Try These Exercises to Help You Deal With Anxiety

Move, breathe, think different. Feel different.

If you experience anxiety, you know how challenging it can be to manage. Anxiety disorders have become the most common mental health issue today, with nearly 30% of adults facing an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. While anxiety can serve an adaptive purpose by making us alert to potential threats, when it becomes excessive, it can be overwhelming. Fortunately, anxiety is highly treatable, and there are numerous strategies to help manage symptoms and reduce stress.

Anxiety can range from mild to severe, often causing individuals to worry excessively about future events and experience physical symptoms like muscle tension. It’s common for people to start avoiding situations that trigger their anxiety, which, unfortunately, can reinforce their fears and interfere with daily life. Therapy is a valuable resource for learning how to cope with anxious thoughts and ease the physical discomfort that comes with them. Techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, and cognitive restructuring are effective methods that therapists may use to help manage anxiety. In this article, we’ll explore some of the best treatment options available to support you on your mental health journey. Please remember, these are not intended as a substitute for professional therapy services and may not work for everyone.

1. Deep Breathing Exercises: Deep breathing is a powerful tool for managing stress and easing anxiety. Techniques like diaphragmatic breathing or square breathing—where you inhale for four counts, hold for four, and exhale for four—can help activate your parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation. This simple exercise can be repeated whenever you need to calm your mind and regain control.

2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Anxiety often shows up as muscle tension. Progressive muscle relaxation helps you identify and release this tension by first deliberately tensing and then relaxing specific muscle groups, such as your shoulders or fists. This practice allows you to notice the difference between tense and relaxed muscles, making it easier to detect when anxiety is building and to consciously maintain a relaxed state throughout the day, reducing the physical impact of anxiety.

3. Exercise: Incorporating regular physical activity into your routine is a proven method for reducing anxiety and stress. Aerobic exercises like running, walking, or swimming help lower cortisol levels—the body's main stress hormone—while boosting endorphin release, which naturally enhances your mood. Exercise also brings additional benefits like improved self-esteem, cognitive function, and sleep quality.

4. Art: Art therapy offers a creative way to manage stress and regulate emotions. Engaging in art allows you to express feelings nonverbally and can serve as a healthy distraction from overwhelming emotions. This approach not only helps reduce stress but also encourages creative expression and emotional healing.

5. Music: Music harnesses the emotional power of music to help regulate and elevate your mood. Listening to or creating music can trigger the release of neurotransmitters like endorphins and dopamine, which are linked to feelings of happiness and pleasure. In addition to boosting mood, music can also lessen the perception of pain and enhance your overall quality of life.

6. Mental Grounding Techniques: Grounding techniques are mental exercises that help anchor you in the present moment, reducing the overwhelming effects of anxiety. These techniques can include focusing on your immediate surroundings, counting backward from 100, or naming five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. Grounding helps shift your focus away from anxious thoughts and back to the present, providing a sense of stability and calm.

Try any or all of these and let us know which ones worked for you in the comments!