Anxiety takes over so much of our lives. We overthink, get overwhelmed, have bad habits and so much more that triggers it. And the hardest part of all of that is that we often don’t know how to handle it or cope with anxiety. 

Here are just a few ideas on the best ways to cope with high-functioning anxiety.

Enough sleep

The average adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Getting enough sleep each night allows the brain to reset. It allows it a period of time to relax and get into a deep sleep where your brain can reorganize and “find itself” again. 

Rapid-eye-movement, or “REM” sleep can help to reduce fear-related brain activity and therefore helps to reduce stress and in turn, anxiety. REM sleep is the deepest stage of sleep, and it makes your brain the most active; almost as if you were awake, but your body is limp so there is no movement from your body.

 This stage of sleep is a good period for your brain to process emotions and feelings. The brain has a chance to repair itself as well as turn your memories from short-term to long-term. 

The importance of enough sleep each night really is to hit the reset button on your body and allow it to heal and process what it needs to. So start to prioritize those full 8 hours of sleep.

Therapy 

Remember how stress is a trigger for anxiety? Well, therapy can actually help this. 

For some reason, there is a stigma around therapy and that if you need therapy, then you’re not ok and you’re not fully there mentally. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth.

 Therapy has many purposes, and a good one of those purposes is to help with anxiety. Or… the ability to cope with anxiety. 

Many therapists talk through situations or hypothetical scenarios with the client, therefore figuring out triggers or things that set that person’s anxiety off. Getting down to the root of the problem can help the client find ways to avoid their triggers or ways to get through the anxiety attack when it does happen. 

Another way therapy helps those with anxiety is to avoid it all-together. Many people with anxiety tend to have triggers that associate with being overwhelmed, being in situations they don’t know how to handle or even having someone in their life that is causing them stress. Simply being able to talk about these stressors and maybe get advice about the situation can help immensely and take some of the weight off that person’s shoulder. 

Sometimes just having a listening ear can make a big difference on how bad that person’s anxiety is. 

Exercise 

Just as exercise can be helpful to you to stay in shape, loose weight or alter some physical part of you, it can also help with mental health. 

Exercise does help with the heart, brain and muscles, which yes, does help with anxiety because it keeps your body healthy and happy, but it also helps your brain to have a distraction or gives you a safe space to go to when things get to be too much.

Roughly 40% of adults workout or stay active because it helps with their anxiety. Having somewhere to go or something to do outside of your everyday routine can help you separate everyday stressors from gym time. Many gyms are people’s safe space, whether it is because they can go and be left completely alone or they can go in and socialize with others who have a common interest as them. 

Studies say that being active for 30 to 45 minutes a day can help improve your physical and mental health. So if you haven’t tired of exercising for anxiety, maybe now is the time to try it out. 

Journaling

Instead of therapy, some people use journaling as a way to cope with anxiety. The idea of having to talk to a stranger about what’s going on in your intimate life can be intimidating, so journaling allows people to process some of their feelings without having to physically talk to a therapist about it. 

There are many different kinds of journaling, such as:

• Daily journaling
• Art journaling
• Junk journaling
• Bullet journaling

The kinds of journaling are endless, just try to find something that works for you that will allow you to process your emotions, some situation that you’re in or anything else that is causing you anxiety. 

There is not one right way to do it, so enjoy it and don’t let others tell you that you’re doing it wrong, especially if it works for you. 

Mindfulness 

The definition of “mindfulness” is being able to stay in the moment and understand or recognize one’s feelings and emotions. 

Being mindful in everyday life allows you to gain the ability to pinpoint your emotions, where they are coming from and how to process it. 

For example if you were sitting in the family room in front of the TV but you can’t seem to get that restless feeling out of your head and you suddenly feel overwhelmed or like you’re doing something wrong. Having mindfulness would be able to help you understand where that feeling is coming from and how to solve it. Whether it is because you forgot to eat, didn’t do something you were supposed to do, or if you have a feeling that you weren’t quite over previously. 

Having this mindset can also help you to recognize those negative thoughts or emotions and either be able to shut them down or reroute the way your mind is changing. 

Anxiety can be a lot to handle and not many people know how to cope with it. But at least trying one of these coping techniques could be a game-changer for some. Even if something that would work for you, isn’t on this list, but you find it works, don’t let it go. It could be key to allowing you the peace you deserve. 

Be kind to yourself. Have a little bit of grace and patience with your mind and allow yourself to try something new and if it doesn’t work, that’s ok. Try something else.