How to Manage Anxiety

Anxiety may present as excessive worry, nervousness, fear, rapid heart rate, or trouble relaxing. Anxiety can show up in different ways for different people. It’s a normal human emotion that sometimes needs to be addressed. This blog post is dedicated to provide different methods to reduce anxiety and foster a sense of inner calm.

Calming Exercises

These exercises can include deep breathing, grounding, meditation, and mindfulness. Having a few tools that can be used at any given time can provide quick relief. Below, you will find three examples. Before starting, ensure that you are sitting or laying down comfortably.

Deep breathing: You can start by taking a few moments to focus on your breathing. As you take a deep inhale, imagine you are filling your abdomen with air. Hold your breath for a second or two. On the exhale, focus on releasing the air slowly for a count of 10. Repeat this process for a few minutes.

Grounding: A simple but effective tool in regulating anxiety is called, 54321. To practice this, look around you and identify five things you can see, four things you can feel, three things you hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Focusing on your 5 senses can help you feel more grounded and decrease stress.

Mindfulness/Meditation: One of the most well known ways to practice mindfulness is through breathing. You can start by taking a few moments to focus on your breathing. Ensure your exhale is longer than your inhale. As you focus on your breathing, pay special attention to the outbreath and the stillness that arises between breaths.

Therapy

Anxiety may need to be addressed in a therapy setting. Therapy can address the underlying cause of anxiety. It can help not only strengthen existing coping tools but form and incorporate new calming tools to manage the anxiety.

Medication

When anxiety remains difficult to manage despite using different tools, medication may be needed. There are different classes of medication that can be used for anxiety treatment. Consult with a psychiatrist to discuss if medication is right for you.

Conclusion

Although anxiety is normal reaction to a perceived threat, it can escalate and may need to be addressed. There are many ways to bring anxiety relief including calming exercises such as breathing, grounding, mindfulness and meditation. Therapy and medication may also be helpful.

Managing anxiety can be tough, but with the right support you can find healing. If you’re looking for therapy for anxiety in Austin, TX, feel free to contact Melissa Solano, LCSW. Melissa is a therapist seeing clients virtually throughout the state of Texas. Reach out today and begin your path towards inner peace and fulfillment.