Five Ways to Cope With Anxiety

Anxiety is typically known for being a dreadful feeling of fear and discomfort, it can be caused by how you react to stress or a side effect to depression.

According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America (ADAA), anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year.

Anxiety can feel like an extremely draining and uncontrollable emotion, but always remember, you’re not alone.

In this post, I am going to list five ways to help cope with anxiety. With the help of others and your determination to better your mindset, you can feel as free as you allow yourself to.

1. Draw your attention away from negative thoughts.

If you are stuck in a mindset of negative thoughts and made-up scenarios, ask yourself, will this realistically ever happen? Why am I stressing myself over something that will most likely not occur in my life? Take control of your thoughts and shift your focus on what you can do to better yourself and the goals that you wish to accomplish.

2. Think of your mind as a safe-house.

When you are in a fight with your thoughts and trying to think positive but the negative is taking over, think of your mind as a safe-house that you run to. What would you want to keep in there to ensure you’ll be ok? The positive or negative thoughts? Kick those negative thoughts out and emphasize on things that make you happy and what you’re grateful for.

3. Control your reaction(s).

While it is absolutely impossible to control what another human says or does, you are fully in control of your reaction to everything and anything. The only thing you can control is how YOU react to the situation.. and sometimes, for your own sanity, no reaction is the best reaction. Not everyone will understand how you feel and that’s ok, don’t let them control your mood or how you plan to go about your day.

4. Take some time to yourself.

Your body is your sanctuary, it is a sacred place for you to feel safe and comfortable. Majority of people are constantly on-the-go and look at their phone from the minute they wake up, to the minute before they fall asleep. Wake up every morning and sit in bed for 10 minutes with no phone or distractions, remind yourself what you’re appreciative of and tell yourself that you will have a good day, even if you run into small inconveniences, nothing will disrupt your inner peace.

5. Take care of your body and enjoy life.

There is no such thing as a perfect life, everyone has their own struggle and the human body is so much more fragile than anyone realizes. You cannot let every little thing stress you out and take control of what is supposed to be your happiness. There is only one of you in this world and nothing can compare to that, find your purpose and do whatever it takes to enjoy your own life, don’t worry about what other people are saying or doing, the only thing that should matter to you, is you.

You can never really predict when anxiety will get to you and it seems impossible to control, but you have to live your life the way you imagine it to be. You are more in control than you think and you have the ability to do whatever you need to in order to cope in a healthy way. When you feel defeated, always remember to take a step back and go over every single thing you are grateful for, big or small.

For more tips and tricks on how to live and cope with anxiety, check out an article on healthline.com written by Ally Hirschlag.