Techniques For Managing Stress and Anxiety

In the short term, some level of stress can help us safeguard ourselves from danger and motivate us to accomplish tasks. However, extreme and/or chronic stress can lead to a variety of potential mental and physical health problems—including anxiety disorders, though these are distinct from the experience of short- or long-term stress. That said, there are several evidence-based techniques that research suggests may help reduce both symptoms of stress and of anxiety disorders. See below to learn more.

Stress vs. anxiety disorders

Stress and anxiety disorder-related symptoms are not the same thing, though they can manifest similarly. Stress is a response that’s usually triggered by something external, such as a deadline at school or work or an experience of discrimination. In contrast, anxiety disorder-related symptoms often include excessive worry that won’t go away, even if a direct stressor or threat is not present. An example might include feeling anxiety that you’ve upset someone even if they haven’t said anything or frequent concern and anxiety that you’ll develop a disease you heard about on the news but aren’t especially at risk for.

Symptoms of stress can vary widely from person to person, but some common signs include: 

• Exhaustion 
• Headaches
• High blood pressure 
• Muscle tension
• Irritability 
• Trouble sleeping
• General body aches or pain
• Weakened immune function

Chronic stress and anxiety can impact both physical and mental health, possibly increasing a person’s risk of depression, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions. Prolonged stress could also be a contributing factor in a person developing an anxiety disorder.

There are several different types of anxiety disorders, from generalized anxiety disorder to social phobia. Symptoms of anxiety disorders can vary depending on the person and the specific disorder they’re living with, but they can generally include things like: 

• Excessive, persistent worry 
• A frequent sense of impending doom or fear
• Trouble sleeping 
• Fatigue or exhaustion
• Muscle tension
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions 
• Irritability 
• Panic attacks

If you’re living with excessive worry and anxiety that doesn’t go away, you could be experiencing the effects of an anxiety disorder. Scheduling an appointment with a medical or mental health professional can be a helpful first step in addressing your anxiety symptoms. A doctor can conduct an evaluation to possibly rule out other conditions that could be causing these signs. A therapist can provide a diagnosis of any mental health condition you may be experiencing and help you address anxiety symptoms.

Healthy ways to manage stress and symptoms of anxiety disorders

Research suggests that stress and mild anxiety disorder symptoms can both respond well to certain healthy lifestyle adaptations and coping mechanisms. You can try using some of the following techniques as a “spot treatment” when you’re feeling stressed or anxious. Or, you can try incorporating some of them into your daily routine for preventative care related to reducing anxiety and stress. 

1. Practice yoga

A 2018 study suggests that the ancient Indian practice of yoga may help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. There are many different types of yoga, but it generally involves stretching, holding specific poses or postures, deep breathing, and mindfulness. To get started, you can try following along with a free video online or taking an in-person class in your area.

2. Engage in meditation

Meditation is another ancient spiritual practice with roots in various cultures and religions of India that can help ease anxiety. It can also take many forms, but it generally involves sitting or lying down, closing the eyes, and tuning into a calm, nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment. Meditation may help induce the relaxation response and quiet the mind, potentially reducing stress and anxious thoughts. 

3. Connect socially with others

Humans are social creatures, and a growing body of research suggests that having a strong social support network may benefit our mental and even physical well-being in more ways than one. Similarly, social isolation may worsen anxiety symptoms and signs of stress. Consider, for example, a study published by the National Institute of Health in 2022 that suggests that “free-form interaction with a friend” can enhance recovery from the stress response and that regular social interaction may actually help increase stress resilience over time.

4. Try breathing exercises

Deep breathing can be an effective technique to use in the moment to reduce tension and stress by activating the vagus nerve. There are many types of deep breathing exercises, but belly breathing is a common, simple technique often recommended for beginners. 

To try it, you can sit down, lean forward, and rest your elbows on your knees, breathing normally as you do so. This can prompt you to draw breath from your belly rather than your chest, which can produce more relaxation benefits. In this position, you can then practice deep, slow breathing a few times to decrease feelings of stress or anxiety or cope with a panic attack.

5. Exercise

Cardiovascular exercise can be a powerful stress-management tool. In addition to relaxing muscle tension and releasing endorphins that can boost mood, exercise can also provide a healthy distraction from excessive worry. Long, repetitive exercise—such as walking, jogging, swimming, or biking—can also act as an active form of meditation or mindfulness, which may produce additional benefits. 

6. Practice good sleep hygiene

Stress and anxiety disorders can negatively affect sleep quality, and insufficient sleep can exacerbate symptoms and cause other negative health outcomes. If you’re having trouble getting enough rest, it might help to engage in some basic sleep hygiene practices if you’re not already, such as:

• Go to bed and wake up around the same times each day 
• Avoid caffeine in the afternoon or evening
• Avoid or limit alcohol close to bedtime
• Sleep in a cool, dark, quiet space
• Keep screens out of your bedroom and avoid use close to bedtime

7. Use positive self-talk

Negative thoughts and self-talk (such as blame, magnifying, and polarizing) can make symptoms of anxiety disorders worse and may prolong the stress response. Positive self-talk, however, may help you exercise self-compassion and view situations more realistically in order to reduce stress and anxiety.

You can start learning to shift negative self-talk to positive self-talk by identifying harmful thoughts and asking yourself if you would say them to a loved one. If not, you might shift them accordingly. An example of negative self-talk might be: “I shouldn’t try that because I probably won’t be good at it”. A more positive thought to replace it might be: “I haven’t tried this before, but this could be a good opportunity to learn something new and have fun.” 

When to seek help from a mental health professional

Anyone can seek extra support from a therapist, even if they’re not experiencing a diagnosable disorder. If symptoms of stress or anxiety are starting to impact your day-to-day functioning or cause you significant distress, it may be especially important to seek support. A mental health professional like a therapist can help you identify what’s causing you stress or anxiety, offer you a safe space to express your feelings about it, learn to challenge distorted thoughts and improve negative self-talk, and discover healthy coping mechanisms that work for you. If you’re experiencing signs of an anxiety disorder, they may also recommend a treatment plan as needed.

For people with busy schedules, engaging in online therapy can be more convenient than regularly traveling to get in-person care. With an online therapy platform like BetterHelp, you can get matched with a licensed therapist and meet with them via phone, video call, and/or in-app messaging from anywhere you have an internet connection. A growing body of research suggests that online therapy can be similarly effective to in-person therapy in many cases, so you can typically choose whichever format you prefer.