24 Anxiety-Reducing Tips That'll Help If You're Still Reeling Over The Election Results (And Life In General)
While the US Presidential election came to a close earlier this month, a lot of people are still experiencing some form of post-election anxiety. So when Reddit user u/georgehonda asked: "What methods do you have for coping with anxiety?" I thought it would be helpful to share some of the techniques that worked for them just in case. Here's what they said below:
This article is not to replace seeing a medical professional or therapist. Anxiety issues are so specific to each individual person and could also indicate that there might be more underlying issues at hand.
1."Cognitive restructuring: My favorite is looking for evidence that my worries/thoughts are unlikely, incoherent, or incorrect. For example, my friends probably hate me. What evidence do I have that could prove this? What evidence do I have to prove that they, in fact, do not?"
"I do this, too. For me, it is more about my reaction to a situation. For instance, I dropped a cake I just made. Being upset is totally valid. Is the intensity of that emotion justified? I freeze and decide what level of upset makes sense. A hearty 'fuck' is justified; screaming and throwing cake at the walls is not. Hell, if the rest of the day was super shitty, crying might even be ok. It's taken years of practice, but I feel like most of my reactions are more reasonable now.
Apparently, I look rather comical when I do this sometimes because, depending on what it is, I actually freeze. I stared at that cake for a hot minute before I reacted."
2."When I'm sitting in a moment of anxiety, I do this: I breathe. A deep, long inhale and then a comfortable, collapsing exhale. I focus on my breathing and my working lungs and not on whatever problem has triggered my anxiety. Once I feel calmer, I look at the problem that's causing the anxiety. I imagine the worst-case scenario. What if my deepest worry actually materialized?!? I then figured out what I would do IF that actually happened."
"Once I realize that, even though it's not something I wish to go through, there is a path out of it, I feel calmer and in more control. I think back to other times I've felt this way, and the eventual outcome wasn't as difficult to deal with as I had imagined.
For me, it's the loss of control and the unknown that causes my mental and emotional discomfort. Once I have an idea of a possible plan forward, it doesn't feel so scary. Hope this is of some help to you."
3."My therapist always tells me to reword 'what if' to 'even if.' This means that even if that thing happens, I will be fine."
4."Acutely or aggregately?"
"Acutely: Try to focus on the present moment. Look around, take some deep breaths, and assess that nothing is currently wrong or disastrous at that moment. Additionally, it may be helpful to engage in something such as a hobby, a walk, etc., to distract yourself.
Aggregately: And hear me when I say this: Do something that will fill your ‘bucket’ daily, weekly, etc. Your bucket will fill 2-3% each day and be emptied out 1-2% from life’s stupidities. Six months will go by, and you’ll be 30-40% better. 12-18 months will go by, and you’ll be 90% better. Just trust the process, take care of yourself, and never give up."
5."Meditation and physical activity. I'm more active in these activities, and somehow, I'm doing great and feeling good about what I've accomplished, and I am proud."
"I can't agree more. I have anxiety and maybe ADHD (I haven't gotten my diagnosis back yet, but I have every symptom), and the gym, while it obviously didn't cure it, helped out a lot."
6."Many people here have given great lifestyle advice like exercise meditation and journaling, so I want to jump in with an 'in the moment' practice that helps me:"
"It's based on the adage that 'you are not your thoughts,' which basically means that even if you think something, it doesn't define you. It's not YOU, and it's just a thought that crosses through your brain. You can choose to pick that thought up and hold it, or you can stand back and watch it pass by and let the next thought come.
So what I've done is sort of imagine my thoughts as being in little boxes on a conveyor belt. As they come, I pick them up, open them, and see what's inside. And if it's an anxiety thought, I imagine myself just closing the box and putting it back on the belt and saying, 'Thanks, but I'll wait for the next one,' and letting it travel away. It sounds silly and trite, but it's actually helped me a surprising amount in dealing with acute spikes."
"This technique is called Thought Defusion, and we practiced this in the anxiety program.
My favorite method is labeling, so when a thought comes up, I say, 'That’s a judging thought,’ or ‘That’s an anxious thought.' It seems silly, but it helps distance myself from distressing thoughts my brain spits out. Other methods are repeating the thoughts I have in a silly voice or imagining leaves on a stream and putting my thoughts on the leaves as they float away."
