7 Simple & Effective Ways To Manage Anxiety

Anxiety can be overwhelming and difficult to manage. However, there are simple and effective strategies that can help you manage your anxiety.

According to the American Psychological Association, “anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure.” While anxiety is normal, many individuals experience excessive amounts of anxiety, often as a result of an anxiety disorder, which may include Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder or specific phobias. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population.

Can I get rid of my anxiety?

Not only can you never completely get rid of anxiety, you probably wouldn’t want to do so. Why not? Anxiety is a normal human emotion which can be beneficial in assessing and responding to real threats or danger. Anxiety can also push us to perform better. For example, when we are stressed about a test, some of us are motivated to study harder and subsequently will earn better grades.

For those individuals whose excessive amount of anxiety negatively impacts day-to-day living, the goal would be to manage or reduce anxiety through a variety of strategies.

Here are 7 simple and effective ways to manage anxiety: 

1. Diaphragmatic breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing or deep belly breathing is a relatively simple tool to manage anxiety. When we are stressed or anxious, our breath becomes short, our heart races and the blood rushes into our large muscles (leaving our extremities), so that we can escape from whatever threat is in our environment. Diaphragmatic breathing is a way to decrease the arousal in the sympathetic nervous system. According to research on biofeedback, the optimal breath rate is 4.5 to 7 breaths per minute (5 breaths per minute would be breathing in to the count of 6 and exhaling to the count of 6) to achieve maximum heart rate variability.  As you probably can tell, this is much slower than how we would breathe normally, and if you were to do this for an extended period of time, you would most likely experience light-headedness or dizziness. Therefore, it’s recommended that you do this for about 5 minutes only.  If you’d like to try it out, take a moment, focus on expanding your abdomen and breathe in slowly through your nose for about a count of 6. It sometimes helps to imagine that there is a balloon in your belly that inflates as you inhale and deflates as you exhale. When breathing out, exhale through your mouth very slowly as if you are expelling all the air out through a straw. Continue inhaling and exhaling in this manner for about 3 to 5 minutes. If you continue to wonder whether you are doing it “right,” you might put one hand on your belly and your other hand on your chest to make sure that your belly is rising and falling with each breath. I would recommend doing this once or twice a day for about 5 minutes.

2. Mindfulness

Mindfulness is deliberately being aware of what’s going on in the present moment, without judgment. Being mindful about what your thoughts and feelings are as you go through an anxious moment is the first step in being able to manage your anxiety. When most people think about mindfulness, they think about mindfulness meditation; however, mindfulness doesn’t require a formal meditation practice, although that can be very helpful for someone managing anxiety. The benefit of the formal practice is that it is easier to bring conscious awareness into everyday life. The next time you are feeling anxious, notice what you are thinking about your anxiety. Notice how the anxiety feels in your body. Become aware of your thoughts, feelings and body sensations as they arise. By simply becoming the observer of your own mind, you can significantly reduce your anxiety.

3. Accept your anxiety

Most clients that I’ve worked with speak about having irrational thoughts or worries. Rather than challenge the thoughts, or more accurately, beat yourself up for having those thoughts, it would probably benefit you to accept that you are feeling anxious right now, and tell yourself that’s ok because it is a normal human experience, and even though it’s hard to feel such a difficult emotions, it is only temporary. Individuals suffering from anxiety can make things worse by thinking that they’ll be anxious forever. By telling yourself that it’s only temporary, the anxiety can be reduced significantly. It’s important to note that anxiety, and other emotions, when avoided become stronger. Only when we face, accept and make peace with our emotions do they have less power over us and resolve themselves.

4. Maintain a regular sleep schedule

When we are struggling, it is often easy to neglect our basic needs. When our minds are racing and we are worried about the next day’s deadline or an upcoming exam, it is often difficult to fall asleep. Lacking enough sleep can compound the issue by contributing to increased anxiety and often leading to depressive symptoms. If you are having trouble falling asleep, here are some strategies that may help you:

• Try to go to bed at the same time every night including weekends. I understand that this one is especially difficult for those who work night shifts and for college students.
• Do not do anything else besides rest, sleep and have sexual intercourse in your bed.
• Keep your room dark and comfortable.
• Try to keep your bedroom screen free, if possible.
• If you do watch television or use your phone before bed, try to keep the content light and avoid anything too stimulating. Do not fall asleep with the television on.
• Enjoy light reading if it helps settle you down.
• Do not eat right before bed.
• If you exercise at the end of the day, make sure you leave several hours before bedtime; otherwise, consider switching to a morning workout routine
• If it takes you longer than 15-30 minutes to fall asleep, get out of bed and do something productive.

5. Eat wisely

Maintaining a balanced diet, eating several small meals throughout the day and reducing consumption of foods that are high in sugar or complex carbohydrates is a way to stay energized throughout the day. In addition to sugar, you should try to monitor and reduce your caffeine usage. Individuals with excessive anxiety should avoid caffeine altogether. Caffeine is a stimulant, which can increase anxiety and also lead to difficulty falling asleep if you take caffeine too close to your bedtime.

6. Exercise regularly

Walking, running, dancing, rowing, weight training and playing sports are all examples of good ways to keep active. Exercise can relieve much of the excess energy related to anxiety and also releases beneficial neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin that can leave you in a positive mood. If possible, try to get at least 30 minutes of cardio 3-5 times a week.

7. Find a therapist

Seeking support from a friend or family member can be a good way to express what is going on inside our minds. However, the reality is that not all of us feel “heard” or may be embarrassed about talking to others about what we are experiencing. Finding a good therapist is a great way to get the support you need to develop awareness and to obtain the tools to manage anxiety. You also might discuss with your therapist whether medication could be an appropriate part of your treatment. It has been supported through research that many issues are best managed through a combination of therapy and medication.

I hope this helps you reduce your anxiety. If you would like to schedule an appointment for individual therapy, please do not hesitate to call us at 615-582-2882 or email us at clientcare@nashvillepsych.com today.

Once again, thank you for reading.

Take good care,

Dan