Learn Coping With Anxiety Tips And Explore Therapy

Medically reviewed by Majesty Purvis, LCMHC and Julie Dodson, MA, LCSW
Updated October 10, 2024by BetterHelp Editorial Team

Living with anxiety can make seemingly simple, everyday scenarios feel challenging and distressing. If you've been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or are experiencing untreated, persistent worry and fear, you're probably eager for effective ways to manage these feelings. Understanding how to deal with anxiety can involve exploring several approaches that may be helpful, such as therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, and mindfulness practices. Here, we’ll discuss basic information on anxiety along with common treatment and coping methods that most people experiencing symptoms can benefit from.

Therapy can teach you coping skills for anxiety

Anxious feelings vs. anxiety disorders

First, let’s draw a distinction between feelings of anxiety, which can be a natural response to stressful situations, and anxiety disorders, which are well-defined mental health conditions that must be diagnosed by clinical professionals.

Anxiety disorders usually involve disproportionate levels of anxious thoughts and feelings that impact daily life and functioning and mental well-being. Anxiety disorders can lead to varying physical, emotional, and cognitive challenges. In addition to feelings of nervousness and worry, they can cause tension, trouble focusing, gastrointestinal distress, rapid heart rate, and sleep disruptions. Anxiety disorders can also co-occur with other mental health conditions (for example, anxiety and depression are commonly comorbid). The methods described below may help a person regain control of both day-to-day and clinical anxiety and improve mental well-being in general. 

Relaxation and breathing exercises for addressing stress and worry

If you’re experiencing symptoms of an anxiety disorder, it’s typically recommended that you consult with a mental health professional. The below strategies can help individuals with this form of mental health condition manage anxiety symptoms so that their negative effects are limited. They can also help those with non-clinical anxiety learn relaxation and breathing techniques and other tips for addressing feelings of nervousness and worry. 

Coping with anxiety tips: ways to relieve stress and reduce anxiety

While it’s generally not realistic to be able to stop worrying altogether, the tips below may be helpful ways to relieve stress and reduce anxiety in conjunction with professional treatment. 

1. Notice your anxiety triggers

Anxiety disorders of all kinds may involve particular stimuli or scenarios that tend to kick symptoms into high gear. Paying attention to how your anxiety comes and goes and what mental or physical symptoms it triggers may help you learn to better manage it. 

This could make it easier to mentally prepare yourself for stressful situations and work through your fears in a healthy way. 

Some examples of scenarios that could trigger anxiety symptoms could include relationship conflict, situations where you perceive that you have no control, being sleep-deprived or having low energy levels, being in large crowds, etc. Journaling, as described below, may help you better identify the scenarios that cause or exacerbate anxiety symptoms for you.

2. Keep a journal

Taking a few minutes each day or each week to write down what has happened and how you felt in various situations can be a powerful way to cope with anxiety. For one thing, it’s often helpful in figuring out what types of situations encourage or produce anxiety in you, as discussed above. 

For another, some research shows evidence to suggest that the simple act of writing expressively about your thoughts and feelings may reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression—perhaps because it helps individuals find meaning in their experiences and identify positive aspects of themselves and their lives.

3. Get more sleep

Many studies have identified possible links between regular, restful sleep and a wide variety of potential positive health outcomes—including decreased anxiety. In other words, making sure you’re getting enough quality rest may be important for your mental well-being. 

Of course, this can be easier said than done, since difficulty sleeping can be a symptom of some anxiety disorders. However, there’s evidence that improving your “sleep hygiene” habits might help even those experiencing this symptom to get better rest. Some simple sleep hygiene practices can include:

  • Maintaining a consistent bedtime

  • Abstaining from caffeine and alcohol for several hours before sleep

  • Avoiding the use of electronic screens before and in bed

  • Creating and sticking to a relaxing pre-sleep routine

  • Sleeping in a cool, dark, quiet space

4. Get regular exercise

A regular exercise routine is another habit that may help you sleep better and experience less anxiety. Research suggests that it can directly affect the parts of your nervous system that relate to mood, stress, fear, and worry, which is one reason why physical activity may result in decreased anxiety. Getting at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five days a week may significantly improve your symptoms. Talk to your doctor before significantly changing your exercise habits.

5. Practice breathing, relaxation, and mindfulness meditation exercises 

Mindfulness meditation is a type of concentration exercise in which the participant attempts to observe their thoughts and emotions in the present moment without judgment. It comes from ancient Indian spiritual and cultural traditions, and it’s now practiced worldwide as it shows great promise for reducing anxiety in controlled trials. 

