Coping Strategies for Worry
Calm Breathing
You may be surprised to learn that the way you breathe can affect how you think and feel. Before attempting to problem-solve, it is important to take time to calm your breathing. Here are two breathing exercises to try:
The 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise
You may be surprised to learn that the way you breathe can affect how you think and feel. Before attempting to problem-solve, it is important to take time to calm your breathing. Here are two breathing exercises to try:
The 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise
- Start by exhaling completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound
- Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of 4
- Hold your breath for a count of 7
- Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of 8
- This is one relaxing breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times
Breath Counting
This simple breathing exercise helps to quiet the mind and slow down your breathing. Here are the steps:
- To begin, count "one" to yourself as you exhale
- The next time you exhale, count "two," and so on up to "ten"
- The begin a new cycle, counting "one" on the next exhalation. The challenge is to never count higher than "ten," and count only when you exhale.
Guided Meditation
Meditation is a powerful tool for combating persistent feeling of worry, as it allows one to practice the art of staying present in the moment, which is incompatible or the opposite of thinking about past or future worries. I often invite students to consider incorporating meditation into their daily or weekly routines, as it has been shown to have numerous psychological and health benefits. For those just starting to practice meditation, it can be helpful to use a guided meditation. This 10-minute guided meditation is a great example of one that specifically targets anxiety.
Grounding Techniques
When our minds worry too much about things that have happened in the past or that may happen in the future it can help to give your brain a job, to distract it for a bit and break the worry cycle. Grounding techniques are really helpful for this reason. The following grounding exercise leads you through 5 senses to focus the mind on the present.
5 Senses Exercise
Take a deep breath and tune into your five senses. Name quietly to yourself...
5 things you can see
4 things you can touch
3 things you can hear
2 things your can smell
1 thing you can taste or that you are grateful for
Here is a video that will guide you through a variation of this activity.
Checking the Facts and Challenging Negative Thoughts
Many different thoughts pop-up in our minds when we are anxious, but that does not mean we must believe them all or that they are all true. Pay attention to the thoughts that accompany the feeling of worry and try to "check the facts" on your thoughts. What this means is, check whether your interpretation of an event (what happened) matches the reality of the situation. Sometimes, what we are reacting to are not the actual facts of the situation, but out interpretation of the event (what happened). For example, thinking that your friend hates you because they walked down the hall without saying hi to you wouldn't fit the facts of the situation if they person did not see you. Ask yourself...
-Is this thought a fact?
-Is this thought helpful or beneficial?
-Is there another way of thinking about this?
-How would someone else see this thought?
-What advice would a friend give?
Focus on What You Can Control
Worry thrives when we focus on all the things we CAN'T control, like what others think or do, past mistakes, feeling sick, or even the weather. One way to combat anxiety is to shift your focus and take charge of things you CAN control like your emotional responses, your goals, your actions, who you spend time with, and the way you treat others.
Here is a quick journal exercise from the book Present Not Perfect to help you focus on the worries you can control.
Directions: Write down in bright colored pens 3 things that bring you JOY. Now, take a pencil and write down 3 things that have been bothering you. Take a moment to reflect on your worry list, then ERASE all the items on the second list (worries) over which you do not have TOTAL control. As you gently blow the residue off the page, imagine that you are releasing your worries. Say to yourself: "Whatever happens, happens. I can handle it." Use these coping statements throughout your day when worries arise.
Worry thrives when we focus on all the things we CAN'T control, like what others think or do, past mistakes, feeling sick, or even the weather. One way to combat anxiety is to shift your focus and take charge of things you CAN control like your emotional responses, your goals, your actions, who you spend time with, and the way you treat others.
Here is a quick journal exercise from the book Present Not Perfect to help you focus on the worries you can control.
Directions: Write down in bright colored pens 3 things that bring you JOY. Now, take a pencil and write down 3 things that have been bothering you. Take a moment to reflect on your worry list, then ERASE all the items on the second list (worries) over which you do not have TOTAL control. As you gently blow the residue off the page, imagine that you are releasing your worries. Say to yourself: "Whatever happens, happens. I can handle it." Use these coping statements throughout your day when worries arise.
It is important to note that you may find these suggestions do not work for you, and that is totally fine. Everyone copes in different ways. If you are struggling with feelings of worry that are excessive, uncontrollable, or irrational, and you have been experiencing these worries for an extended period of time, please complete the contact form below so you can be put in touch with a member of the Counseling and Wellness team. We are trained to help and we are here for you.