7."I'll go out and get groceries/something I've been meaning to get for my place. It's not like impulse buying, but like something I NEED that I've just been putting off. It gets me doing something productive, I'm outside, and then I feel 'one step ahead' of where I was when I was feeling like ass."
"Going out to get something I need helps me a lot when I am depressed. I tend not to leave the house, and not leaving the house makes me feel worse. But even just getting up and going to the grocery store or gas station helps me a lot.
Once, I was feeling awful; I was super low. I was stuck at home due to not being able to taste anything (I never tested positive for COVID, and I had no other symptoms; it was weird). But I had to quarantine anyway. My boyfriend wanted McDonald’s and asked if I wanted to go. I wasn’t hungry, but I still went.
We did the drive-thru, so I didn’t even have to get out of the car. But the act of going outside for a few seconds, getting in the car, and going somewhere else made me feel a ton better.
I like going to the grocery store when I am depressed because it gets me out of the house. I do something I need to do. I have food at home to eat, and I feel a bit better."
8."Breathe in through your nose for four seconds; hold your breath for four seconds. Breathe out from your mouth for four seconds, and hold your breath for four seconds. Repeat for a few minutes."
"I adjust this, as many get stuck on counting to four. The magic is in the out-breath, according to the polyvagal theory, the fight/flight vs rest and digest is at many different levels. Every time I breathe in, my body is readying for a fight, and every time I breathe out, my body gets a chance to relax. So, emphasize a big, long, slow, gentle out-breath, after a big breath in, with a slight pause on either side."
9."Going outside by myself, admiring and appreciating the beautiful surroundings and nature."
10."Listening to ambient music and rain."
11."Spend time with friends or meet other people through activities such as volunteering, sports or social clubs, or peer support groups. If you're able to talk to people about how you feel, it can help to reduce your anxiety. Sometimes, saying what's worrying you out loud can take away its power over you."
12."Think to yourself, 'What if everything goes right?'"
"This isn’t really advice, but one description that has always stuck with me is 'Worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair; it gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere.'"
13."I like to divide anxiety into two different types: 1) 'Momentary' anxiety and 2) 'structural' anxiety."
"The first is when you get an anxiety attack. You are doing something, and then it hits you. I personally get paralyzed, need to lie down or seek a quick hit from one of my vices.
For this type, I think people in the thread have been giving great advice: journaling, meditation, exercise, and returning to a ritual like drinking tea or taking a cold shower.
But what has improved my life the most is dealing with structural anxiety. For example, one of the things that made me feel 'momentary' anxiety is realizing that I'm behind other people in life. I would browse social media or something like that and see an accomplishment somebody else shared. That made me feel like I was behind in life, throwing away my potential, etc, which would lead to an anxiety attack.
What I started doing was attacking the source of my anxiety. It is natural for people to have accomplishments that I don't — the same way I have accomplishments that they don't. Even then, it is okay for someone to accomplish something; life is not a zero-sum game, and we all have different paths. And why am I browsing social media if it seldom makes me feel happy and often makes me feel desperate?"
14."Control something you can control. Do you feel like life is slipping and you’re overwhelmed? Pick one small thing you CAN control and do it. I usually start by cleaning my room til it sparkles. Hey, now I feel good because I accomplished something. Then I find something else I can control, maybe my exercise, and I go for a 2-mile walk to get some good air and see people going about life. Then I come home to a perfectly clean room. Next, I’ll control what I eat. Maybe cook a healthy or cozy meal like some pancakes, eggs, sausage, and fruit or some baked fish and veggies. After all that, I’m in a mood believing I can do whatever I want to and whatever I need to. Just start small by controlling something you can control."
15."Use fidget toys."
16."I try to turn it into a resource. I've had violent anxiety for years; it's a curse, so at least I try to take advantage of it. Some of the ideas I wrote down during peak anxiety at 4 a.m. solved some problems I had been stuck on for weeks; it's like the brain works extra hard in these moments. When I can't come up with an actual idea, I write down a tiny step that goes towards reducing the source of my anxiety; they're not a solution, they just go in the direction of reducing the problem."
