Five tips for managing anxiety

More than 30% of adults in the United States have an anxiety disorder. A normal amount of anxiety is actually a way the brain responds to harmful situations or even stressful events. But when anxiety begins to interfere with sleep, daily activities and work it may be time to seek out some help.

When we do seek help for mental health conditions, we often get caught in this mode of a “pill” will fix my problem. It’s natural to think a medication might help you feel better. But taking a pill for any kind of mental health condition is only part of the solution. 

In my experience, medications have never healed me. They’ve been a part of the solution for helping me to manage PTSD and bipolar disorder. But what helped me in my recovery journey and what helps me manage my conditions is the many self-help strategies I’ve learned over the years.

Here are five tips for managing anxiety.

• Focus on your breath

It seems rather basic to suggest focusing on breathing. But when we experience anxiety the tendency is to hold our breath or breath in short shallow breaths. When we call attention to our breath and focus on breathing deeply while counting to four or five, it’s actually kind of amazing at how effective it is to get some instant relief. It won’t make the anxiety disappear, but it’s one way to get some relief.

• Use a grounding technique

There are numerous grounding techniques which help take the focus off of a particular random thought, worrying thought or perhaps even an obsessive thought. I like doing things that ground me in the present moment. I’ll pay close attention to my surroundings by noticing what I see, hear, smell, feel and taste. Sometimes I’ll think about a color and try to find everything in the room or outdoors with the same color I’m thinking about. Other times I’ll shift my worrying thought and focus on something that makes me feel good. I have pets, so paying attention to them is also grounding. The key is to get your mind off of the troublesome thought and onto something that brings more of a sense of peace. This strategy works best when combined with breathing. 

• Exercise. Exercise. Exercise.

Not only is exercise great for physical health, it’s one of the best positive strategies for managing any kind of mental health condition. When we exercise our brain shuts off the anxious thoughts and focuses on what we are doing. If we’ve been worrying about something, we get transported into the present moment and into our bodies where we pay attention to working our muscles. Exercise can be anything where you’re moving your body. It can be housecleaning, cutting grass, walking a distance into the store. I was able to eliminate one of the medications I’ve been taking for anxiety, because of regular exercise. Start small and go slow. You’ll be surprised on how great you’ll feel.

• Repeat a mantra

Coming up with a simple phrase that reassures ourselves is very effective in dealing with anxiety. I like the phrase, “Everything is going to be okay.” Or “I’m okay. Things will work out.” It’s amazing when we take the time to focus on a positive thought, it’s much harder for a negative worrying thought to enter our minds. You can come up with whatever mantra resonates with you. 

• Refocus on things you can control

When we feel anxious, we worry about things outside of our control. Those worrying thoughts tend to multiply and make us feel even more anxious. The key is to focus on what we can control. It sounds like an easy task and it can be if we work at it. I like to a take deep breath in and exhale with an intentional thought on something I can control. It also helps to take a piece of paper and write down in two columns – the things I can control – the things I can’t control. 

I hope you find some of these tips helpful. You’ll be surprised on how these simple strategies will help manage anxiety.

Thanks for reading. If you like the content, don’t forget to subscribe to my blog.

Amy Gamble

Mental Health Advocate

Olympian – Author – Speaker