Wellbeing

Beyond Blue Anxiety management strategies

There are many strategies that can be used for managing anxiety. Guided meditation, positive affirmations or lifestyle changes are just a few things you can try.

The best coping strategy for anxiety will be different for each person. We’ve put together 10 strategies you can try to see if they work for you.

If you need extra support to manage your anxiety, we can help you get support for your mental health. 

Slow breathing

When you’re anxious, your breathing becomes faster and shallower. Try this exercise to slow down your breathing:

• Count to three as you breathe in slowly.
• Count to three as you breathe out slowly.

Progressive muscle relaxation

This exercise can help reduce the feelings of muscle tension that often comes with anxiety:

• Find a quiet location. 
• Close your eyes and slowly tense and then relax each of your muscle groups from your toes to your head. 
• Hold the tension for three seconds and then release quickly.

Stay in the present moment

Anxiety can make your thoughts live in a terrible future that hasn’t happened yet. Try to bring yourself back to where you are. Practising meditation can help.

Find more relaxation exercises

Maintain a healthy lifestyle 

A healthy lifestyle can help reduce anxiety and improving your wellbeing. Healthy habits include:

• Keeping active
• Eating well
• Spending time outdoors in nature
• Spending time with family and friends
• Reducing stress
• Doing activities you enjoy.   

Learn more about how a healthy lifestyle can help you stay mentally well.

Small acts of bravery

Try doing something that makes you anxious, even in a small way. For example, if public speaking makes you anxious, put together a small presentation for your friends or family.

Success with small acts of bravery can help you manage your anxious feelings for bigger acts of bravery.

Avoiding anxiety triggers can make you feel better in the short term, but it can make you more anxious in the long term.

Challenge your self-talk

What you think affects how you feel. To change your thinking: 

• find new, positive ways to look at a situation that’s making you anxious
• look at the facts – is your thought true?

Anxiety can make you overestimate the danger in a situation and underestimate your ability to handle it.

Be kind to yourself

Practising self-compassion can help reduce your anxiety. We all deserve to be nurtured, even by ourselves.

Find out how to develop a stay well plan.