"For example, when my brain goes, 'You messed up at work, you're so dumb, everyone will know how incompetent you are, and you'll get fired,' I give myself the task of completing a short online class so I am more qualified in case I need to find a new job. Projecting myself in the future with a concrete task helps me calm down. And I've completed hundreds of those classes. Now recruiters think I'm passionate, all thanks to my anxiety. Hope it helps a little bit, good luck."
17."When I'm having active panic, I use grounding exercises. My favorite is to run my hand under cold water or touch ice if I have some available. It redirects your brain to be present in your body and can head off thought spirals. There are a lot of grounding exercises. They're often recommended for PTSD and anxiety. If you Google that phrase, you can find a big list of them. Some will sound stupid, but if you find one that works, it can really help. Also, anxiety meds and therapy, lol."
"Similar to this, I like to suck on a Popsicle. It's amazing how well it works for me.
"I do this a lot of times if I’m in a situation that I know will be anxiety-inducing. I hold an ice pack, and it helps so much as my senses go right to the cold, and that’s all I can think about instead of the anxious thoughts; it really is helpful."
18."If I start randomly feeling anxious, I do a checklist."
"Am I immediately in danger? What was I doing when I started feeling this way? Am I having repetitive thoughts about anything in the back of my mind? Are any of those thoughts rooted in reality?
That usually helps me figure out where the feeling came from if there’s anything I can or should do about it, and if my brain just needs a second to chill."
19."Puzzles, coloring books, and reading anything that keeps the voices in my head quiet."
"Legos are great, too. Well, any of the adult blocks. I completely relax and enjoy it so much. Amazon has generic ones that aren't nearly expensive, but when I have the extra money, I do buy a Lego set. My therapist was amazed when I told her about it and said she was going to try."
20."I give my anxiety and intrusive thoughts a name, so it’s easier to dismiss them. I think to myself, 'Not now, Debra, we don’t have time for this!' It’s like they’re these obnoxious backseat drivers, and sometimes I just need to remind myself that I’m in the driver’s seat, and Debra’s full of crap, but she’s just trying to keep us all safe. The quicker I can recognize, 'Whoa, that’s an intrusive thought; it’s not real!' the easier it is to keep from spiraling."
21."L-theanine helps me, as does having small goals to work towards. Another would be not thinking about our purpose in this thing called life, just finding reasons to live."
22."This is so silly, but it's something that my therapist taught me. One way to better understand your anxiety so that you can manage it better the next time is to understand the source. You can use the acronym NUTS."
"There are four major sources of anxiety: Novelty, Unpredictability, Threat to the ego, and Sense of control. Events triggering anxiety can hit one or more of the letters in the acronym. For me, when I am feeling anxious, it helps to analyze the situation and understand why I'm feeling anxious. Understanding it has proved to be a great tool for me to tackle it."
"Can you elaborate more on the major sources? What does each one mean? I’d really like to know more about this because it seems like something that may work for me."
"Sure! Any of the following can trigger anxiety. A situation that is new to you; you have not experienced before (Novelty). A situation that you had not anticipated or planned for (Unpredictability). A situation that makes you feel intimidated, weak, insecure, incapable (Threat to the ego). Or a situation that you cannot have any influence over. You can't alter how it will play out, you may only live through it, and it happens to you (Sense of control).
This webpage from the Center for Studies on Human Stress may be useful to you if you wish to understand more about NUTS. They refer to it as the recipe for stress!"
23."I do a daily writing exercise where I write my fears and resentments down on paper before I 'release' them. I picked it up from this thing called Crappy Childhood Fairy. In fairness, there is plenty of pushback against CCF's methods and spammy reachouts for paid therapy services, but the daily writing of the fears was free to learn, and it helped me to clarify and organize my thoughts, and for some reason, the daily practice takes the edge off."
24."Intentionally sitting with the physical sensations that accompany anxiety and just allowing it to be there. Your attention may be drawn to your thoughts as you do this, and that's okay. As soon as you notice that you got distracted, go back to the physical sensations. Don't wish for them to be gone; they will go with time."
Is there something in particular that you do to relieve your anxiety? Tell us what it is and how it helps in the comments below.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline is 1-888-950-6264 (NAMI) and provides information and referral services; GoodTherapy.org is an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support efforts to reduce harm in therapy.
