Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSocial Coping StrategiesEmotional Coping StrategiesPhysical Coping StrategiesCognitive-Behavioral Coping StrategiesNext in Generalized Anxiety Disorder GuideUnderstanding Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Children
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Social Coping Strategies
Emotional Coping Strategies
Physical Coping Strategies
Cognitive-Behavioral Coping Strategies
Next in Generalized Anxiety Disorder Guide
Close
If you have generalizedanxietydisorder (GAD), it is essential to learn how to cope with persistent anxiety and physical symptoms. While everyone’s experience with GAD is different, there are manycommon symptomsthat almost everyone will experience to some degree.
These symptoms include physical symptoms (muscle tension, body aches, etc.), behavioral symptoms (procrastination, isolation, etc.), and emotional symptoms (intrusive thoughts, constant worry, etc.). Fortunately, there are various coping styles and strategies that can help you manage all of them.
At a Glance
Keep reading to learn more about tactics to help you cope with feelings of anxiety and worry and why it is so important to seek treatment for generalized anxiety disorder.
Verywell / Cindy Chung
Social Coping Strategies for GAD
Social support is an essential part of dealing with a mental health condition like generalized anxiety disorder. For some people, social coping strategies can help manage symptoms, overcome fear, and even improve social life for an overall better quality of life. Effective options include the following.
Get Involved
When we feel anxious it is common to want to pull away from others and disconnect. This leads us to feeling removed from others, our family, and our community.
Finding events to participate in can help foster a sense of belonging and allow us to feel purposeful.
Not only are we keeping our bodies busy, but our minds as well. Instead of ruminating on worries, social activities give us something else to focus on. By taking our minds off of our worries, it can provide relief from some GAD symptoms.
1:20Watch Now: 7 Ways to Reduce Your Anxiety
1:20
Watch Now: 7 Ways to Reduce Your Anxiety
Talk to Someone
Anxiety can lead us to believe that we are alone in our experience and no one will be able to relate. This is not true. Find a trusted person to talk with about your challenges. Share with important people in your life the experiences you are struggling with and don’t be afraid to open up conversation.
Being open about your challenges can also allow other people the space to share their struggles.
Recruit Support
Finding a support system is important when we are struggling with anxiety.There are a variety of support resources available, in-person and online, that can be of great help. A community of people who understand and can offer tips and suggestions for helpful coping strategies can be valuable.
Best Online Anxiety Support Groups of 2024
Laugh
Anxiety tends to rob us of joy and gets in the way of us being able to have fun. Remember to nurture your longing to have fun and laugh. Research has found that humor can be an everyday tool to protect against anxiety and promote mental health.
You can find humor in books, on television, or in online sources. Taking a moment to laugh and have fun can offer a gentle reminder that the anxiety is not in charge.
Laughter as a Coping Mechanism
Emotional Coping Strategies for GAD
Emotional symptoms like worry,rumination, and intrusive thinking are also common for people with generalized anxiety disorder. Try these strategies for coping with intrusive thoughts, constant worry or fear, feelings of uncertainty, apprehension, dread, or overwhelm.
Mindfulness
There are varied practices ofmindfulnessthat can help with anxiety. Using techniques like mindfulness, prayer, and deep breathing can help slow down our anxious processing of thoughts and emotions.
Mindful MomentNeed a breather? Take this free5-minute meditation focused on relieving anxiety—or choose from ourguided meditation libraryto find another one that will help you feel your best.
Mindful Moment
Need a breather? Take this free5-minute meditation focused on relieving anxiety—or choose from ourguided meditation libraryto find another one that will help you feel your best.
By slowing down we are learning to be more present rather than hyper-focused on trying to anticipate and prepare for the future, which is what anxiety makes us focus on, even when there are no threats present.
Learn Your Triggers
As you practice slowing down and becoming more mindful, it will be helpful for you to pay attention to the situations that seem to trigger your anxiety. Although it won’t always be an option to avoid those triggers, being aware of them can help you gain clarity and take steps toward managing stress in those specific situations.
Learning cognitive ways to challenge your anxiety can help, such as diffusing anxious thoughts and calming the need to keep asking “what if.”
Practice Acceptance
As impossible as it may seem, it can be helpful to learn to accept the journey and embrace it as an opportunity to learn and care for yourself in healthy ways. Accepting your emotions canimprove your overall emotional health.Identifying the emotions is thefirst of multiple stepsto achieving this.
Keep a Positive Attitude
There is no need to lose hope for better living. Many people challenged with anxiety, such as with generalized anxiety disorder, leadfull, productive, and joyful lives.
The key is taking time to learn what strategies work well for you, stay connected to others, and remain positive.
Physical Coping Strategies for GAD
Physical coping strategies, like eating well, exercising, breathing, and establishing a relaxing bedtime routine, can help with emotional symptoms as well.
Eat Well
What we put into our bodies can influence how we feel physically and emotionally. Although foods do not cause anxiety, they can impact our mood.
