How to Reduce Anxiety
By Hailey Perez, LMFT
Octave Therapist
Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time, but when anxiety grows from mild unease to overwhelming stress and dread, it’s time to take action. Effectively managing anxiety can require a combination of strategies to manage your mental health needs. By having a variety of coping strategies in your toolbox—from immediate relief techniques to long-term solutions, like therapy—you can manage anxiety with confidence and resilience.
In this article, we explore practical and evidence-based strategies for managing anxiety. We'll cover immediate techniques like deep breathing and grounding exercises for quick relief, along with long-term solutions such as self-care, therapy, and medication. Understanding your triggers and adopting healthy habits can reduce stress over time, helping you find a personalized approach to managing anxiety.
How to Reduce Anxiety
Anxiety affects everyone differently—some may experience occasional nervousness, while others endure persistent worry or debilitating panic attacks. It can manifest as racing thoughts, physical tension, or an unshakable sense of dread, interfering with both mental and physical well-being.
Managing anxiety is a process, although there are some things you can do to feel better in the short term. With patience and persistence, you can find a combination of strategies to help you manage symptoms and feel better.
Whether through lifestyle adjustments, mindfulness practices, therapy, or medication, the key is to find a combination of strategies that work best for you. While anxiety may never disappear entirely, it can be managed in a way that allows for greater peace, stability, and confidence in your daily life.
Identifying Anxiety Symptoms
Identifying anxiety symptoms is one of the first steps you can take in managing them effectively. Anxiety impacts everyone differently, but it typically manifests as a combination of cognitive, physical, and behavioral symptoms.
Cognitive Symptoms
Most people experience anxiety as challenging thoughts and emotions, including things like:
Excessive worry
Racing or spiraling thoughts
Irritability
Difficulty concentrating
A sense of dread
Feeling overwhelmed
Overanalyzing past situations or future worst-case scenarios
Physical Symptoms
Anxiety activates the body's fight-or-flight response, triggering physiological changes that prepare you to handle perceived danger. Some common physical symptoms include:
Shortness of breath
Increased heartbeat
Sweating
Dizziness
Lightheadedness
Muscle tension
Restlessness or trouble sitting still
Difficulty sleeping
Behavioral Symptoms
Anxiety can also lead you to behave differently than you would normally. Some behavioral signs to look out for include:
Avoiding people or situations that trigger anxiety
Social isolation
Compulsive behaviors, like checking things multiple times
Turning to substances to calm down, like alcohol, drugs, food, or caffeine
What Does an Anxiety Attack Feel Like?
An anxiety attack—similar to a panic attack—is an intense episode of overwhelming fear and distress. These feelings often come on quickly and can sometimes mimic the experience of having a heart attack.
Common signs of an anxiety attack include:
Sudden, intense fear or panic
Racing or pounding heart
Shortness of breath or hyperventilation
Dizziness or feeling faint
Chest tightness or pain
A choking sensation or lump in the throat
Shaking or trembling
Numbness or tingling sensations
Feeling detached from reality (derealization)
While anxiety attacks are distressing, they are not life-threatening. If you find yourself in the middle of an anxiety attack and want to know how to reduce anxiety immediately, use some of the immediate relief techniques outlined in the section below.
How To Reduce Anxiety Immediately
Anxiety can strike suddenly, making it difficult to think clearly or function normally. While long-term strategies are essential for managing anxiety, there are several immediate techniques you can use to calm your mind and body when anxiety flares up. These evidence-based strategies help regulate your nervous system and bring quick relief.
Deep Breathing
Deep breathing, also called diaphragmatic breathing, helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, taking your body out of fight-or-flight and signaling that it’s safe to relax. This kind of deep breathing helps regulate oxygen levels, lower heart rate, and reduce anxiety.
Here’s how to do it:
Sit comfortably and place one hand on your chest and another on your stomach above your belly button.
Inhale slowly through your nose, feeling your belly expand. You should feel your chest remain stationary.
Exhale slowly through your mouth.
Repeat until you feel calmer.
Box Breathing
Box breathing is another deep breathing technique that can help reduce anxiety and make you feel calmer. Box breathing is often used by Navy SEALs and first responders to manage stress. Similarly to diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing engages the parasympathetic nervous system to calm the body and reduce anxiety.
Here’s how you can try it for yourself:
Inhale for 4 seconds.
Hold your breath for 4 seconds.
Exhale for 4 seconds.
Hold again for 4 seconds.
Repeat the cycle 4-5 times.
