Anxiety is the most common mental health concern in the U.S, and according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, it impacts 40 million adults in the US. If you suffer from anxiety, here are five cognitive-behavioral strategies that can help you get through the toughest moments and work towards building long-term coping skills.
1. Focus on just observing your feelings and thoughts and remind yourself that the feelings will change.
• Visualizing your feelings as weather and try to observe your emotional symptoms, without judgement. Simply take note of what is happening. For instance, if you are feeling a rush of anxiety, notice your symptoms through compassionate self talk: “my heart is pounding, my chest feels tight, my shoulders feel tense in this moment. I am feeling anxious but this moment will pass.”
2. Notice your underlying assumptions and challenge them with logical conclusions.
• When you are experiencing anxiety, what do you tell yourself? If you find yourself engaging in negative self-talk, know that this is very common. Challenge yourself to be kind to yourself when you need it most. For instance, if you are late to work and find yourself experiencing anxiety symptoms, challenge the logical conclusions. What is the worst case scenario? Though this can seem counterintuitive, this can help you remember that everyday challenges do not have to have catastrophic consequences.
3. Use positive self-talk to practice self-compassion in your toughest moments.
• If you find yourself engaging in negative or cruel self-talk, restructuring your thoughts will be a process, but know that it can empower you to own your power in the moments you need it most. Remind yourself, “it is okay to be nervous and I can get through this. I am strong.” Guide yourself through each anxious thought and remember to acknowledge the fact that you’re moving through an anxious moment, which, as you know, is not an easy thing to do!
4. Take a mindful moment—meditate or do a body scan.
• At its worst, anxiety makes us feel stuck in our heads without any control of where we’re going. In order to give your parasympathetic system a chance to catch up, it is important to intentionally tune into your body and the anxiety you are experiencing in the moment. This can be done through muscle isolation—by completing a quick body scan, which allows you to observe your sensations throughout your entire body and take notice of any changes you are experiencing. You can also count to five, then start squeezing your toes, then ankles, then lower legs, then calves, etc. On the count of five, squeeze and hold the tension in your muscles, then release. Continue this practice moving all the way up to the crown of your head. A guided meditationcan also help alleviate anxiety, or, if you prefer, try mindful box breathing. As you use these practices, imagine your anxiety floating away like a cloud in the sky—clearing space.
5. Try emotional pattern matching—adopt behaviors that alters the feedback your sympathetic nervous receives (which is our fear response center).
• Anxiety can feel like it’s in the drivers’ seat of your emotional experience. Let yourself breathe deeply, find stillness, talk softly and calmy and have open body posture. These practices can help align your body into taking note that you are not in an actual emergency.
Professional help can give you the guidance, support and space to process your anxiety, as well as the foundations for building adaptable and proactive coping skills to give you better quality of life.
Please feel free to reach out if you’d like to talk about what the right support for you looks like, more resources and to schedule an initial consultation.
