You know that feeling: the knot twisting in your stomach or pounding in your chest while your thoughts race uncontrollably and dread washes over you. Anxiety takes over your body and mind, turning everyday moments into obstacles where you’re convinced something bad is going to happen.
Whether it’s dread during big life events, social anxiety, or panic in everyday situations, you’re not alone. If you’re looking for ways to reduce anxiety immediately, there are some practical anxiety treatment tools you can apply — no matter what triggered it.
Coping Skills for Anxiety: Evidence-Based Approaches
Let’s jump into options to help you find peace and help ease anxiety when it gets especially challenging.
1. Breathing Techniques for Anxiety Relief
When you’re feeling anxious, the first thing that goes haywire is often breathing. There are a few methods you can try:
- Box Breathing: Breathe in (count 1-2-3-4), hold it (1-2-3-4), breathe out (1-2-3-4), wait (1-2-3-4). Repeat. Your body can’t stay in panic mode when you focus on regulating your breathing like this.
- 4-7-8 Breathing: Breathe in through your nose (count to 4), hold your breath (count to 7), then exhale through your mouth (count to 8). This one’s an effective method to try before bed.
2. Natural Remedies for Anxiety Management
If you’d like to explore easy-to-use options that are holistically beneficial, you can try research-backed supplement helpers like magnesium, L-theanine, and lavender oil, which all have calming properties. Before trying this, however, be sure to check with your doctor in case anything counteracts with any existing medicines you’re taking.
Another great stress reliever is exercise. You can keep it simple: a walk around your block or a 10-minute dance party to your favorite playlist. Moving your body is a great way to boost endorphins. Diet changes can also help, like cutting down on caffeine and alcohol. Eating Omega-3-rich foods like salmon can help build healthy brain connections and maintain relaxed moods.
3. Grounding Techniques and Tapping for Anxiety
When anxiety makes everything feel larger than life and out of control, these are some tips to help keep you centered:
- 5-4-3-2-1 Method: Look around you. Name 5 things you see, 4 things you can touch, 3 sounds, 2 smells, and 1 taste. This helps you snap back to reality by situating you.
- The Cold Shock: Splash cold water on your face or hold an ice cube. This extreme temperature helps pull your brain’s focus from your worries and focus on the cold sensation so you have time to reach a calmer state.
- EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) Tapping: Tap your fingers on certain body points while focusing on what’s bugging you. Start tapping the side of your hand while saying how you feel, then move to tapping spots on your face and chest.
4. Guided Meditation for Anxiety
Modern meditation for anxiety relief is highly effective for managing mental health difficulties like anxiety. You don’t need to empty your mind, like many might think. Instead, notice your thoughts without getting side-tracked. Even 5 minutes daily can rewire your brain to handle stress better. Body scan meditations are also perfect when anxiety makes you tense up.
5. Calming Music for Anxiety
Music isn’t just entertainment; it can be an immersive therapy that heals your mind. When anxiety feels overbearing, it’s helpful to put on slow, steady beats that match a calm heartbeat. The brain naturally syncs up, and you will often start to relax. Classical, lo-fi, nature sounds, or anything that usually soothes you are all great options.
Pro tip: Make a “panic button” playlist now with all your relaxing favorites. It’s a good tool to have in your back pocket.
6. Art Therapy Activities
Don’t fret; art therapy doesn’t require any artistic skill. It’s all about expressing and processing difficult emotions in a safe way. Creating art activates different brain pathways than talking or thinking, allowing you to tap into feelings directly. Some common methods of exploring this include:
- Mindless Coloring: Adult coloring books let you zone out in the best way.
- Play-Doh or Clay: Squeezing and molding clay is oddly satisfying when anxiety has you wound up.
- Scribbling or Doodling: Draw your anxiety as a monster, then redraw it, looking silly or small. This helps you reframe the ‘scary’ feelings and thoughts into something more harmless.
7. Anxiety Medicine and Mental Health Treatment
Anxiety pills aren’t about numbing your feelings. They help reset your brain chemistry when it’s stuck in panic mode. However, prescribed anxiety medication should only be taken under your doctor’s or therapist’s guidance.
For even more effective calming results, a combination approach is best. Pairing anxiety medicine with one of the treatment levels of care that align with your overall mental health needs and goals can encourage lasting relief.
Take the Pressure Off With Proven Techniques
When it comes to anxiety, try always to give yourself positive talk; don’t belittle or diminish your feelings. Rather, focus on tools that bring noticeable results to your overall mood. Some days, this might be breathing tricks. On other days, a creative outlet or exercise might give you a more relaxed feeling. When you need professional support to tackle the more challenging aspects of anxiety disorders, know that trained therapists can help you without judgment.
