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Verywell / Laura Porter
If the problem started and ended with a single worry, it might not be such a big deal. Instead, people with GAD get bogged down as one worry leads to another and another.
1:207 Ways to Reduce Your Anxiety
1:20
7 Ways to Reduce Your Anxiety
What Causes Anxiety?
Some people tend to be more prone to anxiety, often due to upbringing orgenetics, but there are also other factors at work that can contribute to the anxiety cycle. Such things include:
In some cases, people withanxiety problems have difficulty recallingdata that is inconsistent with a particular worry.
Impact of Anxiety
Anxiety can have a number of distressing effects on your health and well-being. Some of these include:
Intrusive, anxious thoughts can create distress and make it difficult to cope. Take, for example, this worry: “My boyfriend is going to break up with me.” This is an intrusive thought that is actually quite normal for a person to have. It might come up out of the blue or in response to a specific situation.
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.
As a result, the belief becomes even more significant and is experienced more frequently and more intensely than in someone without an anxiety problem.To overcome anxiety, this vicious cycle needs to be broken.
How to Deal With Crippling Anxiety
How to Overcome Anxiety
There are different ways that you may be able to overcome anxiety in order to enjoy better emotional wellness. The following are some strategies you might try to include.
Acceptance
One way to overcome anxiety is to learn to accept that not every intrusive thought is signaling a legitimate reason to worry. Simply put, not every thought is true. So it’s often unhelpful to try to disprove the beliefs.
Try an acceptance-based approach instead, which includes:
An acceptance-based approach means that you observe the thought you’re having without the urgency you might normally feel to address it, fix it, argue with it, or believe it. You are letting it come and go without focusing on it.
Best Online Anxiety Support Groups of 2024
Questioning
Cognitive restructuringis another strategy that can help you change the way you perceive situations and lessen your anxiety. This technique is a cornerstone of a treatment approach called cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
Cognitive restructuring offers a way to critically evaluate potentially distorted thoughts,like “He’s definitely going to break up with me.” You ask a series of questions about the belief that can encourage a more balanced view.
For instance, “He’s definitely going to break up with me,” might turn into a more realistic belief such as, “Just because we had a small argument doesn’t mean our relationship will end.”
Cognitive Restructuring Tips
Exposure
When facing a fear, it is critical to refrain from any safety behaviors that might “undo” learning; this is sometimes referred to as response prevention.
For instance, an exposure exercise could be intentionally disagreeing with a boyfriend or imagining what it would be like to get into a major argument. Repetition helps with exposure, so repeating an exposure until it all becomes more boring than anxiety-provoking can be important.
The response prevention component would be to do these thingsand not ask whether or not your boyfriend is mad, so as to learn to live with uncertainty. While the cycle of anxiety is often vicious, breaking even one link can go a long way to diminishing worry and the anxiety to which it leads.
Nutrition
Eating fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, and high-fiber foods—while limiting processed foods—is connected with improving mood and making it easier to manage psychiatric conditions likeanxiety and depression.
Caffeine can also increase your anxiety levels.If you drink more than one cup of coffee per day, try scaling back or eliminate it altogether and note whether your anxiety improves. Caffeine is also in many teas, beverages, and foods (like chocolate) so make sure to read nutrition labels to monitor how much you’re consuming.
Physical Exercise
Find a way to move your body that feels good—it doesn’t have to be a long and arduous workout. Taking a walk for even 10 minutes can help improve your mood.
Exercise can improve your concentration, your sleep, and lower your stress levels. Many doctors advisephysical exercisealongside therapy and/or medication for people with anxiety and depression.
Mindfulness
Other coping strategies you can try to help ease anxiety include practicing techniques such as mindfulness, meditation,deep breathing, andprogressive muscle relaxation. One study, for example, found that people who practiced a technique known as mindfulness meditation experienced significant reductions in stress and anxiety.
Use Mindfulness Meditation to Ease Anxiety
Connect With Nature
Connecting with nature is another way to improve your anxiety. Studies find that using any of the five senses to feel closer to nature—taking a walk in the woods or even listening to nature sounds—can boost your mood and puts you in a more relaxed state.
TreatmentBeyond generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety can also be a symptom of a number of other disorders includingphobias, panic disorder, andsocial anxiety disorder.It’s important to recognize that you are not alone: Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health conditions in the U.S. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 19.1% of U.S. adults experienced some type of anxiety disorder during the past year and more than 30% of adults will have an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.If anxiety is causing distress and disruptions in your normal functioning, it is important to get help. Treatments for anxiety typically rely onpsychotherapy,medications, or a combination of the two. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms in order to determine what approach to treatment might work best for you.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.
Treatment
Beyond generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety can also be a symptom of a number of other disorders includingphobias, panic disorder, andsocial anxiety disorder.
It’s important to recognize that you are not alone: Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental health conditions in the U.S. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 19.1% of U.S. adults experienced some type of anxiety disorder during the past year and more than 30% of adults will have an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.
