Eight tips to cope with anxiety

Around one in four people in the UK experience some form of mental health issue every year, with one in six experiencing a common mental health problem, such as anxiety or depression, according to UK mental health charity MIND. 

Anxiety could be mild, such as exam nerves, or more serious, leading to panic attacks. A state of anxiety specifically refers to your body’s fight, flight or freeze response, which activates when you feel under threat. 

The threat could be from actual events, worrying about future events, or from your own thoughts, fears and self-criticism. 

Anxiety can, therefore, be grouped into several categories, including performance anxiety (eg exam nerves, perfectionism, fear of bullying), phobias (eg fear of flying, fear of spiders, health anxiety), anxiety following bereavement, and extreme anxiety, which can, for example, present as panic attacks or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). 

Signs of anxiety

Anxiety can trigger a variety of symptoms, some of which can mimic having a heart attack, such as dizziness, feeling faint, nausea, palpitations, sweating and tachycardia (an increased heart rate). 

Other symptoms of anxiety include a dry mouth, a nervous stomach (ie feeling ‘butterflies’ in your stomach), hot flushes, hyperventilation (rapid breathing), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) and tension headaches.

If you think you’re experiencing anxiety, it’s important to see your GP as there are many treatment options available, including: 

• Cognitive behavioural therapy  (CBT) — a talking therapy that helps you change the way you think and behave
• Compassion-focused counselling — therapy that encourages you to be compassionate to yourself and others
• Graded exposure as a home practice — gradually facing the situation triggering your anxiety and retraining how your brain reacts
• Imaginal exposure with hypnotherapy — vividly imagining the cause of your anxiety in a controlled way and using relaxation techniques to help overcome it

In addition to these treatments, there are other home remedies and lifestyle changes you can try to help you better manage your anxiety. 

Eight tips for managing anxiety

1. Journalling 

Journalling refers to writing down your feelings and thoughts. Writing forces your brain to slow down and organise your thoughts, which allows you to focus on what you’re feeling and thinking step by step. 

Consequently, journalling can help you clarify your thoughts and feelings, identify what triggers your anxiety, become aware of unhealthy thought patterns and better understand your fears. 

When journalling, you can also make a note of what you did to address your anxiety and whether it worked, which can help you develop personal coping strategies. 

To get the most out of journalling, try to incorporate it into your daily routine, setting aside five to 15 minutes every day at around the same time and in a setting where you feel comfortable. 

There are no restrictions or set structures to journalling — you can write with a pen and paper, in a special journal or on your smartphone. Try to write freely, without censoring yourself. 

2. Activating your brain’s soothing system

Research by clinical psychologist Professor Paul Gilbert identified three main emotional systems or drivers in your brain that work together to bring about your wellbeing: the threat system, resource-seeking system and soothing system. 

The soothing system of your brain is the least well-developed in terms of evolution. However, you can learn how to activate it to help overcome your anxiety through slow, rhythmic breathing techniques, such as the 4-7-8 technique, box breathing, diaphragmatic or belly breathing, resonance or coherent breathing, and long exhaling.  

Another technique that can activate your soothing system is the 333 technique. When you’re feeling anxious, focus your mind on three things you can see, followed by three things you can hear and lastly, three things you can feel. This technique helps anchor you to the present moment. 

3. Following a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight

Living with anxiety can strain your mental and physical health, leaving you feeling unwell. A healthy diet can support your physical wellbeing so you’re better able to cope. 

A healthy diet should include a balance of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains. When dealing with anxiety in particular, it is important to eat regular meals at around about the same time every day. This helps avoid drops in your blood sugar levels that can leave you feeling jittery and consequently, worsen your anxiety. Protein and complex carbohydrates can also help keep your blood sugar levels steady.

Make sure you stay hydrated as dehydration can lower your mood, and avoid or limit how much alcohol and caffeine you drink — alcohol can make you feel on edge and interfere with your sleep, while caffeine can make you feel jittery. 

Maintaining a healthy diet will also help you maintain a healthy weight, which helps support your wellbeing and mental health. As anxiety is linked with an increased risk of obesity, it is important to pay attention to your diet and be aware of unhealthy eating patterns. 

4. Practising good sleep hygiene

Anxiety and poor sleep are strongly linked, which is why it's important to maintain good sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene refers to behaviours and environments that affect your sleep. Good sleep hygiene involves following a healthy bedtime routine and creating an environment that promotes sleep. 

Try to go to bed and wake up at around the same time every night, whether it is a weekday or weekend. Avoid napping if you can, as this can disturb your bedtime routine, but if you need to nap, limit this to the early afternoon. 

A bedtime routine will help reinforce in your mind that you should be falling asleep soon. So try to follow the same steps before bedtime eg brush your teeth, change into your nighttime clothes, and listen to relaxing music, read a book or perform deep breathing exercises. When it’s time for bed, make sure your room is as dark and quiet as possible.

Avoid looking at any digital screens for at least an hour before bedtime as these stimulate your brain and generate blue light, which can make it harder to fall asleep. Also, try to avoid eating or drinking alcohol two to three hours before bedtime as these activities can also make sleep more difficult. 

5. Meditating and practising yoga

Both meditation and yoga can help calm your mind and consequently, reduce your anxiety levels. When meditating or performing yoga, your mind has a single focus that can help stop the overwhelming rush of negative thoughts and feelings associated with anxiety. This often involves focusing on your body and/or breathing, which allows you to be more present in the moment.

There are different yoga poses associated with relaxation, which can help manage anxiety, including child's pose, downward-facing dog, savasana, standing forward bend, upward-facing dog and tree pose.

There are also different types of meditation you can try, including mantra meditation which involves repeating a positive phrase or affirmation, body scan meditation which involves focusing on the different sensations occurring throughout your body, and guided imaging meditation which involves visualising a place, object or sound that makes you feel calm and relaxed. 

6. Performing aerobic exercise

Aerobic exercise refers to exercise that engages your large muscle groups and can be performed continuously and rhythmically. It is also known as cardio, cardio-respiratory exercise or endurance exercise. Examples include walking, jogging, long-distance running, swimming, cycling, hiking and dancing. 

Regular aerobic exercise — ideally 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise spread over a week, as recommended by the NHS — can help you maintain a healthy weight, which can benefit your overall wellbeing and mental health. 

It also has beneficial effects on your brain through stimulating the release of feel-good hormones called endorphins. Aerobic exercise can, therefore, help you feel better emotionally and help take your mind off your anxiety. 

7. Enjoying a hobby or interest that absorbs your attention

Being completely engrossed in a task you enjoy can lower your heart rate and relax your muscles, which subsequently, reduces your anxiety levels. 

While everyone has different interests, there are several hobbies that are associated with reducing stress and anxiety. These include cooking, reading, getting out in nature (eg walking in nature, outdoor swimming, hiking), gardening or growing indoor plants, playing music, and crafts, such as knitting, painting, sculpting and pottery.

If you don’t already have a hobby you can focus on, consider trying something new and finding what works best for you. 

8. Engaging with friends and family often 

People are social beings, which is why relationships are vital for our wellbeing. Staying in touch with friends and family regularly, and reaching out to them for support can improve your ability to cope with anxiety. 

By letting those close to you know that you struggle with anxiety, they can support you in several different ways. This can include listening to your fears and concerns and helping you gradually face them, as well as practising your anxiety-coping skills with you eg joining you in breathing exercises or yoga, or taking part in hobbies with you.