Anxiety

Anxiety is a normal feeling and common reaction to stressful situations. Everyone experiences feelings of anxiety at some point in their lives, and often on a regular basis. Not all of us, however, are able to cope with anxiety in the same way.

While most people can successfully process anxiety on a regular basis, individuals living with anxiety disorders struggle to cope with their anxious thoughts and feelings. They may even find these feelings so difficult to control that they interfere heavily in their daily lives. When something is interfering with everyday functioning, it’s usually a sign to bring in some extra help. 

What does anxiety feel like?

Anxiety can make you feel tense and nervous, impairing your ability to relax. Sweaty palms, an increased heart rate, and a sense of dread tends to accompany these feelings. You may also find yourself breathing faster or feel unable to sit still. You might feel like you’re fixated on worries that others might consider insignificant, past bad experiences, or situations. You might even fixate on anxiety itself. 

Some individuals experience trouble sleeping, teeth grinding, and stomach problems, while others suffer from headaches, backaches, light-headedness, and various other aches and pains due to their anxiety.

Living with anxiety can be very difficult, but there are steps you can take that might help. Here are a few strategies you can try to cope with anxiety.

Identify what triggers your anxiety

Anxiety can look and feel different depending on the individual. Some of our anxieties are triggered by life stresses, such as work, family, and relationships, while others struggle with situations that cause them stress.

Whatever the case may be, it is important to identify what situations or actions seem to trigger your anxiety. You can identify triggers on your own or with a mental health provider to begin coping with and managing your anxiety.

Journaling

An effective way to start identifying your anxiety triggers is to keep track of your thoughts and emotions in a daily journal. By writing down moments of anxiety and what happens when those moments occur, you can start to identify the causes of your stress and anxiety.

It might also be helpful to track the things going well in your life while journaling instead of focusing only on negative aspects. This can be a helpful reminder when you’re struggling.

Deep Breathing Exercises, Meditation, and Relaxation techniques

Measured breathing exercises can help you cope with and manage immediate feelings of anxiety and feel more in control. There are many breathing exercises one can practice, such as box breathing can help even out your breath, slow your heart rate, and eventually start to calm you down.

Meditation is another effective strategy for coping with anxiety. Although this requires practice and consistency, meditation can help train your brain to manage anxious thoughts as they occur. Meditating can also help those who struggle to sit still and concentrate. Relaxation techniques, like yoga, walking meditation, and visualization can also help to alleviate feelings of anxiety, but they also require practice and consistency to be most effective.

Socialize

For those with anxiety disorders, anxious thoughts and feelings can become so overwhelming that they begin to affect their personal and daily lives. This can eventually lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation, especially for those living with social anxiety disorder. However, it is important to not allow your anxious feelings and worries to isolate you from loved ones and the activities you enjoy. Spending time with friends and family not only decreases feelings of loneliness, but can also help manage feelings of anxiety.

Talking to a loved one or someone you trust about your issues with anxiety can also go a long way in providing relief. Even if they don’t know how to help, having someone there to listen to you and what you’re going through while showing they care can ease feelings of anxiety or stress and also decrease perceived feelings of loneliness or isolation.

Talk to a professional

If you believe your anxiety is too severe to manage on your own, there are a variety of professional services that can help you better understand your anxious feelings and develop effective coping strategies for the future. 

A good place to start is with your current doctor. Your primary health care provider can help you approach treatment and find solutions to help you feel better. They can suggest treatments that work best for you, like medication or a referral to work with a therapist. 

If you’re looking to learn new ways to cope with anxiety, working with a therapist can help. Our therapists at Anchor Counseling New York can help you explore coping skills that work for your situation. Our therapists are accepting new clients - schedule an appointment today to get started. 

Blog authors all hold positions at Anchor Counseling. For more information about our therapists and services please contact us.