9 Helpful Coping Skills to Try When You’re Feeling Anxious
Experiencing occasional stress and anxiety is a natural part of life. It’s completely normal and it happens to everyone. However, when these emotions start getting in the way of the things we enjoy and the essential tasks at hand, they can start to affect our day-to-day and overall well-being.
Anxiety can be exhausting. Our minds are constantly worrying, overthinking, and overanalyzing with no end to the spiral in sight. Cultivating coping skills for anxiety helps us to navigate and manage anxious thoughts and feelings when they arise.
What Causes Anxiety?
Anxiety can be triggered by stressful situations ranging from a breakup, a new baby, or a family loss to everyday stressors like a hard day at work, a social event, or taking a test. Childhood experiences and genetics contribute as well. For example, if your parents had high expectations or your home felt unsafe, you may feel more anxious as an adult.
Anxiety can manifest emotionally, mentally, and physically. These are some common things that show up when we are feeling anxious. It's important to note that everyone may experience anxiety differently, and some symptoms might feel more intense than others.
Excessive Worry: Persistent, overwhelming concerns that may not be realistic.
Physical Tension: Muscle tension, clenching, trembling, or feeling on edge.
Irritability: Easily becoming agitated or irritable.
Sleep Disturbances: Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing restless sleep.
Fatigue: Feeling tired or lacking energy, even with sufficient rest.
Concentration Issues: Difficulty focusing or experiencing mind blanks.
Racing Thoughts: Uncontrollable, rapid thoughts that may contribute to feelings of unease.
Physical Symptoms: Sweating, dizziness, nausea, and other physical discomfort.
Avoidance: Steering clear of situations that trigger anxiety.
Social Withdrawal: Isolating oneself from others due to anxiety.
Anxiety is a normal biological response.
Understanding the biology behind anxiety can shed light on why your body reacts the way it does in stressful situations. When you feel anxious, it's like an alarm goes off in your brain, urging you to pay attention and scan for any potential threats. Sometimes your brain interprets something that is not necessarily a threat as dangerous.
Once the alarm is triggered, a chain reaction begins. When your brain thinks you are in danger, it activates the flight, fight, or freeze response. The body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, readying you for action. Your heart rate increases, your breathing quickens, and your muscles tense up.
Meanwhile, the brain's center for rational thinking may experience reduced activity during heightened stress. This means that when you're under stress, the part of your brain that usually helps you think logically and make thoughtful choices may not work as efficiently. So, when you’re feeling anxious, it is harder to calmly analyze situations and make reasonable decisions.
Here are 9 coping skills for anxiety to try so you can feel more at ease
Grounding Techniques
Grounding techniques are a helpful coping strategy for anxiety because they engage our senses and redirect our focus, providing a sense of immediate relief. These techniques shift our focus from our internal worries and anxious thoughts to our surroundings and bring us back to the present moment. Here are two grounding techniques:
First Grounding Technique: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
5 things you can see: Take a moment to notice 5 things you can see around you. It can be small details or larger objects that you would normally overlook.
4 things you can feel: Pay attention to 4 things you can feel physically, like the texture of your clothing or your feet on the floor.
3 things you can hear: Acknowledge 3 things you can hear. Pay close attention to the sounds you have been tuning out.
2 things you can smell: Name 2 things you can smell or recall two of your favorite scents.
1 thing you can taste: Lastly, focus on 1 thing you can taste. Sometimes it can be helpful to have gum or candy on hand.
Second Grounding Technique: 3-3-3
Name 3 things you see
Identify 3 sounds you hear
Move 3 parts of your body
These techniques should help you get out of your head and into the moment.
2. Switch it up
Making shifts in your environment or sensations can be a helpful strategy for alleviating anxiety. This involves altering how your body feels physically to bring you back into the present moment.
Take a cold or warm shower
Wash your hands or face with cold water
Eat or drink something cold, sour, or spicy
Go outside
Try to think of things that help get you into a different physical state.
3. Get Moving
Another way to ground yourself in your body is to get moving. It doesn’t have to be an intense workout. Moving your body helps you to get into the moment and out of your head. Movement is a great coping strategy for anxiety.
Go for a walk or run
Wiggle your fingers or toes
Play with your pet
Dance
Yoga
Any sort of movement will do it.
