Anxiety is the feeling of fear or uneasiness. It can be a normal reaction to stress and can even help you cope or motivate you.
Coping with anxiety can often feel difficult. The good news is there are self-help tools you can use to help manage anxiety.
Take a look at some of the tips below that can help you through times of anxiety.
1. Mindfulness technique to manage anxiety
We can become attached to stressful or worrisome thoughts which can cause us to feel anxious. You can practice managing these anxious thoughts through this mindfulness exercise.
Imagine a street with a stream of cars driving by. Some cars might drive so slowly and quietly that you hardly notice them. Some might be loud, fast and honking the horn, causing you to notice them immediately. We pay more attention to these cars because of how disruptive they are.
Like cars on the road, our stream of thought is similar. Imagine each thought as a car driving by. Some thoughts are quiet, passing by unnoticed. Others are loud and disruptive. These often grab our attention, causing us to feel anxious. When one of these disruptive thoughts enters your mind, practice letting it pass without giving it attention, as if it's just a loud car on the road. Simply notice it driving by, and it will eventually be a spot in the distance.
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Other forms of this mindfulness practice are imagining leaves floating down a stream or clouds in the sky. Whichever imagery you choose, you can use this tool on a regular basis.
Practice letting your thoughts pass by without becoming attached, getting stuck on them, or paying them too much attention. Doing this will allow you to better deal with anxious thoughts.
Learn 10 health benefits of mindfulness and meditation
2. How journaling can help you cope with anxiety
Journaling is a common method to manage anxiety. Writing down what's on your mind can be a therapeutic tool and can help relieve feelings of anxiety. There are many types of journaling for mental health self-care:
Gratitude journaling for anxiety
Practicing gratitude can have very beneficial effects on coping with anxiety. In gratitude journaling, you write about what you are grateful for. You can write in any format you choose, from a bulleted list to a full written page. The goal is to practice thinking about what is going right and focusing on what you are grateful for.
Reflective journaling for anxiety
Like a diary, reflective journaling involves writing about your day or an experience, and the thoughts and feelings you have about it. Reflecting and processing in this way can help let go of thoughts and deal with feelings of anxiety.
Free flow journaling for anxiety
In this type of journaling for anxiety, write down what comes to your mind in the moment. This can be a pleasant thought, a stressful thought or a neutral thought. The goal is to write down your thoughts without judging or analyzing them. Like reflective journaling, this can help to let go of thoughts and cope with anxiety.
3. Give your anxiety a name or a face
Giving your anxiety a name can help you to cope with anxiety when it arises. You can choose any name that resonates with you, though it can be helpful to choose a neutral or even a humorous name.
You can also opt to give anxiety a face or form to help deal with this feeling. You can create a visual in your mind and picture it when you feel anxious. If you like to create art, you can even draw, paint or sculpt what anxiety looks like to you.
Creating a name and a face helps to separate yourself from anxiety. Giving it a name and face can also help change how you relate to anxiety and help manage it when it comes up.
Find out how to know when you need help for anxiety
4. Grounding techniques for dealing with anxiety
Anxiety doesn't only show up in the mind. It's also felt in the body through physical symptoms such as a tight chest or muscle tension. Grounding techniques can help quiet your mind and body. They can help you to deal with the physical symptoms of anxiety that can be just as unpleasant as anxious thoughts. The great news about grounding techniques is that they can be done anywhere and anytime.
Body meditation to help anxiety
Body meditation helps manage anxiety by noticing how you feel in your physical body. Then focus your efforts on relaxing the areas that are tense or tight.
How to do body meditation:
- Start in a neutral position. You can sit, lay down, or stand.
- Next, close your eyes or soften your gaze. Focus on the top of your head or the bottom of your feet.
- From there, work your way up or down your body, paying attention to each part as you make your way through. Notice how each part feels, lingering on places that feel more tense. Do you notice your jaw is clenched or shoulders feel tight? Take a few moments to relax your jaw or drop your shoulders before moving on.
- Move through your body until you have scanned all the way through.
Spend as much time as you like in your body meditation. The practice of noticing how your body feels and relaxing the tense areas can help manage the physical symptoms of anxiety and calm the mind.
Breathing exercise for anxiety
A common physical symptom of anxiety is a tight chest. Breathing exercises can help relieve that tension. Box breathing is an exercise that can help relax a tight chest caused by anxiety.
How to do box breathing:
- Breathe in for 4 seconds
- Hold for 4 seconds
- Breathe out for 4 seconds
- Hold for 4 seconds
- Repeat as many times as you'd like
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This blog was written by Sara Goldsand from the Department of Psychiatry.
