8 Tools to Help with Stress and Anxiety
With all the uncertainty in the world right now, a lot of folks are finding it hard to cope with the anxiety, challenges, and panic attacks.
I’ve struggled with panic disorder for a long time and have a passion for mental health. Throughout my experience, therapy, and research, I’ve found some helpful tools. I wanted to write this quick blog as a resource for people newly going through panic attacks or anxiety right now.
I’m always looking to add new “tools” to my anxiety tool belt because a strategy that might work one day, might not the next. Which can be frustrating. So it’s been important for me to have multiple strategies on hand. Here are some of my favorite tools in my belt.
1. Cardio
Anxiety and panic attacks are often due to cortisol triggering a flight or fight response. However, when our foes are internal thoughts, feelings, or something we can’t control it can be hard to actually “fight or flight” to release that energy. Doing cardio can help your body release energy and release good feeling endorphins to help you. Here are some ideas:
Run or walk in nature
Put on music and dance like no one’s watching
Go on a bike ride
Do a workout
More resources:
2. Journal
If it feels right, sit down and just unleash on the paper. Often times our thoughts get repetitive in our head, making it seem like the problem is bigger than it is. When it comes out on paper we allow ourselves to separate (or release) from those thoughts or emotions. You bring that energy from in your mind out onto a paper where you can look at it from different perspectives, or simply detach. Here are some ideas:
Give yourself a paper front and back and challenge yourself to write unedited until you fill it
Set a timer for 5-10 minutes and write until it’s done
Close your eyes and type (this one can be funny and actually really helpful. Sometimes I’ll close my eyes and just type. Not seeing the words helps my brain just get it out and not self-edit. Then it’s fun to see if I can go back and read it.)
More resources:
3. Schedule worry time
If you’re finding yourself distracted throughout the day with anxious thoughts, schedule yourself worry time. Give yourself 5 minutes where you tell someone — or just out loud to yourself — all your anxieties. Time yourself, see if you can fill the 5 minutes.
Often times people can’t fill the 5 minutes. Often times our worries seem so big because they repeat in our brains. Giving yourself 5 minutes of worry time can give your anxiety a space. Sometimes if we tell our brains to just ignore a worry they’ll latch down harder trying to solve the problem. Saying “thank you brain, let’s talk about that at 5pm” gives your brain a plan it can be okay with for now.
More resources:
4. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 Grounding
This is one of my favorite grounding techniques. It helps me get out of my brain or cut through the panic and bring myself back to the present moment. Say:
5 Things you can see
4 things you can touch
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
More resources:
5. Box breathing! Or any kind of breathing practice
When I have a panic attack, I can’t breathe. Learning breathing techniques was a game-changer for me. You want to breathe filling in your belly making it raise up in the air. We often are just breathing with our rib cage but allowing your belly to expand. Box or square breathing is my personal favorite: 4 seconds breath in, hold for 4, release for 4, hold for 4. But there are so many other amazing breathing techniques to explore!
6. Realize your brain is an organ doing its job, and you don’t have to connect to your thoughts
One of the most freeing things for me was realizing that:
“I am not my thoughts. I am the observer of my thoughts.”
Now I’m not sure if this was Deepak Chopra, Ekhart Tolle, or another amazing mind who originally came up with this but it’s a common practice in meditation. The truth is, your brain’s job is to keep you alive by storing memory information and using that information to make the next choice. Our brain tells us when something is wrong to protect us. When we have panic attacks our brain is often alerting us that there is a perceived threat and it’s trying to figure something out that it has no control over. We become overwhelmed with all the noise our brain is producing trying to solve the problem.
I’ve come to learn that one way to cut through that noise is by reminding myself a few things:
I do not have to own every thought that comes through my mind. Sometimes my thoughts are my brain spurting up data and programming. Just because my brain says it as an option doesn’t mean I have to own it.
I am not my thoughts. I am the observer of my thoughts. Ekhart Tolle was a great resource for this. For example, if I am experiencing negative self-talk, instead of attaching myself to the thoughts and reacting, I can say “hmm okay, I’m observing that that is a thought.”
7. Meditation
That last point leads nicely into meditation. Meditation is truly transformative. But it can be daunting! Some people say you need to have silence, some will say you should try and quiet your mind. Meanwhile, your mind is chattering away and every sound is distracting you.
I’ve come to learn that meditation is extremely personal and shifts with the person’s needs. Sometimes I want silence, sometimes I was music, sometimes I want a guided meditation.
The goal of meditation should be simply slowing down your body, your mind, your breathing and getting to a point where you can distance yourself from those thoughts.
As you try meditation and an intrusive thought comes through, practice not attaching to it. Just say “Cool, that’s a thought” and let it float away and refocus on your breath, the guide, the music, or another anchor.
I had a therapist tell me that 12 minutes is the minimum to aim for to see results and 20 minutes is the magic, I feel like if you can get in 5 you’re better off than not doing it at all!
More resources:
8. Rename your anxiety, call it energy
Words really do matter and they can shift perception. One tool that helped me was shifting my mentality from “I have crippling anxiety” to “I have so much energy”. By renaming it as energy I take away a negative connotation and neutralize it. From there, I feel a little more empowered. I know what to do with energy! I use it. I dance, I work out, I sing, I go on a walk or a run. I can move energy out of my body.
More resources
Share your tools!
These are just some of my favorite tools that I wanted to document and share real quick. There are so many amazing, cool tools and apps out there. Yoga has been another amazing tool, for example, mixing exercise with breathing. I also try to minimize sugar and caffeine which helps a ton.
Remember, be kind to yourself and others. You never know what someone else is fighting. If someone shares their struggles don’t shame them, try to spread light and hope.
What are your favorite tools you use when managing anxiety, panic, depression, or other challenging emotions?