Some evidence does suggest that people who consume diets high in fat, sugar, and refined carbohydrates experience higher levels of anxiety, while those who consume diets higher in fruits, vegetables, and micronutrients have lower levels of anxiety.
Eating things like sugary snacks and processed foods can lead to quick highs and lows in our blood sugar that can influence feelings of restlessness and fatigue.
Exercise
Research has shown that exercise can be an effective treatment for anxiety.Moving your body can be a great way to managestress. Exercise helps to boost our endorphins and relieve tension.
The key is to find something you can do regularly. Try something new or go with an old favorite activity you enjoy. Any way that you choose to exercise will be of benefit.
Keep a consistent schedule and try to incorporate exercise three to four times per week or more. You may also try massage orprogressive muscle relaxationto help ease muscle tension often experienced with anxiety.
Get Enough Sleep
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), only one in three adults in the United States get the recommended seven hours of sleep at night.
Although it can be difficult to sleep when we experience anxiety, creating a reliable nighttime routine can help us relax and prepare for quality sleep.
Things likeprogressive muscle relaxation, reading, journaling, and turning off electronics at least one hour before bed can help you prepare your mind and body for rest. Doing a “brain dump,” or writing a to-do list or worry log as part of your bedtime routine can also help if you struggle withracing thoughtsand anxiety.
Breathing
Research has shown that breathwork interventions are an effective way to reduce feelings of anxiety.
Cognitive-Behavioral Coping Strategies for GAD
It can also be helpful to implement some of the strategies that are often used incognitive-behavioral interventionsfor generalized anxiety disorder. Some tactics that can be helpful include:
Cognitive Reframing
Cognitive reframinginvolves changing how you view a situation to see it more realistically or positively. Shifting how you view situations can help reduce feelings of anxiety.For example, if you reframe a stressful situation at work as a potential learning opportunity, you might find it less stressful and overwhelming.
Problem-Solving
Skills that can help stave off worry and rumination include:
Exposure
Exposure therapyis a treatment for anxiety that involves being progressively and systematically exposed to things that make you anxious. With repeated exposure, feelings of fear and worry gradually begin to fade.
Keep in Mind
Things to keep in mind as you walk through your journey with generalized anxiety disorder is that you are not alone and you can live a full life. Although anxiety and worry may be an obstacle for you now, and even feel uncontrollable at times, there are resources, trained professionals, and coping techniques available to help. Learning how to navigate your triggers, reaching out for help, and keeping a positive attitude all help.
Taking care of yourself also involves talking with a professional who can put aplan of treatmentin place. Talking with a counselor or other mental health provider on a regular basis can be helpful as well, to know that someone understands your experience and can help you learn to effectively navigate challenges as they arise.
If you or a loved one are struggling with anxiety, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
If you or a loved one are struggling with anxiety, contact theSubstance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helplineat1-800-662-4357for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
Understanding Generalized Anxiety Disorder in Children
12 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Mishra AK, Varma AR.A comprehensive review of the generalized anxiety disorder.Cureus. 2023;15(9):e46115. doi:10.7759/cureus.46115
Zhao G, Xie F, Li S, Ding Y, Li X, Liu H.The relationship between perceived social support with anxiety, depression, and insomnia among Chinese college students during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of self-control.Front Psychiatry. 2022;13:994376. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.994376
Menéndez-Aller Á, Postigo Á, Montes-Álvarez P, González-Primo FJ, García-Cueto E.Humor as a protective factor against anxiety and depression.Int J Clin Health Psychol. 2020;20(1):38-45. doi:10.1016/j.ijchp.2019.12.002
Fumero A, Peñate W, Oyanadel C, Porter B.The effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on anxiety disorders. A systematic meta-review.Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2020;10(3):704-719. doi:10.3390/ejihpe10030052
Newman MG, Shin KE, Zuellig AR.Developmental risk factors in generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.J Affect Disord. 2016;206:94-102. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.07.008
Aucoin M, LaChance L, Naidoo U, et al.Diet and anxiety: A scoping review.Nutrients. 2021;13(12):4418. doi:10.3390/nu13124418
Aylett E, Small N, Bower P.Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.1 in 3 adults don’t get enough sleep.
Banushi B, Brendle M, Ragnhildstveit A, et al.Breathwork interventions for adults with clinically diagnosed anxiety disorders: A scoping review.Brain Sci. 2023;13(2):256. doi:10.3390/brainsci13020256
Curtiss JE, Levine DS, Ander I, Baker AW.Cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety and stress-related disorders.Focus (Am Psychiatr Publ). 2021;19(2):184-189. doi:10.1176/appi.focus.20200045
Hentati A, Forsell E, Ljótsson B, Lindefors N, Kraepelien M.A self-guided and monitored digital problem-solving intervention for patients with symptoms of depression or anxiety on the waiting list for treatment in routine psychiatric care: feasibility study[published correction appears in BJPsych Open. 2022 Jun 20;8(4):e115].BJPsych Open. 2022;8(2):e43. doi:10.1192/bjo.2022.14
Meet Our Review Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
What is your feedback?
