Anxiety disorders can range from anxiety attacks, which involve unexpected periods of fear combined with heart palpitations, trembling, shaking, or sweating, to Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), which is excessive worrying that you can’t control.
It’s crucial for people with anxiety disorders to consider long-term anxiety management or reduction techniques, such as talk therapy or taking anti-anxiety medication. By making lifestyle adjustments like having a well-balanced diet and cutting back on alcohol, sugar, and caffeine, everyone may benefit from these strategies and healthy coping skills by making time for themselves to lower stress and anxiety.
Additionally, there are actions you may do as soon as worry starts to set in. A few methods for managing anxiety in adults include:
Coping Skills for Anxiety
At some point, everyone feels anxious. It might be challenging to get through the day if you have chronic anxiety or any anxiety disorder like Social Anxiety Disorder. Using coping techniques for anxiety in adults can help you control your anxious sensations and thoughts in the present.
For many people, various coping mechanisms are effective. Physical techniques, such as moving the body or breathing exercises, could be particularly effective for one person. Another person could discover that emotional techniques, such as writing or meditation, are the secret.
Whatever the source of your worry, learning a few coping mechanisms can significantly reduce it. Like stress in life, knowing that you have some coping mechanisms to fall back on might be reassuring. When the effects of anxiety strike, using your go-to coping mechanisms might help you mentally and physically relax. Here are some techniques you may use.
Physical coping skills
The simple act of moving your body can work wonders for lowering your anxiety levels. According to a study, physical activity benefits anxious individuals, and conditions linked to stress lessen common symptoms of anxiety. Physical activity may also improve psychological and physical health in other ways. Here are some physical day-to-day activities you could try.
Move your body
As mentioned earlier, different coping mechanisms work for other people. Moving your body can help you when you’re feeling anxious. There are various ways where you can do this. Whichever activity you like and works for you is the one that you should practice.
- going for a brisk walk
- physically shaking your hands and arms to dispel tension
- jogging or running
- practicing yoga, especially yoga sequences for anxiety
- dancing
- doing jumping jacks
- doing burpees
Engage in Nature
Being in nature can positively impact your mental well-being and reduce stress levels. Hiking, trekking, or just walking in a park or green might help you shake off some stress. If you have more time and you need a break from life, you can also go on beach trips if you like the sea better than the greens.
Grounding exercises
Another anxiety coping technique that might help you stay calm in the present is doing grounding exercises. They aid in shifting your attention from anxious thoughts to the actual surroundings. Running your hands under cold water, taking a cold shower, gently shaking your entire body, and concentrating on your breathing are some examples of grounding exercises you might attempt.
By attempting to concentrate on each of your senses in turn, you may also make an effort to ground yourself. The 5-4-3-2-1 approach is the name of this grounding exercise:
- What five things can you see?
- What four things can you feel?
- What are three sounds you can hear?
- What are two things you can smell?
- What is one thing you can taste?
Another similar technique for coping with anxiety is called the 3-3-3 rule. It involves the following steps:
- Looking around and naming three things, you can see.
- Listening to identify three sounds you can hear.
- Moving three parts of your body.
Emotion-focused coping skills
If physical anxiety coping techniques don’t appear to be working or if you desire more coping mechanisms. You could discover that engaging in emotion-focused activities or emotional support strategies helps you better control your emotions. You might wish to try the following:
Journaling
Research shows that journaling can reduce anxiety and stress. Seeing your anxious thoughts laid out on paper and outside your head can help make them seem more manageable. It can almost make you feel like you are talking to someone without needing somebody, just your pen, and paper.
Art
According to studies, creating art may be extremely helpful in treating conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder, feelings of anxiety, and intense depression or depressive disorder. It is a fantastic method to handle difficult emotions, communicate your sentiments without words, and find relief.
Thought exercises
You can imagine a peaceful scene in your mind to help you deal with anxious thoughts or events when they arise.
Using diffusion methods is a different tactic. These mental exercises are meant to alter the way you see your ideas. The diffusion allows you to take a step back from them rather than take them as a universal fact. Using a goofy voice to repeat your thoughts is one example of a diffusion method.
EFT Tapping
To help you tune into your anxiety or other concerns, EFT, or the emotional freedom technique, combines exposure, cognitive therapy, and acupressure. It reduces stress and may help transform your worried mentality in the future.
EFT tapping, sometimes known as just EFT or tapping, can be performed by a licensed EFT practitioner, mental health professional or the patient.
How do I use EFT? You start by determining the problem, such as anxiousness. Then, you may disclose the worry while reframing it in a positive light by making an “imaginary situational statement” such as, “I feel anxious, but it is not my fault, and I should not blame myself.”
Next, touch your face and body seven times on acupoints with the tips of your pointer and middle fingers. You may also follow instructions from videos and other internet resources, or you can have someone lead you to the top places. To sustain the exposure and keep you focused on the problem. At the same time, you change your mental and physical habits through tapping. Say a “reminder phrase” like “I feel anxious” while you tap.
Cognitive Strategies
The cognitive challenge is resisting and confronting beliefs that make you feel anxious and only worsen it. The intention is to refute negative ideas and replace them with constructive ones that help ease tension.
By consciously evaluating a situation as no longer scary, the cognitive challenge works with the frontal brain to inhibit emotions. You can exercise cognitive tasks whenever you experience worry or anxiety-provoking ideas.
For instance, your first thought may be, “What have I done?” if your parents told you that you need to discuss it. If you think things like “or “They are furious at me,” take a step back and consider other possibilities. In this case, you might substitute the thought “I suppose they just want to chat” and concentrate on that.
The ability to mentally flip things might help you feel less anxious since it enables you to imagine a new interpretation of the scenario that doesn’t elicit dread.