5 Grounded Ways to Cope with Anxiety
- Elijah Buchholz
- May 19
- 3 min read
Updated: May 19
If you’ve ever felt like your mind won’t stop racing or your body is always on high alert, you’re not alone! Anxiety can be overwhelming - but it's also manageable. Anxiety is our body’s natural response to stress, but for many people, it becomes a daily struggle—showing up as racing thoughts, restlessness, difficulty sleeping, or even physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat.
Feeling anxious doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. In fact, anxiety is one of the most common mental health issues—and it’s treatable
5 Practical Strategies for Dealing with Anxiety
Grounding Techniques - Try out the 5-4-3-2-1 method to bring yourself back to the present moment. This can take as long or as quick as you’d like.
Find 5 Things You Can SEE and describe these to yourself,this can be out loud if you are alone or just in your thoughts if you are around others, for example “I see a red stop sign, it is octagonal, it has white lettering”.
Find 4 Things You Can FEEL and again describe these to yourself, for example “I feel my feet inside my shoes, I can feel the sides of the shoes pressing against my feet”.
Find 3 Things You Can HEAR and describe these to yourself, this can be as simple as hearing your own breathing or chewing of gum. You can also rely on outside sounds like a dog barking or cars driving by.
Find 2 Things You Can SMELL and describe them. “I can smell the rain outside my window” or “I can smell the paper sitting on my desk at work”
Finally, Find 1 Thing You Can Taste and describe it. “I can taste this gum I am chewing and it tastes minty and fresh”.
Belly Breathing Exercises - Often times when we are super anxious, we begin to breath from the top of our lungs and not from our diaphragm and this can cause us to experience even more anxious feelings even though it is perfectly safe and you can survive the rest of your life breathing like this. One way to combat this anxious breathing is to teach ourselves to breath from our bellies. Try place one hand on your chest and the other hand right at your belt/waist line. Focus on pushing out the hand on your waistline while you take a breath in. The more anxious you are, the harder this can be so give yourself grace and practice, practice, practice!
Limit Stimulants - Stimulants are anxiety’s best friend! It's a tough ask in today’s culture with Starbucks around every corner but limiting your use of Caffeine, sugar, and nicotine can have a tremendously healthy impact on limiting your anxiety! Opt for decaf or tea when meeting friends and co-workers for coffee dates, skip or limit the sugary snacks and drinks (STEER CLEAR OF ENERGY DRINKS!), and try your best to cut down on any nicotine use you may do and see how much it lessens your natural anxious feelings.
Set Boundaries For Yourself and For Others - Overcommitting yourself can lead to increased stress and anxiety, it’s ok to say no. Know where your limits are, know when your body is telling you to slow down and do some self care. Anxiety is normal and natural and the body’s way of waving a red flag. Listen to what it is telling you and take some time to prioritize yourself and your health!
Seek Support, Seek Support, Seek Support! - Talk to a therapist! It is so much more common than you think and so many people see therapists. Working with a therapist, especially one that specializes in anxiety work can help you figure out the root cause for your anxiety and develop the tools you need as an individual to cope with your anxiety.
You don’t have to battle anxiety alone. With support, awareness, and small daily changes, it’s possible to feel more in control, calmer, and more connected to yourself. If you're ready to explore your anxiety in a supportive space, therapy can be a powerful next step.
Reach out to the therapists at Harmony for more information and to schedule a session to help you begin that path to healing or click this link to schedule a free 15-minute consultation today: https://harmonyheights.clientsecure.me/
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