Some studies suggest that as few as five to 12 minutes of meditation per day may lower stress and anxiety levels, and longer sessions may have an even greater impact. If you want to engage in mindfulness meditation or related breathing exercises, you can use the following basic procedure or look up free guided audio or video tracks online.

  • Adopt a comfortable posture, either seated or lying down.

  • Relax your muscles as much as possible.

  • Focus on breathing in and out slowly, filling your lungs and expanding your belly on each inhale.

  • Pay attention to the physical sensation of breathing.

  • When other thoughts, emotions, and sensations take your focus, try not to get annoyed with yourself or push them away. Instead, simply acknowledge them and turn your mind back to your breath.

6. Limit your caffeine consumption

Recent research suggests that caffeine may increase feelings of anxiety and make anxiety and panic attacks more likely in people with anxiety disorders. If you consume caffeine regularly, it may be a good idea to cut back and see if it improves your symptoms. You could also consider switching to green tea instead of coffee or energy drinks, which may provide a less jittery energy boost without the crash.

Therapy can teach you coping skills for anxiety

7. Engage in cognitive behavioral therapy with a mental health professional

Few treatments for anxiety disorders have as much supporting evidence for their effectiveness as cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. Numerous controlled trials have suggested its ability to help participants decrease feelings of anxiety and reduce the frequency of panic attacks. 

If you’re interested in trying CBT for anxiety, it’s usually recommended that you work with a licensed therapist who is trained in this modality. They can help you learn and practice evidence-based strategies for reframing the way you think about the sources of anxiety in your life. This may involve exposing yourself to things you fear in a controlled and supportive context or engaging in cognitive restructuring techniques to help you let go of obsessive, anxiety-provoking thoughts. Some people may also find therapist-led CBT support groups to be helpful.

8. Engage in psychodynamic therapy with a mental health professional

The aim of this type of therapy is usually to uncover past experiences or unconscious beliefs that may be contributing to your anxiety with the aim of helping you release the emotional hold these things might have on you. Some research suggests that this form of therapy may be as effective as CBT in treating anxiety. As with CBT, it’s recommended that psychodynamic therapy be done under the guidance of a licensed mental health practitioner.

9. Consult a doctor and consider forms of medication for an anxiety disorder

Some types of pharmaceuticals, including certain medications originally developed as antidepressants, can also be efficacious treatments for anxiety in some cases—typically in combination with therapy. Due to the potential for serious side effects, complications, and interactions, you should not attempt to obtain medication for anxiety unless it’s through a licensed physician or psychiatrist. 

10. Control your information intake

Obsessively consuming information about frightening events, dangerous trends, or possible threats may increase your overall sense of worry. For example, a study published in 2022 suggests that people who sought out more news related to COVID-19 in the earlier days of the pandemic typically experienced higher levels of anxiety. Though staying informed can be positive, consuming excessive amounts of negative content without taking measures to rebalance yourself might exacerbate anxiety symptoms. You might want to consider limiting your news consumption, such as restricting it to a defined amount of time each day.

11. Build supportive relationships

Studies on the effects of social isolation indicate that it may increase feelings of anxiety and depression. Maintaining a healthy network of interpersonal relationships can be a powerful way to improve your mental health, boost resilience, and enrich your life in other ways. If you’ve been feeling out of touch with friends and relatives, spending time reaching out may be beneficial for your anxiety. You could also consider joining a book club or sports group or striking up a conversation with a neighbor to form new connections.

Learning to cope with anxiety in therapy

As discussed above, there’s strong evidence that psychotherapy has the potential to have a positive effect on anxiety. However, anxiety symptoms may create a psychological barrier to seeking this kind of treatment. For instance, some people might feel anxious about the stress of commuting to and from in-person appointments or about discussing their feelings and challenges with another person face-to-face. This may be particularly true for those with social anxiety disorder, formerly known as social phobia. In such cases, online therapy may seem like a less intimidating option, since you can meet with a therapist from the comfort of home via phone, video call, and/or in-app messaging.

Online vs in-person therapy

Some might wonder if therapy works as well over the internet as it does in person—and a growing body of evidence suggests that it can. For example, the authors of a 2021 study suggest that online and in-person therapy “created equivalent overall effects” in terms of reduction of anxiety symptoms. Such evidence means that you can generally feel confident in the care you’ll receive whether you choose to pursue online or in-person treatment.

Takeaway

The coping with anxiety tips discussed above—such as getting quality sleep, exercising, journaling, meditating, and cultivating social connections—may make living with anxiety easier. Professional treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy and psychodynamic therapy may also have significant positive effects. If you’re experiencing symptoms of an anxiety disorder, meeting with a trained therapist is typically a recommended first step.
Regulate anxiety in a compassionate environment
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