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13 coping skills for anxiety that actually work

isn’t one-size-fits-all. For some people, it feels like a tight chest or a racing heart. For others, it shows up as constant worrying, spiraling thoughts, or panic that makes everyday situations feel overwhelming. However it shows up for you, anxiety is probably not something you enjoy living with—and you may be ready to get a better handle on it. That’s where coping skills for anxiety come in.

This guide by breaks down practical, evidence-based coping skills you can actually use in the moment, how to figure out which ones work best for you, and when extra support—like therapy—can make managing anxiety feel more doable.

How Do Coping Skills Help With Anxiety?

Anxiety activates the body’s fight-or-flight system, preparing you to respond to perceived danger. This can lead to racing thoughts, muscle tension, rapid breathing, avoidance behaviors, and cycles of worry that feel hard to shut off.

While coping skills won’t eliminate anxiety altogether, they can help you find some relief when symptoms pop up. Coping skills can help ground you, interrupt spiraling thoughts, regulate your nervous system, and give you a sense of control when you’re feeling anxious. Over time, consistent use of coping skills can lower the intensity of your anxiety and make those anxious moments feel more manageable.

Therapy is often the best place to learn, personalize, and practice coping skills for anxiety, especially when your symptoms feel chronic or overwhelming. But if you’re looking to brush up on your coping skills or learn a few new ones, this guide is a great place to start.

13 Coping Skills for Anxiety

Below are coping skills supported by research and commonly used in therapies like (CBT), exposure-based treatments, and mindfulness-based approaches

1. Diaphragmatic Breathing

What it is: Slow, deep breathing that engages the diaphragm rather than the chest (also called belly breathing).

How to do it: Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your belly. As you slowly breathe in through your nose, focus on extending your stomach outwards rather than letting your chest rise. Exhale slowly through your mouth as you let your belly fall. Repeat for one to two minutes.

2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

What it is: Systematically tensing and releasing muscle groups throughout the body.

How to do it: As you sit or lie in a comfortable position, do a mental body scan starting from the top of your head and moving down to your toes. As your mind moves over each body part, focus on tensing the muscles in that area for a few seconds, then releasing them fully for a few seconds. Repeat this until you’ve scanned the length of your body.

3. Grounding Techniques

What it is: Focusing on your senses to help you shift attention away from anxious thoughts and back to the present moment.

How to do it: Focus on the feeling of your feet on the floor or your body in a chair. Take in your surroundings as you slow your breathing and remind yourself that you are safe.

4. The 5-4-3-2-1 Method

What it is: A specific grounding technique that draws your attention back to the present and away from feelings of panic or anxiety.

How to do it: Name five things you can see, four things you hear, three things you can touch, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste.

5. Cognitive Reframing

What it is: A way to slow down and examine your anxious thoughts more objectively, so you can find a more neutral and objective thought.

How to do it: Write down the anxious thought you’re having right now. Underneath that, write down what evidence you have that this anxious thought is true and what evidence you have that it isn’t true. Taking that all into consideration, write down an alternative thought that feels more realistic and positive.

6. Worry Time

What it is: Scheduling a specific time to focus on worries instead of letting yourself ruminate on them all day.

How to do it: When you find yourself stuck in an anxious thought spiral, write your worries down and return to them during a set “worry time.”

7. Creative Expression

What it is: Using art to ground yourself in the present moment, regulate your nervous system, and even process your thoughts and emotions.

How to do it: When you’re feeling anxious or restless, try doing something creative like coloring, painting, or playing with clay. If your thoughts start to drift back to what’s worrying you, gently redirect them to your art project. No need to focus on perfection—the point is just to give your thoughts and emotions another outlet.

8. Exposure Hierarchies

What it is: Gradually facing your fears instead of avoiding them—ideally under the supervision of a mental health professional.

How to do it: Work with a therapist to identify something you’re anxious about (like flying across the country). Then, work together to create a list of least-to-most anxiety-provoking steps that help you eventually tackle the situation that you’re anxious about.

9. Gentle Movement

What it is: Light physical activity like walking or stretching to help regulate your nervous system and distract you from anxious thoughts.

How to do it: A five-minute walk or a guided stretching video is enough to begin.

10. Mindfulness Practices

What it is: Noticing thoughts and sensations without judgment to help bring you back to the present moment when you’re spiraling.

How to do it: Focus solely on your breath (slowly inhaling through your nose and slowly exhaling through your mouth) for one minute while gently redirecting your attention whenever it wanders.

11. Self-Soothing Strategies

What it is: Comforting the body using the senses.

How to do it: Try warm tea, calming music, soft textures, or familiar scents.

12. Name the Emotion

What it is: Putting clear words to what you’re feeling (like anxiety, fear, embarrassment) instead of sitting with a vague sense of distress.

How to do it: Pause and ask yourself, “What emotion am I feeling right now?” Try to be as specific as possible and say it out loud or write it down (like: “I’m feeling anxious and overwhelmed”). Notice how simply naming the emotion can make it feel less intense and more manageable.

13. Journal

What it is: Getting your anxious thoughts out of your head and onto paper.
How to start: Set a five-minute timer and write freely without editing yourself. You can also try revisiting these journal entries once you’re in a calmer headspace to remind yourself that many of the things you once worried about didn’t end up being as bad as you expected them to be.

How to Know Which Coping Skills to Try

Not all coping skills work the same way, and you don’t need to use all of them all the time. The most effective approach is starting with a small set of strategies that match how your anxiety shows up in daily life.