If it’s helpful, you can use your finger to draw a box as you engage with this exercise. Draw one side as you inhale, another as you hold, another as you exhale, and then the final side as you hold—this is how box breathing gets its name!
Grounding Exercise
When anxiety takes hold, a grounding exercise can help you snap out of spiraling thoughts and check back in with your body and surroundings. The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique redirects your focus to the present moment, helping break the cycle of anxious thinking.
Here’s how you can do it:
Look around and label 5 things you see in your surroundings.
Notice 4 things you feel by bringing awareness to your body.
Listen for 3 things you hear in your environment.
Pay attention to 2 things you smell around you.
Label 1 thing you taste.
Time in Nature
Spending time in nature is one of the most scientifically backed ways to reduce stress and anxiety. A Harvard study found that just 20 minutes outdoors can significantly reduce cortisol levels and improve mood.
Here are some ways to connect to nature for immediate anxiety relief:
Take a short walk outside.
Find a spot to sit outside, like under a tree or on a bench.
Step outside and breathe deeply to enjoy the fresh air.
Walk barefoot onto the grass to ground yourself and connect to nature.
Journaling
Writing down your thoughts can help you process emotions and identify negative thinking patterns. Journaling creates space between your thoughts and reactions, making anxiety feel more manageable.
If you’re not sure what to write about, use these journaling prompts:
What’s within my control?
Will this worry matter a year from now? 10 years from now?
How could I reframe these unhelpful thoughts?
What can I change to feel 1% better?
Caffeine
While there aren’t any foods that reduce anxiety in the short term, there are some you should consider avoiding. Caffeine can worsen anxiety symptoms by increasing heart rate, restlessness, and nervous energy. In fact, there are many research studies that find reducing caffeine intake can significantly lower anxiety levels.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation is a powerful technique that involves tensing and relaxing different muscle groups, helping release physical tension caused by anxiety. Practicing this technique can help reduce muscle tension and relieve anxiety.
Here’s how to do it:
Curl your toes tightly for 5 seconds, then release.
Squeeze your calf and thigh muscles, hold for 5 seconds, then release.
Clench your fists, hold, then release.
Shrug your shoulders up toward your ears, hold, then relax.
Yoga
Yoga combines movement, breathwork, and mindfulness to reduce anxiety. The combination of physical movement and deep breathing can help you connect to your body while lowering anxiety.
Cold Water
Splashing cold water on your face or immersing your hands in cold water can activate the mammalian dive reflex, slowing your heart rate and calming your nervous system. Researchers believe that cold water exposure reduces anxiety by shifting the body out of fight-or-flight and activating the parasympathetic nervous system.
Exercise
Physical activity releases endorphins, which improve mood and reduce anxiety. It doesn’t need to be intense: a quick 10-minute walk, some jumping jacks, or light stretching can be enough to provide immediate relief.
Music
Listening to music can help you relax or distract yourself from anxious thoughts. Play music that makes you feel happy, calm, energized, or whatever emotion you feel you need more of when you’re anxious.
Medication
For severe anxiety episodes, fast-acting medications like benzodiazepines (e.g., Xanax, Valium) may provide relief. However, these should only be used under medical supervision with a prescription from a medical provider.
Talking
Connecting with someone and talking about your worries can provide immediate relief. Talking to a friend, family member, or therapist helps you gain perspective and feel less alone.
Healthy Distraction
Sometimes the best way to snap out of anxiety is to engage in healthy distraction: engaging in a calming activity that takes your mind off things temporarily. For example:
Watching a movie
Playing a game
Chatting with a friend
Listening to a podcast
Note that distraction is different from avoidance. Use healthy distraction as a temporary break, not as a way to ignore your feelings completely.
How to Reduce Anxiety in the Long Term
While short-term strategies can provide immediate relief, long-term anxiety management requires understanding and addressing the root causes and triggers of your anxiety.
Anxiety isn’t just a passing feeling—it often stems from persistent stressors, underlying thought patterns, or even biological factors. To truly learn how to reduce anxiety over time, it’s important to identify triggers, develop healthy coping mechanisms, and make lifestyle changes that promote overall mental well-being.
Understand Your Anxiety Triggers
Anxiety is often triggered or exacerbated by external triggers or situations. Recognizing these triggers can help you prepare for and navigate them more effectively.
Anxiety triggers can vary from person to person, but some of the most common triggers include:
Chronic stress
Caffeine and alcohol
Lack of sleep, or poor quality sleep
Negative self-talk
Past trauma
Social situations
Specific people and environments
While some triggers can be avoided or reduced, like reducing alcohol consumption, eliminating triggers isn’t always practical or helpful in the long run. Some triggers simply can’t be avoided—in this case, the goal becomes to develop healthy coping skills that help you manage your reaction to your anxiety triggers.
