Disclaimer: This material is for educational purposes only. You, the reader, assume full responsibility for how you choose to use it. It is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, nor does it replace the advice or counsel of a doctor or health care professional. Reference to a specific commercial product or service does not imply endorsement or recommendation of that product or service by CPCMG.
Immediate
- Intentionally slow down your heart rate by focused, deep breathing. Inhale through your nose for 5 seconds, hold your breath for 5 seconds, exhale through your mouth for 5 seconds, and then be still for 5 seconds. Continue this “box” breathing until you feel your racing heart slow down.
- Try counting down from 100 slowly, matching your breathing rate with the counting.
- Walk away from the stressful situation if possible – take a quick 10-minute walk or yoga.
- Do a quick “body scan” starting from head to toe – intentionally focus on and relax/loosen the eyebrows, jaw, neck, shoulders, arms, fingers, stomach, legs, toes. This can quickly release muscle tension created by your anxiety. Close your eyes while doing this if helpful.
- Visualize yourself in a safe/favorite place – cuddled in your bed, on a calm beach, in the quiet mountain, etc.
- Quickly write down what is making you anxious. Sometimes getting them out of your head onto paper can “free up” some mental space.
- If you are feeling overwhelmed by having too much to do, make a “to do” list to help organize what needs to get done. Separate the list into Now, Soon, and Later so that you can categorize and prioritize your tasks.
Long-term
- Try to identify the triggers for your anxiety and/or low mood. Write down in a journal what makes you feel stressed, worried, uncomfortable, sad, or angry and over time, you may recognize one or two common theme. Common triggers for many people include difficult homework assignments, feeling overwhelmed by school workload, a due date, specific people, being in a crowded place, being alone, social media, or anticipating a confrontation with family member or friend. While identifying triggers may not always mean you can avoid them, at least being aware of what sets you off is the first step towards learning to cope and work around them.
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Challenge your negative self-talk. Rather than jumping to the “worst case scenario,” try to come up with a different interpretation or outcome of a stressful situation even if it feels against your nature. Look for facts for and against your fears or negative expectations. Ask yourself these questions:
- Is this thought true?
- How do I know it’s true?
- Is it always true?
- What is the evidence for the thought?
- What is the evidence against the thought?
- Has the thing I am worried about ever happened before?
- If it did, what actually happened and what was the end result?
- Limit the time you spend on social media and/or try “fasting” from it for an entire day at a time. Fill that time you would have spent with another activity – reading, exercising/sports, stretching, listening to music, taking a bath, looking through cookbooks for recipes, etc.
- Practice daily meditation. While it may feel cheesy or uncomfortable at first, with practice, mindful meditation can eventually help you train your brain to dismiss anxious or dark thoughts when they arise. See the “Mindful Meditation” section for examples on how to start.
- Spending time with those you love on a regular basis can help ease your anxiety and improve your mood. It helps relieve stress to vocalize and commiserate with others, encourage laughter and connectedness, and decrease loneliness. Studies show that socialization can help increase your resiliency in times of stress. Don’t withdraw from your family and friends!
- Take small acts of courage daily. If speaking to others is uncomfortable for you, start out with a quick smile and a nod when seeing someone you know (or even a stranger).
- Indulge in a small treat for yourself at the end of the day whether it’s watching an episode of your favorite show, cuddling with a loved one or pet, taking a warm bath, etc. Having something special to look forward to at the end of the day can motivate you to get through the daily grind.
- Set aside a 10 minute “worry time” in your day when you allow yourself to indulge in your worst fears, worries, and thoughts. Once the timer goes off, try to put aside the thoughts reminding yourself that you can come back to them during your next worry time session.
- Invest in keeping your body healthy as the benefits will overflow into your mental health as well. Make sleep a priority in your day. See the “Self-Care” and “Improving Sleep” section for examples of how to better take care of yourself physically.
- Avoid caffeinated beverages, smoking, alcohol, and recreational drugs which can all worsen anxiety.