Anxiety Coping Skills
Looking for coping skills for anxiety? Do you want to find natural ways of working through the jitters? Need some concrete tools that you can call on for calmer living?
If the answer is yes, you’ve come to the right place. The hard truth is anxiety is one of the leading mental health challenges in the United States.
While the numbers are somewhat scattered, current estimates suggest nearly forty-million people living with some form of anxiety. Examples include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder.
“There is a real need for people to learn strategies for coping with anxiety, given how prevalent these life challenges are in the United States,” said Kevin Cole, a Las Vegas based Life Coach and hypnotherapist that we spoke to for this piece.
Before sharing the five strategies below, it is essential to schedule an appointment with your medical doctor to rule out physiological causes for anxiety.
Believe it or not, some health conditions that can exacerbate anxious states and contribute to a disparate mood. Examples include a thyroid condition, blood glucose problems or a vitamin deficiency.
With that disclaimer out of the way, let’s check out the five coping skills for anxiety that you can use right now.
1. Challenge Negative Thinking
One of the most powerful ways to push back against anxiety is to examine your thoughts and assess for negative thinking. If you notice a pattern taking place, challenge your negative thoughts to determine if they are based in fact.
To learn more, listen to this podcast on anxiety and fear. Discover cognitive behavioral techniques that are designed to help you shift your thinking in new and healthy ways.
2. Four Squared Breathing
While this tip may sound cliché, it is a coping strategy that can help. One excellent way to engage in this exercise is to practice Four Squared Breathing – otherwise known as Boxed Breathing.
There is an excellent article with a video on the Healthline website that teaches you the Four Squared Breathing Technique. Many people have found this approach helpful during times of fear and panic.
3. Create a Worry Box
At its core, a worry box is a container that you create to store your worries. This container can be anything. Examples include an old shoebox, Tupperware or, even a mason jar.
To use, simply write down your worries on slips of paper. Then, place the sheets in your worry box. At a designated time of your choosing, grab your box and pull out a slip. Give yourself thirty minutes to focus on your worry and journal about it.
Many people find what they were concerned about earlier in the day is no longer as important to them. Others have found that by challenging worries with a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) worksheet helps to diffuse anxiety.
4. Take a 15 Minute Walk
Anxiety loves nothing more when it has time to psychologically and physiologically take root. To throw a monkey wrench into its powers and as a tool for coping, take a 15-minute walk.
By moving your body, you introduce yourself to different scenery and create a new mental landscape. Research studies have found nature therapy can act as a powerful mood stabilizer.
5. Autogenic Training
If you are looking for the ultimate way to create a sense of inner peace and tranquility, autogenic training may be just what you need.
Incorporating mind and body elements, Autogenic Training (AT) can reduce your heart rate, calm nerves and generate feelings of happiness. In many ways, AT is similar to mindfulness meditation.
Learn more about the benefits of Autogenic Training and how to do it on this page.
Wrap Up
Anxiety and stress can make life miserable. By adopting coping strategies that challenge your thinking and help diffuse tension, greater happiness is possible.