It might make sense to avoid your triggers when your anxiety is more severe, but ideally over time as you expand your toolbox for coping with anxiety, you will be better able to encounter them without negative consequences. By learning how to cope with triggers instead of avoiding them, you’ll strengthen your ability to manage anxiety in a sustainable way.
Practice Self-Care
Self-care isn’t just about relaxation: it’s a proactive approach to mental well-being. By incorporating healthy habits into your daily routine, you can build resilience and reduce the severity of your anxiety over time.
Review some of the different types of self-care below and consider which ones could be incorporated into your daily routine:
Physical self-care: Maintaining a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and staying hydrated are key to managing anxiety. These habits support your body’s ability to cope with stress and maintain energy levels.
Cognitive and emotional self-care: Journaling, engaging in creative hobbies, and practicing relaxation techniques (like the breathing exercises discussed above) can help clear your mind, reduce stress, and improve focus.
Social self-care: Surrounding yourself with a supportive network is vital for emotional well-being. Spending time with positive, understanding people can help reduce feelings of isolation and provide reassurance. Similarly, this might mean setting boundaries with people who trigger your anxiety or make you feel bad about yourself.
Incorporating these self-care practices into your daily life can help manage anxiety, reduce stress, and build long-term resilience.
Work With a Therapist
Sometimes, managing anxiety on your own can feel daunting. Working with a therapist is a great way to have a partner in expanding your coping toolbox.
A therapist can help you better understand the root causes of your anxiety, develop personalized coping strategies, and reframe negative thought patterns. With professional support, you can gain new perspectives, learn effective tools to manage stress, and build long-term resilience.
Therapists use a variety of therapy modalities when working with someone with anxiety, but some of the most common approaches include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT is an evidence-based therapy approach that helps identify and challenge negative thought patterns that contribute to anxiety. CBT teaches practical skills to replace unhelpful thinking with more balanced, constructive perspectives, leading to healthier emotional responses and behaviors.
Exposure Therapy: Exposure therapy involves gradual, controlled exposure to anxiety triggers in a safe environment. Repeatedly facing triggers with the support and guidance of a therapist can help reduce sensitivity to triggers, build confidence, and lower anxiety over time.
Talk Therapy: Talk therapy involves having open conversations with a therapist better to understand the root causes and impacts of anxiety. By exploring underlying issues and emotional patterns, talk therapy helps improve self-awareness, emotional regulation, and overall mental well-being.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy: Mindfulness therapies incorporate techniques such as meditation, breathing exercises, and body awareness to reduce anxiety. This can help reduce overthinking and encourage a sense of overall calm.
If anxiety interferes with your daily life, seeking professional support can be one of the most beneficial long-term strategies. A therapist can equip you with practical tools and guidance, helping you regain a sense of control and well-being.
Take Anxiety Medication
Anxiety medications can be highly effective at reducing symptoms, especially in cases where other strategies haven't worked. Anxiety medications work by balancing chemicals in the brain that influence mood and stress levels.
Common anxiety medication types include:
Antidepressants (SSRIs and SNRIs): Help regulate serotonin and norepinephrine, chemicals linked to mood and anxiety
Benzodiazepines: Provide quick relief for anxiety but are typically prescribed for short-term use due to the risk of dependence
Beta-blockers: Control physical symptoms of anxiety, such as a racing heart
You'll need a prescription from a doctor or therapist to access anxiety medication. It’s important to consult with a healthcare professional who can recommend the right medication for your specific needs. They’ll consider factors like your health history, other medications you’re taking, and the severity of your anxiety.
While medications can be helpful, there are potential side effects, including dizziness, sleep disturbances, and weight changes. It may take time to find the right medication or dosage, and some people might experience a trial-and-error period.
Conclusion
Anxiety can feel overwhelming, like it takes over all aspects of your life, but there are things you can do to feel better. While it may take time and patience, each step you take toward better understanding your anxiety and finding the strategies that work for you brings you closer to feeling more confident and in control.
Taking proactive steps—like practicing mindfulness, engaging in regular exercise, and seeking therapy or medication when needed—can make a significant difference in how you experience anxiety. By understanding your triggers and developing healthy coping mechanisms, you can build resilience and a stronger sense of well-being over time.
Remember, there’s no quick fix, and progress may take time, but with the right support and tools, anxiety doesn’t have to hold you back from living a fulfilling life.