Learning how to deal with anxiety is an important way to get through difficult challenges. If you are anything like me, you are now moving towards finding ways to cope with your anxiety in a more healthier way. As someone who has experienced anxiety myself, I will be sharing 15 tips that I have found extremely helpful.
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You will learn about anxiety, types of anxiety, as well as long term and short term strategies for how to deal with anxiety.
After reading all about these super helpful tips, you will better understand how to choose healthier ways of responding when you are anxious.
This post is all about how to deal with anxiety.
What is Anxiety?
According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America: "Anxiety is a biological reaction—the body’s way of telling us something isn’t right. But if anxiety becomes overwhelming and persistent, or if it interferes with regular daily activities, or even makes them impossible, it may be an anxiety disorder."
What are the types of anxiety disorders?
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Persistent and excessive anxiety and worry about various domains, including work and school performance, that the individual finds difficult to control.
Social Anxiety
The individual is fearful or anxious about or avoidant of social interactions and situations that involve the possibility of being scrutinized.
Specific Phobia
Individuals with specific phobias are fearful or anxious about or avoidant of circumscribed objects or situations.
Separation Anxiety
The individual with separation anxiety disorder is fearful or anxious about separation from attachment figures to a degree that is developmentally inappropriate.
Panic Disorder
The individual experiences recurrent unexpected panic attacks and is persistently concerned or worried about having more panic attacks or changes in his or her behavior in maladaptive ways because of the panic attacks.
Agoraphobia
The individual is fearful and anxious about two ore more of the following situations: using public transportation; being in open spaces; being in enclosed places; standing in life or being in a crowd; or being outside of the home alone in other situations.
Other Types of Anxiety
- Selective Mutism
- Substance/Medication-Induced Anxiety Disorder
- Anxiety Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
Disclaimer:
While the advice in this article may be useful for managing anxiety, seek the advice of your doctor or mental health professional with any questions you may have regarding your mental health and/or mental illness. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website!
How to deal with anxiety
5 Ways to Deal With Anxiety: Short Term Strategies
1. Journaling
Journaling is a great way to cope with anxiety. The beauty of journaling is that there isn't much you need to get started, and it has tremendous benefits. Most people get overwhelmed with the idea of journaling every day. You can journal WHENEVER you want to. I would recommend sticking to a schedule as a way to remain consistent, but other than that, you decide if you're going to journal once a week or every other day, or every day.
When you are anxious, one benefit of journaling right away is that you get to write out your worries on paper. When we are anxious about something, chances are we are ruminating about what could happen. You want to challenge the thoughts you are having, and by writing them down, you can dissect each thought as it comes, which will help you get to the root of the problem.
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2. Listen to Music
Listening to music is a powerful coping tool when you are anxious. Think of a song that makes you happy. I mean, like makes you want to get up and dance happily. I would recommend having a playlist created ahead of time, so when you are anxious you have it handy right away. Studies suggest that music has been found to help with numerous mental health disorders.
My two favorite ways of listening to music are my MP3 player and Alexa. When I am anxious, I find that having my phone on me does not help. I spiral down to unhealthy coping strategies and have a more challenging time taking that 'pause.' The MP3 player allows me to listen to music without any distractions, which I need. If you are someone who does not mind using their phone, go for it. I find it easier to avoid my phone.
I also found that Alexa can be a great tool for you. From having our playlist remembered to telling you a joke, Alexa has you covered. Sometimes when you are anxious, you may find it easier to say, 'Alexa, play my calm playlist on Spotify.' Either way, you have to find what works best for YOU!
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3. Aromatherapy
This has to be BY FAR my favorite relaxation strategy. I learned this tip during my internship year from my supervisor, and it was a game-changer. Aromatherapy can be a great way to use your senses and reduce your anxiety. It is the practice of using essential oils. As you inhale the oil, it helps stimulate your Central Nervous System, reducing your anxiety.
As I was working with clients, I had a realization that most of us do not stop during our day just to take a breather or small intentional break. This build-up personally left me feeling overwhelmed and tired. We had a small room where we had the lavender diffuser. I would spend 5-10 minutes in that room (with intention) and would start to feel much better.
At home, I like to use Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Pillow Mist which helps me sleep. You may choose to use diffusers, sticks, or oils directly. Depending on the type of skin you have, you should consult with an integrative medicine expert.
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4. Grounding Exercise
There are SO many grounding exercises and you can find what works best for you when learning how to deal with anxiety. A popular exercise I practice with my clients is the grounding exercise below. When you are anxious, it helps to bring your awareness to the present moment, and diverting your focus to what is around you. It is a pretty simple exercise.
All you have to do is look are you and tell yourself:
5 Things you can see
4 Things you can hear
3 Things you can touch
2 Things you can smell
1 Thing you can taste
5. Watch a Funny Video
This short-term strategy is usually my to-go. Watching a short episode of Friends, The Office, or Hera Pheri (a Bollywood movie) is something I have on my playlist when I am anxious.
Select 3-5 things you enjoy watching and create your playlist. Remember to keep it light and funny. We want these videos to help reduce your anxiety.
How to Deal with Anxiety
10 Ways to Deal With Anxiety-Long Term Strategies
1. Exercise
Movement is medicine. I am a true believer in this. 30 minutes of daily exercise can help with overall wellness. When we are mentally not feeling so great, it is easy not to take care of our physical health. However, small and consistent changes can lead to BIG shifts in your day.