Here’s a simple way to narrow it down:

• If anxiety feels physical (racing heart, chest tightness, restlessness): Body-based skills like breathing exercises, grounding, or movement can help calm your nervous system.
• If anxiety lives in your thoughts (constant worry, overanalyzing, “what if” loops): Cognitive skills like reframing or journaling may be more effective once the intensity passes.
• If anxiety leads to avoidance (canceling plans, procrastinating, staying stuck): Behavioral strategies like gradual exposure can help rebuild confidence over time.

Your background matters, too. Neurodivergence, trauma history, chronic stress, or can affect which coping strategies feel accessible or overwhelming. If a skill doesn’t work for you, that doesn’t mean you failed, it means that tool wasn’t the right fit for that moment.

If anxiety feels persistent, confusing, or hard to manage on your own, working with a therapist can help you personalize coping strategies instead of relying on trial and error. You can learn more about the or when you’re ready.

Why Coping Skills Don’t Always Work Right Away

If you’ve tried coping skills before and felt frustrated, you’re not alone. There are several reasons a skill might not help in the moment, and none of them mean you’re doing it wrong.

• Timing matters. Cognitive skills work best after the nervous system has calmed, not at peak anxiety.
• Intensity matters. When anxiety is very high, body-based regulation often needs to come first.
• Consistency matters. Many skills reduce anxiety over time, not instantly.
• Your history matters. Trauma, neurodivergence, or chronic stress can change how your nervous system responds.

A Simple Way to Sequence Coping Skills

Instead of trying random techniques, it can help to match coping skills to your anxiety level:

• When anxiety is high: Start with body-based regulation (breathing, grounding, muscle relaxation)
• When anxiety has eased slightly: Use cognitive tools (reframing, thought records, journaling)

Many people get stuck because they try to “think their way out” of anxiety before their body feels safe. Sequencing helps skills work together instead of against each other.

Common Myths About Coping With Anxiety

A lot of anxiety advice online sounds reassuring, but quietly sets unrealistic expectations. Let’s clear up a few common myths:

Myth: Coping skills should make anxiety disappear.
Fact: Coping skills don’t erase anxiety. They help you function, feel safer, and move forward with anxiety present.

Myth: If I can’t calm down instantly, I’m doing it wrong.
Fact: Many coping strategies work gradually. Progress often looks like recovering faster, not feeling calm right away.

Myth: Anxiety means something is seriously wrong with me.
Fact: Anxiety is a common nervous system response, especially during stress, transitions, or uncertainty. Learn more about

Myth: Therapy is only for severe anxiety.
Fact: Therapy supports people across the full spectrum, from occasional anxiety to chronic symptoms. It can also be a great place to learn coping skills that you can use the next time you’re feeling anxious.

Myth: Everyone else is handling life better than I am.
Fact: Anxiety distorts your perception. What you’re seeing is comparison, not reality.

If these myths sounded familiar, you’re in good company. Anxiety has a way of convincing people they’re behind, broken, or missing some secret everyone else figured out. In reality, most people are learning as they go, and coping looks a lot messier than the internet makes it seem.

Using coping skills doesn’t mean you’ll always feel calm. It means you’re practicing how to meet anxiety with a little more patience, understanding, and flexibility. Sometimes, the most helpful coping skill is getting support instead of trying to manage everything alone.

Ready to Get Help That Actually Works?

Coping skills can make a real difference, especially when you don’t have to figure them out alone.

One of the biggest benefits of working with a therapist is getting support from someone who has deep experience with anxiety in all its forms. Anxiety doesn’t look the same for everyone, and neither should treatment. Some people struggle with constant worry or rumination. Others deal with panic attacks, social anxiety, burnout, trauma-related anxiety, or stress that shows up in their body.

The goal isn’t to “fix” you or force anxiety to disappear. It’s to find the kind of care that actually fits your life and helps you move forward.

Frequently Asked Questions About Coping Skills for Anxiety

Do coping skills work for everyone?

Coping skills help many people, but no single skill works the same way for everyone. Anxiety shows up differently depending on the person, context, and nervous system, so finding the right fit matters.

Can coping skills replace therapy?

Coping skills can be helpful on their own, especially for mild or situational anxiety. Therapy adds structure, personalization, and support when anxiety feels persistent, confusing, or hard to manage alone.

What if coping skills don’t help?

That doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. It often means the skill isn’t the right match for that moment, or that additional support could help.

Are coping skills helpful for panic attacks?

Yes, breathing and grounding techniques are commonly used to reduce panic symptoms by calming the nervous system and bringing attention back to the present moment.

How long do coping skills take to work?

Some coping skills, like breathing or grounding, can reduce anxiety in minutes. Others, like cognitive reframing or exposure, work best when practiced consistently over weeks. Progress often looks like anxiety passing faster, feeling less overwhelming, or being easier to tolerate.

Why do coping skills work sometimes but not others?

Anxiety fluctuates based on stress, sleep, health, and life circumstances. A skill that helps one day may feel less effective another, and that’s normal.

What if I’ve tried coping skills and still feel anxious?

That doesn’t mean coping skills are useless or that you’re “too anxious.” It may mean your anxiety needs more personalized support (like therapy) or a different combination of strategies.

Do I need therapy if coping skills help a little but not enough?

Many people use coping skills alongside therapy. Therapy helps tailor those skills to your nervous system, history, and goals so they’re more effective over time.

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