Healthy Coping Strategies for Anxiety

If you have been experiencing these symptoms for six months or longer, then you might be experiencing an anxiety disorder. Talk to a mental health professional or seek services to help find healthy ways of coping and managing anxiety.

In this post, I want to share a couple of resources and exercises I share with my patients to help them manage their anxiety. These are simple things you can do at home; however, always consult a licensed mental health professional as this post is not meant to diagnose or treat anxiety.

1. Deep breathing. You can find a helpful guide by clicking here. Deep breathing is a commonly recommended technique for people dealing with anxiety. The reason for this is that when we are feeling anxious, our body begins to react (fight/flight/freeze) and we experience reactions such as increased heart rate, shallow breathing/trouble breathing, sweating, tension in the body, and other physical responses. Deep breathing helps us regulate and support our body in grounding itself and relaxing.
2. Meditation. This one is hard, and it takes practice. I know for myself I had a challenging time just clearing my mind. Meditation is meant to be a practice and something we build up. It can be helpful in many ways and gives us a mental break from the uncomfortable experience of chronic worry. If you would like to learn more click here.
3. Download “Insight Timer“. I absolutely love this app. There is a subscription; however, I utilize the timer most, and it’s free! The reason why I share this with my patients is that many of us have a hard time getting started with meditation or deep breathing. Insight timer allows you to set the length of time you want to spend meditating and uses a creative way of doing it by letting you choose the type of bell sound you want and how many minutes you want to meditate for. It also lets you see how many days you do it and keeps you accountable.
4. Muscle tension is a common symptom of anxiety, and it can cause a lot of discomfort. So what better way to help than to relax our muscles. I love using progressive muscle relaxation because it feels good instantly, and it’s easy to do. If you want to read more click here. Full disclosure: it’s important to always practice safety and not force pressure on any body part if you are experiencing sharp pain.
5. Coloring. Yes, coloring. Remember when you were a kid, and you would just color and draw in class? It felt like hours could pass, and you were just lost in your creation. Coloring is a creative and helpful way of self-soothing and distracting us from our intrusive thoughts.
6. Therapy. Of course, I have to mention therapy! Not only will you learn the techniques above, but you will also have an opportunity to learn about your own experience with anxiety as well as ways of managing it. Therapy can be expensive, but there are a lot of great professionals out there and services that provide short term or teletherapy (over the phone or webcam). Try checking out one of our partners: Latinx Therapy, Therapy for Latinx, or services such as better help.