Studies show that exercise can have the same benefits as medication. As with any strategy, this might be true for one person and not work the same way for another person. However, that does not reduce the effectiveness of this strategy.
Fitness Tips:
2. Meditation
The traditional practice of mindful meditation involves sitting in comfortable positions, focusing on your breathing, and bringing your attention to the present moment. However, there are SO many ways you can do this now.
Just a few minutes a day of meditation can help reduce your anxiety and stress. You can practice when you are walking, in class, at home, really anywhere that you find you need a meditation break. You can follow a guided mediation on YouTube, repeat an affirmation while meditating, observing the flow of breath, or even practice yoga as a way to get started.
If you are a beginner like I am, it is entirely okay to practice just for a few minutes. Typically, when people think of meditation, they believe they have to sit for hours in one position, leading to them not even trying. Start with 1 minute and see how it feels. As you continue to practice, you will learn to increase your practice time.
Mayo Clinic has a great article on this to get you started.
3. Focus on what you can control
When you are anxious, you may find yourself ruminating on what could go wrong. This tip is a good way to get some perspective. Whenever my client is overly anxious about something, we go over what they do control and what they do not control. When they see it on paper, they can see all the things they would like to control but just can't. This can really help with reducing anxiety.
Focusing on what you can control allows you to understand the difference between rumination and problem-solving, helping you create a relatively realistic plan.
4. Identify your triggers
To reduce your anxiety, you have to understand what your emotional triggers are.
Tips to identifying your triggers:
- 1Journal: Tracking your patterns as a way to understand what triggers you is a great way to be prepared for reducing your anxiety the next time you are anxious.
- 2Work with a therapist: A therapist is a trained mental health professional who may be able to help you identify what your triggers are. You may not have the necessary tools required, but your therapist will.
- 3Track your steps: What happened up until you started to get anxious. Write it down. Tracking your steps is a great way to narrow down what might have triggered your anxiety.
It is also helpful to understand the signs of anxiety, and ways of coping with anxiety.
5. Eat healthy and regularly
A healthy diet can lead to long-term well-being. Of course, this is not a substitute for treatment. However, choosing healthier alternatives and lifestyle changes to other areas of wellness can help with your overall health.
Eat a healthy breakfast, choose more vegetables and fruits. Try not to be so restrictive in what you eat. It is important to have a balanced diet and moderation with everything you eat.
It is helpful to journal what you eat to see what foods help you feel better and what do not. When I first started journaling, I realized I was consuming many more sugary items than an average person's needs. I started monitoring my sugar intake and testing if that made a difference to my mental health. It would help if you chose to work with a nutritionist to get started.
6. Get enough sleep
This tip is an extremely undervalued strategy when learning how to deal with anxiety. In a world where we have access to information at the tip of our fingers, we sacrifice sleep to accommodate things that make your anxiety worse.
Having a good bedtime routine helps create structure before sleeping. For example, putting your phone away at 9:00 p.m., reading a book, or listening to music before you fall asleep are all good ways to help your body realize- okay, it is time to go to sleep.
Read: Deep Sleep May Help Treat Anxiety
7. Limit caffeine intake
This one is hard for many people. Caffeine intake is a part of most people's daily routine. We don't think about how it may be worsening our anxiety or even think of making the connection.
I used to be someone who consumed 2 cups of coffee daily. I noticed with my second cup that I would usually have my heart racing, making my anxiety worse. I realized it was not necessarily the second cup that was the problem, but rather the amount of caffeine in it (over 200 mg per cup. YIKES).
Everything in moderation! Remember? A cup of coffee from Starbucks vs. a home-brewed coffee has different doses of caffeine. Firstly, I switched to home-brewed coffee, and secondly, I stopped consuming that second cup after my doctor's recommendation. It made a big difference for me.
Notice your caffeine intake. Do you feel more or less anxious when you drink coffee?
8. Talk to someone
Sometimes our anxiety is a lot more complicated than we think. It is completely normal and recommended you talk to a mental health professional who can help you work through some of your anxiety.
If you cannot afford therapy, look into sliding scale therapy, subscription therapy services, your local mental health clinic, or non-profits.
TO FIND A THERAPIST:
9. Fix you posture
When we are anxious or depressed, all we want to do is curl up like a ball and stay in bed. Sometimes just sitting up straight, fixing your posture, and taking a couple of deep breaths can help you deal with anxiety.
I am a fan of the popular show Grey's Anatomy. In the show, Amelia Shepard does a Superhero post before her surgery. I now use it for myself. It is helpful to me.
10. Find a support group
I saved the best tip for last. When we get to see that other people are also going through, what we go through, it helps with reducing our anxiety. It helps us realize that we are not alone and it is okay to rely on someone for support.
This post was all about how to deal with anxiety
References:
American Psychiatric Association. (2021). DSM-5: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. Generic.
What Is Anxiety. (n.d.). Https://Adaa.Org/. https://whatisanxiety.adaa.org/
Warren, M. (2016, December 19). The Impact of Music Therapy on Mental Health | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness. Https://Www.Nami.Org/Home. https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/December-2016/The-Impact-of-Music-Therapy-on-Mental-Health
Exercise for Stress and Anxiety | Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA. (n.d.). Https://Adaa.Org/. https://adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/managing-anxiety/exercise-stress-and-anxiety
Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress. (2020, April 22). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858
Sandoiu, A. (2019, November 6). Deep sleep may help treat anxiety. Https://Www.Medicalnewstoday.Com/. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326926#Sleep-as-a-clinical-recommendation