4. Mental Exercises
These exercises can help take your mind off uncomfortable thoughts or feelings by shifting your focus.
Choose a category like animals, countries, or famous people, and come up with as many as you can
Name 10 things you see that are a certain color or shape
Count backward from 20 to 0
Often taking your mind off things can help lower your anxiety so that when you are feeling more relaxed, you can look at the issue through a calmer frame of mind.
5. Deep Breathing
Deep breathing exercises can be incredibly beneficial for managing anxiety by promoting relaxation and reducing stress. They work by activating the body's relaxation response, helping to calm the nervous system and alleviate feelings of anxiety. They are also discreet and easy to use anywhere and anytime.
One form of deep breathing is called square breathing or box breathing. To do this, you start by exhaling completely. Then you inhale, hold it, exhale, and hold it – all for a count of four. This is a rhythmic pattern, you can even draw or trace a square as you do this.
Deep breathing is really helpful, but it takes more than one deep breath to feel a difference. This needs to be done for at least 20 seconds in order for it to affect how you are feeling.
6. Imagery or Visualization
Your thoughts can have a powerful impact on how you feel. When we focus on positive or uplifting thoughts, we often experience corresponding positive emotions, while negative thoughts can evoke feelings of sadness or anxiety. Deliberately focusing on positive and calming thoughts can contribute to feeling more relaxed and less anxious.
Imagery and visualization can promote a sense of calm to lower anxiety.
Think of somewhere comforting where you feel safe, relaxed, and content. It could be your bedroom, your favorite vacation spot like a beach or the forest, or maybe it’s a favorite memory you have.
Pay attention to all of your senses while you are visualizing being in this place. What is around you? How do you feel? Who is there? Take some time to take in all the details.
7. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation is a technique that involves intentionally tensing and then releasing your muscles to encourage relaxation and improve your awareness of how tense your body feels when you are anxious. It teaches you to pay attention to if you are clenching your jaw or your shoulders feel tight. Often we do this without even noticing.
To practice this anxiety coping skill, intentionally tense specific muscle groups for about 10 seconds, noticing the sensations. Then, release the tension and focus on the contrasting feeling of relaxation. While isolating individual muscles is one method, it's not necessary; the key is to recognize and differentiate between the tense and relaxed sensations within your body.
8. Challenging Irrational Thoughts
Sometimes our thoughts can intensify anxiety. We tend to think of the worst-case scenarios or focus on unhelpful thoughts that have no evidence to back them up. An example of an unhelpful thought that can increase anxiety is, “I am going to mess up.”
The first step is to recognize these thoughts so we can take a step back from the spiral and challenge anxious thinking patterns. The next step is to start to question these thoughts that are contributing to the anxiety. Choose one thought and ask yourself:
Is this thought a fact, feeling, or an assumption?
Could this thought be an exaggeration of what’s true?
How likely is this to come true or is it a worst-case scenario? What is the evidence that supports or disputes this thought?
What’s another way to look at this?
What would you tell your friend if this happened to them?
Will this matter in a month or a year from now?
Challenging these thoughts helps us to look at them from a different perspective.
9. Journal
Journaling serves as a valuable outlet for managing anxiety by providing a dedicated space for emotional expression, thought clarification, and problem-solving. Through writing, we can untangle complex thoughts, identify triggers, and gain insight into thinking patterns contributing to anxiety. It acts as a tool for self-reflection, fostering greater self-awareness of emotions, behaviors, and personal triggers. It can be helpful in tracking and processing specific triggers and help us in figuring out different ways to handle tough situations.
Practice, Practice, Practice
Take the time to experiment with different coping skills for anxiety and find what works for you. We are all unique, and what works for one person may not for another. Once you find a few that resonate, it is helpful to practice them so they become second nature for times when anxiety surfaces.
How Therapy Can Help Anxiety
Therapy not only teaches you coping strategies for anxiety but also helps you understand and manage the reasons behind it. In therapy, we'll look at the patterns of overthinking and stress that might be holding you back.
Together, we'll learn new coping skills for anxiety to build your confidence and improve your ability to navigate potential challenges ahead without avoiding them altogether. We’ll also explore the root causes of your anxiety by considering factors like your upbringing and develop insight into any unhelpful thinking patterns.
If you are interested in therapy, reach out. Click here to learn more about me and schedule a 20-minute consultation call.