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
- Make sure you're getting enough sleep
Sleep and mental health are closely connected, which is why it's common to struggle with your sleep if you're experiencing mental health challenges and struggle with your mental health if you're experiencing sleep problems.
If you have a mental health condition like anxiety, poor sleep can make it harder to manage symptoms. You can learn tips for improving your sleep in our sleep and mental health article.
- Challenge anxious thoughts
- Try a grounding technique
- 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.
