How NOT to Cope with Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal, healthy emotion that helps us respond to potential danger or threat. It is a natural response to stress and motivates and energizes us to take action to protect ourselves. Many people, however, experience intense, excessive and persistent worry or fear in everyday situations. This is when anxiety becomes an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders in the United States. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 40 million adults in the United States (18% of the population) have an anxiety disorder. And while there are many different types of anxiety-related disorder, all of them interfere with a person’s ability to function and experience life.
Problematic anxiety often leads to the formation of unhealthy, short-term coping habits that a person may or may not be aware of. These can include:
Avoiding triggers: While avoiding anxiety triggers (including some thoughts and memories) can offer temporary relief, it causes anxiety to worsen in the long-term. Anxiety grows so avoidance grows, increasingly restricting one's ability to function and causing them to miss out on important experiences and opportunities in life, including those that might help. Avoidance can take many forms, including simple denial, procrastination, distraction, and excessive busyness.
Substance abuse: Many people turn to alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs to cope with anxiety. However, this is another short-term solution that not only causes anxiety to increase over time but also has all the risks and consequences that accompany substance abuse, including addiction, damaged relationships, vocational and legal problems, and the many negative effects on physical and mental health.
Overthinking: Seeking more certainty and control is a common response to anxiety that leads to a constantly analyzing and rehashing of thoughts and experiences. This results in a cycle of obsessive worry and rumination, making anxiety worse. Overthinking also leads to a decrease in sleep and an increase in fatigue, further contributing to one’s anxious distress.
Blaming and shaming: People may also cope with anxiety by choosing someone or something to blame for their experience (including themselves), thus creating a clear "enemy" to attack. This reaction might be to avoid the distress of not knowing where one's feelings are coming from or the distress of acknowledging the actual problem. This is another coping habit that increases anxiety over time and often results in a pattern of damaged relationships, self-deception, and rigid thinking.
Fortunately, there are better ways to cope with anxiety. One of the best is to calm the body. As the mind effects the body, so the body effects the mind. While we can’t directly control our anxiety (have you ever told yourself to “calm down”?), we can control it indirectly. Physical self-soothing decreases nervous system arousal and consequently reduces anxious distress. Examples of physical self-soothing or body calming include deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, stretching, yoga, and sensory grounding. Other, more internal strategies for managing anxiety include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) self-talk, Radical Acceptance practices, and Mindfulness.
Anxiety is a normal part of the human experience. It’s a helpful and healthy emotion when appropriately responding to our environment. But when it becomes excessive and persistent, it can have a profound impact on the quality of a person’s life. If you're struggling with anxiety, it’s important to seek help. A mental health professional can help you develop healthy coping skills that work for you and even help you resolve the source of your anxiety.