If anxiety is causing distress and disruptions in your normal functioning, it is important to get help. Treatments for anxiety typically rely onpsychotherapy,medications, or a combination of the two. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms in order to determine what approach to treatment might work best for you.
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.
Press Play for Advice On Dealing With AnxietyThis episode ofThe Verywell Mind Podcastshares a strategy to help you cope with anxiety.
Press Play for Advice On Dealing With Anxiety
This episode ofThe Verywell Mind Podcastshares a strategy to help you cope with anxiety.
A Word From Verywell
Anxiety can create a vicious cycle that is difficult to escape. Fortunately, anxiety is highly treatable. Self-help strategies to overcome anxiety can be helpful, but it is also important to talk to your doctor about your treatment options. By taking steps to get better, you can help ensure that your anxiety isn’t keeping you from achieving the things you want to do.
Is Anxiety a Mental Illness?
13 SourcesVerywell 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.National Institute of Mental Health. US Department of Health and Human Services.Generalized anxiety disorder: When worry gets out of control.Wells A.Metacognitive theory and therapy for worry and generalized anxiety disorder: Review and status.Journal of Experimental Psychopathology. 2010;1(1):133-145. doi:10.5127/jep.007910Mogg K, Bradley BP.Anxiety and attention to threat: Cognitive mechanisms and treatment with attention bias modification.Behav Res Ther. 2016;87:76-108. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2016.08.001Cleveland Clinic.Anxiety disorders.Treanor M, Erisman SM, Salters-Pedneault K, Roemer L, Orsillo SM.Acceptance-based behavioral therapy for GAD: Effects on outcomes from three theoretical models.Depress Anxiety. 2011;28(2):127-36. doi:10.1002/da.20766Tolin D.Doing CBT: A Comprehensive Guide To Working With Behaviors, Thoughts, And Emotions. Guilford Publications, Inc.;2016.Masana MF, Tyrovolas S, Kolia N, et al.Dietary Patterns and their association with anxiety symptoms among older adults: The ATTICA study.Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1250. doi:10.3390/nu11061250Firth J, Gangwisch JE, Borsini A, Wootton RE, Mayer EA.Food and mood: How do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing?.BMJ. 2020:m2382. doi:10.1136/bmj.m2382Santos VA, Hoirisch-Clapauch S, Nardi AE, Freire RC.Panic disorder and chronic caffeine use: A case-control study.Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2019;15:120-125. doi:10.2174/1745017901915010120Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Exercise for stress and anxiety.Ratanasiripong P, Park JF, Ratanasiripong N, Kathalae D.Stress and anxiety management in nursing students: Biofeedback and mindfulness meditation.J Nurs Educ. 2015;54(9):520-4. doi:10.3928/01484834-20150814-07Franco LS, Shanahan DF, Fuller RA.A review of the benefits of nature experiences: More than meets the eye.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017;14(8):864. doi:10.3390/ijerph14080864National Institute of Mental Health.An anxiety disorder.Additional ReadingAbramowitz JS, Deacon BJ, Whiteside SPH.Exposure Therapy for Anxiety: Principles and Practice.New York: The Guilford Press; 2011.
13 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.National Institute of Mental Health. US Department of Health and Human Services.Generalized anxiety disorder: When worry gets out of control.Wells A.Metacognitive theory and therapy for worry and generalized anxiety disorder: Review and status.Journal of Experimental Psychopathology. 2010;1(1):133-145. doi:10.5127/jep.007910Mogg K, Bradley BP.Anxiety and attention to threat: Cognitive mechanisms and treatment with attention bias modification.Behav Res Ther. 2016;87:76-108. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2016.08.001Cleveland Clinic.Anxiety disorders.Treanor M, Erisman SM, Salters-Pedneault K, Roemer L, Orsillo SM.Acceptance-based behavioral therapy for GAD: Effects on outcomes from three theoretical models.Depress Anxiety. 2011;28(2):127-36. doi:10.1002/da.20766Tolin D.Doing CBT: A Comprehensive Guide To Working With Behaviors, Thoughts, And Emotions. Guilford Publications, Inc.;2016.Masana MF, Tyrovolas S, Kolia N, et al.Dietary Patterns and their association with anxiety symptoms among older adults: The ATTICA study.Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1250. doi:10.3390/nu11061250Firth J, Gangwisch JE, Borsini A, Wootton RE, Mayer EA.Food and mood: How do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing?.BMJ. 2020:m2382. doi:10.1136/bmj.m2382Santos VA, Hoirisch-Clapauch S, Nardi AE, Freire RC.Panic disorder and chronic caffeine use: A case-control study.Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2019;15:120-125. doi:10.2174/1745017901915010120Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Exercise for stress and anxiety.Ratanasiripong P, Park JF, Ratanasiripong N, Kathalae D.Stress and anxiety management in nursing students: Biofeedback and mindfulness meditation.J Nurs Educ. 2015;54(9):520-4. doi:10.3928/01484834-20150814-07Franco LS, Shanahan DF, Fuller RA.A review of the benefits of nature experiences: More than meets the eye.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017;14(8):864. doi:10.3390/ijerph14080864National Institute of Mental Health.An anxiety disorder.Additional ReadingAbramowitz JS, Deacon BJ, Whiteside SPH.Exposure Therapy for Anxiety: Principles and Practice.New York: The Guilford Press; 2011.
