Top 10 Ways to Reduce Anxiety

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Top 10 Ways to Reduce Anxiety

The following suggestions can be used to address fearful beliefs, avoidance behaviors, and tension in the body. The effectiveness of each will depend on the type of anxiety you experience and severity of current problems.

• If your worrying includes “What if...?” questions, answer them in writing by listing actionable behaviors and thoughts that would make a situation easier to manage.

• Write down your thoughts for later instead of repeating them in your mind. For example, if you worry too much to fall asleep, jot down your concerns on a notepad by the bed. You can always revisit them when you’re ready to be productive.

• Trying not to worry or telling yourself everything will be OK can have the unintended effect of causing you to worry more. When worrying becomes excessive, or if specific concerns are difficult to control, ask yourself a series of questions to evaluate the likelihood that your predictions will come true and how you'd cope if they do. Some examples: “How likely is it that this (bad thing) will happen?” “If it happens, what’s the worst outcome? The best outcome? The most likely outcome?” “What can I do to prevent this (bad thing) from happening?” “What can I do to cope?”

• Learning to tolerate uncertainty is an important part of managing anxiety. No matter how much you prepare for the future, there will be unpredictable and uncontrollable events. The more you can accept this inevitablity, the easier it will be to cope with surprises.

• Repeated exposure to a feared situation is one of the best ways to reduce avoidance behaviors. If you experience social anxiety around unfamiliar people, for example, give yourself more opportunities to meet new people and become comfortable with the process. Say hello to people you don’t know, chat with someone in the grocery checkout line, attend a party, take a class, or join a club. This exposure process will be uncomfortable at first, but with time and persistence, anxiety will decline.

• Keep track of your progress. Record keeping makes it easier to monitor the effectiveness of your anxiety reduction strategies. You’ll know what works and what doesn’t if you monitor anxiety triggers, beliefs, behaviors, anxiety reduction strategies, and changes in symptoms. Use a spreadsheet, notebook, or a smartphone app.

• Progressive muscle relaxation exercises can help you to get reacquainted with physical relaxation, and it’s helpful to know how to relax your body when muscular tension due to anxiety becomes a problem.

• Diaphragmatic breathing is another physical strategy that can be used to relax in stressful situations. Attempt to breathe into the belly while keeping your shoulders down and relaxed. Let your abdomen, rather than your chest, expand as you inhale.

• Exercise, especially aerobic exercise or “cardio,” performed for over 20 minutes can reduce trait anxiety. But be patient–it can take a few months to see a meaningful effect.

• Pick up an excellent evidence-based self-help book like The Anxiety and Coping Workbook or work with a psychologist who practices cognitive behavior (CBT), which is particularly effective for treating anxiety disorders.