5 Coping Strategies to Try When You’re Feeling Anxious

Do you struggle with anxious thoughts?

Anxious thoughts can be hard to control–and when they start to spiral they only grow in their intensity which makes it even harder to pull ourselves out of that loop. We all go through times occasionally where it feels like our thoughts are running the show–like they control us instead of us just observing them–but when you live with anxiety this feeling could be happening all the time. 

So how do you manage it?

Managing anxious thoughts is hard work. It’s not going to be a simple one-size-fits-all solution. For a long term plan, talking to your therapist about treatment options, including ongoing therapy and medication, is a great idea. But anxiety doesn’t always wait until the one hour a week you’re in session. And while your therapist will definitely be able to work with you to determine what coping strategies are the most useful for you, it’s helpful to have a few already in your back pocket to try. 

It’s also important to remember that just because something works to ease one person’s anxiety, doesn’t necessarily mean it will be effective at easing yours. We are all unique, so if a recommended method doesn’t work for you, that doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you. It just means that there is a better, more effective way for you to manage your anxiety out there, and whichever method didn’t work just isn’t right for your specific case. 

And often, not every method will work every time. That’s why it’s helpful to have a few different ways to try pulling yourself out of those anxious thought spirals. When one doesn’t work, you can try something else instead of working harder at something that isn’t helping you. 

Here are 5 coping strategies to try when you’re feeling anxious: 

Develop a mindfulness practice

Mindfulness is a practice designed to teach us how to be in the present moment. This is great for anxiety because frequently, anxious thoughts will take you out of the present moment, and drag your thoughts through lots of hypotheticals about things you can’t control or things that may happen in the future. By practicing mindfulness, you’re practicing the skill of resisting those thought spirals in order to stay grounded in the present moment. If you’re unsure where to start, try one of these 10 mindfulness apps!

Grounding techniques: 

Grounding is a practice that is intended to allow you to connect your body back to the earth. It is similar to mindfulness, and uses many of the same skills. When you are focused on your connection to the earth (ex. how the bottoms of your feet feel resting against the ground) you are forced to stay in the present moment, just as you are with mindfulness. You can find examples of grounding techniques to try here.

Don’t take the anxious thoughts at their word: 

Your anxiety is telling you that all of those anxious thoughts running through your head are true or realistic, but stop and ask yourself: is that really the case? Ask yourself: Is this thought true? What evidence do I really have to support it? What could a different possibility be? 

Get the thoughts out: 

When we sit with our anxiety, sometimes it builds. Instead, having a healthy outlet for those thoughts can help release them, reducing their power over us and allowing us to move on instead of fixating on them. You can do this with a therapist, but a method you can use outside of session is to journal about them! Don’t worry about whether the thoughts are true or if your writing makes sense, just use the journal as a space to expel those anxious thoughts. 

Move your body: 

You might not notice your thoughts getting anxious. Instead, you might experience physical symptoms of your anxiety (sweating, headaches, stomachaches, trouble sleeping, difficulty breathing, feeling shaky, etc.) But movement is a simple, easy way to release that tension in the body. It can be as simple as jumping up and down, or turning on some music and dancing. You can find other ideas for ways to move your body to help with anxiety here. 

If you need help creating a plan for your next bout of anxiety, our clinicians can help you find one that works for you.