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.
National Institute of Mental Health. US Department of Health and Human Services.Generalized anxiety disorder: When worry gets out of control.Wells A.Metacognitive theory and therapy for worry and generalized anxiety disorder: Review and status.Journal of Experimental Psychopathology. 2010;1(1):133-145. doi:10.5127/jep.007910Mogg K, Bradley BP.Anxiety and attention to threat: Cognitive mechanisms and treatment with attention bias modification.Behav Res Ther. 2016;87:76-108. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2016.08.001Cleveland Clinic.Anxiety disorders.Treanor M, Erisman SM, Salters-Pedneault K, Roemer L, Orsillo SM.Acceptance-based behavioral therapy for GAD: Effects on outcomes from three theoretical models.Depress Anxiety. 2011;28(2):127-36. doi:10.1002/da.20766Tolin D.Doing CBT: A Comprehensive Guide To Working With Behaviors, Thoughts, And Emotions. Guilford Publications, Inc.;2016.Masana MF, Tyrovolas S, Kolia N, et al.Dietary Patterns and their association with anxiety symptoms among older adults: The ATTICA study.Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1250. doi:10.3390/nu11061250Firth J, Gangwisch JE, Borsini A, Wootton RE, Mayer EA.Food and mood: How do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing?.BMJ. 2020:m2382. doi:10.1136/bmj.m2382Santos VA, Hoirisch-Clapauch S, Nardi AE, Freire RC.Panic disorder and chronic caffeine use: A case-control study.Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2019;15:120-125. doi:10.2174/1745017901915010120Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Exercise for stress and anxiety.Ratanasiripong P, Park JF, Ratanasiripong N, Kathalae D.Stress and anxiety management in nursing students: Biofeedback and mindfulness meditation.J Nurs Educ. 2015;54(9):520-4. doi:10.3928/01484834-20150814-07Franco LS, Shanahan DF, Fuller RA.A review of the benefits of nature experiences: More than meets the eye.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017;14(8):864. doi:10.3390/ijerph14080864National Institute of Mental Health.An anxiety disorder.
National Institute of Mental Health. US Department of Health and Human Services.Generalized anxiety disorder: When worry gets out of control.
Wells A.Metacognitive theory and therapy for worry and generalized anxiety disorder: Review and status.Journal of Experimental Psychopathology. 2010;1(1):133-145. doi:10.5127/jep.007910
Mogg K, Bradley BP.Anxiety and attention to threat: Cognitive mechanisms and treatment with attention bias modification.Behav Res Ther. 2016;87:76-108. doi:10.1016/j.brat.2016.08.001
Cleveland Clinic.Anxiety disorders.
Treanor M, Erisman SM, Salters-Pedneault K, Roemer L, Orsillo SM.Acceptance-based behavioral therapy for GAD: Effects on outcomes from three theoretical models.Depress Anxiety. 2011;28(2):127-36. doi:10.1002/da.20766
Tolin D.Doing CBT: A Comprehensive Guide To Working With Behaviors, Thoughts, And Emotions. Guilford Publications, Inc.;2016.
Masana MF, Tyrovolas S, Kolia N, et al.Dietary Patterns and their association with anxiety symptoms among older adults: The ATTICA study.Nutrients. 2019;11(6):1250. doi:10.3390/nu11061250
Firth J, Gangwisch JE, Borsini A, Wootton RE, Mayer EA.Food and mood: How do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing?.BMJ. 2020:m2382. doi:10.1136/bmj.m2382
Santos VA, Hoirisch-Clapauch S, Nardi AE, Freire RC.Panic disorder and chronic caffeine use: A case-control study.Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health. 2019;15:120-125. doi:10.2174/1745017901915010120
Anxiety & Depression Association of America.Exercise for stress and anxiety.
Ratanasiripong P, Park JF, Ratanasiripong N, Kathalae D.Stress and anxiety management in nursing students: Biofeedback and mindfulness meditation.J Nurs Educ. 2015;54(9):520-4. doi:10.3928/01484834-20150814-07
Franco LS, Shanahan DF, Fuller RA.A review of the benefits of nature experiences: More than meets the eye.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017;14(8):864. doi:10.3390/ijerph14080864
National Institute of Mental Health.An anxiety disorder.
Abramowitz JS, Deacon BJ, Whiteside SPH.Exposure Therapy for Anxiety: Principles and Practice.New York: The Guilford Press; 2011.
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