Short-term strategies for managing feelings of anxiety
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Anxiety can look and feel different for everyone, which means different strategies will work for different people.
Finding the ones that are right for you may take a bit of trial and error and that's okay. The most important thing is that you're showing yourself kindness and compassion.
Remember:
- Anxiety is a natural human emotion we’ve developed to keep us safe from danger
- Criticising yourself for experiencing anxious thoughts or feelings can make you feel worse. We’re often far more critical of ourselves than we would be of a friend in the same situation. What would you tell someone else if they were in your situation?
- It’s okay to cut yourself some slack. If you’re feeling particularly anxious, try reducing the expectations you’ve set for yourself.
Scroll down to learn more practical and evidence-supported techniques that can help reduce feelings of anxiety right now and in the long term.
Practical strategies for managing anxiety
- Challenge anxious thoughts
When you're having anxious thoughts about something potentially happening in the future, try asking yourself questions such as:
- Am I safe right now?
- How have I handled fears like this in the past?
- What new information could ease my fear?
- What's the best possible outcome?
- What would I say to a friend in this situation?
- Try a grounding technique
If you’re feeling anxious or like a panic attack coming on, it can be helpful to engage in a grounding technique like deep breathing.
Breathing can help by distracting your mind, calming your nervous system, and decreasing your overall stress.
There are a number of different helpful grounding techniques to try but a great one to start with is box breathing. Watch the video below to try it now.
- Talk to someone you trust
- Schedule a worry time
- Journal your thoughts and feelings
- Distract yourself
“Instead of having to deal with my anxiety alone, it takes an immense amount of pressure off myself when I let someone else in.”
To learn more about what it's like to experience anxiety and ways to manage it, you can:
- Read about the feelings and effects of anxiety
- Discover long-term strategies and support services
- Watch the video below.
