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| | Whether you live with an anxiety disorder or you feel anxious from time to time, you know how challenging it can be to manage your symptoms. There's no one-size-fits-all set of coping skills, either. What works for one person may not work for the next.
Today, our team is sharing which strategies help relieve our anxiety. As always, feel free to share yours with us, too. |  | | |
| Q | | When anxiety strikes, which coping skill tends to help manage your symptoms? | | | | A | | "Square breathing helps me when I'm having an anxiety attack. It helps me focus my thoughts and ground myself." — Timothy Mojica, social media marketing manager
"If at all possible, I totally switch gears until the anxiety subsides. So, if I'm working and something triggers me, I stop working and do chores or walk the dog. Watching animal videos can also make me feel better a lot of the time." — Ginger Wojcik, newsletter editor
"I learned about bilateral stimulation from eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), but it's useful for grounding with anxiety as well. The way I perform it outside of therapy is usually by holding something small but weighty (e.g., a nice rock or water bottle) and passing it between my left and right hands. +1 to square breathing as well." — Ada Snow, senior software engineer
"Pet cuddles! Also, +1 to bilateral stimulation." — Ren Dias, editor
"When I get anxious, I become hyperaware of my heart starting to race. This creates a vicious cycle where I become anxious about my heart rate on top of whatever else triggered my anxiety, which makes my heart beat faster. Bearing down helps reduce my heart rate and gives me something else to focus on. I hold my breath and press my pointer fingers together as hard as I can, and then push like I'm having a bowel movement. I'm not sure why this works, but many expensive ER bills later, this is one of the most effective methods I've come across." — Sarah Choi, engagement editor
"Moving my body helps me get out of my head. Sometimes, all I can do is stay stuck on the couch thinking about what's making me anxious, but whenever I get up and move my body by going for a walk, stretching to music, or doing something else physical, I tend to feel a lot better." — Morgan Mandriota, newsletter editor
"I need calm in moments of anxiety. Usually, writing down what I'm feeling helps a lot. There's just something about putting pen to paper that lifts a weight off my shoulders. Or I'll listen to music with headphones on while lying down. If it's something I can create a pro/con list for, I'll do that. When I'm anxious, my thoughts become very disordered, so I need to find a way to create order again." — Sarah Matysiak, engagement editor | | | | | | | Responses have been edited for clarity.
If you'd like to request a specific topic, offer feedback, or chime in with your answers to our weekly questions, feel free to email us at newsletters@healthline.com. We look forward to connecting with you and supporting you on the path to mental well-being. | | | |
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| TRY THIS | | Balance Your Diet | | A balanced, nutrient-dense diet may lower your risk of mental health symptoms and improve your overall well-being. Talk with a registered dietitian to find what works for you. | | | | | |
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