How do you know you’re feeling anxious?
Is it the heavy weight on your chest making it hard to take a deep breath?
Maybe it’s the increased irritability with everyone around you?
Or maybe the inability to focus? Or sleep? How about the racing thoughts?
Yea. For me, check. Check. Check aaand check. To all of those. ✅
And remember when we used to text our friends and meet up that night? Maybe for drinks over happy hour while we vented our worries. Or a spin class while we sweat out our fears.
Or coffee and pedicures so we could restore calm and order to our lives.
Those times were great, right?
Well, thanks to the pandemic, those activities aren’t available for many of us now.
So how the heck do we calm the chaos going on all around us if we can’t fall back on our go-to coping skills for anxiety??
In this post, you’ll find out.
But first, let’s make sure we’re on the same page by revisiting what anxiety really is. And how healthy coping strategies help us deal with it.
Oh yea, and let’s make sure this is clear: 👇
DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor or medical professional. The content found in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please always seek advice from your doctor or other qualified health provider. Check out my Terms of Use and Disclaimer for more information.
What Is Anxiety?
When we believe situations to be stressful, unsafe, or too intense, our mind and body react with anxiety. It’s a feeling of uneasiness, fear or worry. We may feel this before common situations like a speech, interview or doctor’s appointment.
But for those who suffer for longer periods of time, have extreme feelings of anxiety or notice it affecting their day-to-day life, it can be crippling. This may be a sign of an anxiety disorder. For more information on anxiety, anxiety disorders, and whether or not you need to be treated for anxiety, consult a medical professional.
Now let’s talk about how we can deal with anxiety.
What Are Coping Skills?
Coping skills (or coping strategies or coping mechanisms) are techniques we can utilize to help us deal with big emotions. Healthy coping strategies help us lower stress and anxiety and return a sense of balance or order to our minds and lives.
The strategies that work best for me may not be best for you, and vice versa. And we can have multiple coping mechanisms, so don’t feel like you have to choose only one. Part of this is because the types of coping skills we use to deal with sadness may be different than the types we use to cope with over-excitement.
Since I started discovering which coping skills work best for me, I think of them as tools in my toolbox or tool belt. And I pull out the appropriate tool for the situation. But the more tools I have, and the more I practice using them, the more equipped I feel for coping with the next situation thrown my way.
Why Our Go-To, Pre-Pandemic Types of Coping Skills Aren’t Cutting It
Remember when we went out with friends—without masks or social distancing? Connecting with our support group is a common coping skill. And while we can still connect with loved ones, it’s looked a lot different since March 2020.
Exercise is another common coping skill. But many gyms, yoga studios and exercise facilities are closed, or require a mask or social distancing to enter. And if you’re anxious being around others, burning off that negative energy at the gym unfortunately may not be a go-to coping skill now.
One of my favorite ways to calm the chaos during stressful times was getting a massage or pedicure, having my hair cut, or visiting the beach. All of these look different now.
And the frustration of not being able to access my go-to coping skills for anxiety only makes me more anxious!
So. What can we do?
19 Coping Skills for Anxiety—That Even a Pandemic Can’t Pause
One day, hopefully soon, we’ll be able to utilize our tried-and-true coping skills. But for the time being, for those of us who truly suffer with anxiety and the darkness and uncertainty that these times bring, we need help now.
And it was during a therapy session that I was left pondering that exact question: “What are coping skills we can depend on during a pandemic?”
It became obvious I had to find new types of coping skills ASAP.
Here are 19 healthy coping strategies we can use to deal with anxiety (even during a pandemic).
1. Remember to Take a Breath
When wrapped up in our worries, we often feel a weight on our chest. (I’ve always called this heaviness my elephant or sumo wrestler. And they are hard to budge!) Bring your awareness to your breath. Slowly inhale. Then exhale. Repeat for as many times as you need.
And don’t stress about finding the perfect space to take these breaths—it can be done anywhere! A grocery store, the car, the shower, during an argument… you name it.
2. Disconnect from Tempting (and Potentially Triggering) Information
Ever open up Instagram or Facebook and think, “I just want to check on so-and-so’s profile?” And then 20 minutes later you’re amped about what a political candidate posted, jealous over the new floors your neighbor got, and guilty because your BFF appears to have done a better job than you with moming and adulting this week? Or maybe you watched the news and witnessed something terrifying that disturbs you all day.
Try to limit time on social media and watching the news. When your day-to-day life has enough factors to cause stress and anxiety, adding these big feelings only makes it more challenging to cope.
3. Brighten Your Mood and Get Outside
This is one of my favorite ways to cope with my anxiety. When I leave the house and walk under the open sky, my worries seem smaller. Without a low ceiling over my head, I don’t feel the weight of my distress pushing down on me.
If it’s sunny, the warmth can be soothing. If it’s cloudy or rainy, I feel like Mother Nature is wrapping me in a hug. Breathing comes slower. And if I can be around water, it’s the most calming outdoor element for me.
4. Unleash Your Energy with Exercise
Whether you walk, jog, lift weights, do yoga, or even dance, get up and move. Exercise helps us cope with stress and anxiety by boosting the production of endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that increase our feeling of pleasure and decrease our feeling of pain.
This increase in endorphins enhances our sense of well-being, which has the potential to improve our mood and lower our stress and anxiety. And if you can’t get to a gym or a yoga studio due to closures in your area, try exercising at home or outdoors.
5. Grant Yourself Permission to Get More Sleep
When you’re anxious, falling asleep peacefully can be tough. Try calming the chaos of the day by creating a relaxing bedtime routine and allowing enough time for your body to get the rest it needs and deserves. Especially when you’re anxious. During these times, you may need more sleep than usual.
When you get more rest, you tend to have more patience and grace the next day. And for those of us who tend to experience increased irritability when we’re anxious, being well-rested may lessen that response.
6. Nourish Your Body
Being mindful of what you feed your body can help manage your anxiety. Give it the fuel it needs to stay focused and somewhat emotionally level. When you skip meals or increase consumption of caffeine or alcohol, it can increase anxiety. Certain foods may trigger your irritability, too.
Having a meal plan or preparing meals ahead of time can prevent you from making impulsive (and potentially unhealthy) decisions, which may only intensify anxiety.
7. Seek Supportive Relationships
Pre-pandemic, this was one of my go-to coping skills for anxiety. I’d visit with my support group (be it girl friends, my husband, or family) at a restaurant, the movies or one of our houses. We’d catch up, commiserate and sympathize. If we had to, we’d do it over a long phone call, or wordy text message.
Nowadays, while our support group is still around, they aren’t as physically present. But even a Zoom or Facetime call, text message, or socially distant front yard meet-up improves our mental health. Knowing we aren’t alone, others still think of us, and we have someone to listen to our fears and woes is intensely powerful. When you feel overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to reach out to those who matter most to you.
8. Stay Connected with Your Community
A lot of people need help right now. And volunteering can be rewarding. Those feel-good emotions are powerful during this challenging time. Plus, staying involved in the local community ensures you have a support group nearby that you can rely on when the time comes.
Consider connecting to churches or faith-based organizations, schools—even if they’re distance learning, soup kitchens, homeless shelters and more!
9. Challenge Your Mind
Keeping busy with a healthy activity can help you cope with anxiety. Learn something new. Engage in a favorite pastime or hobby. Whether it’s painting, reading, gardening, or taking a course to learn a new language or skill, you’re challenging yourself to grow and improve.
Plus, as you work hard and even complete your goal, you’ll build self-confidence and self-love. Which may need some strengthening right now.
10. Establish Time to Indulge Yourself—You Deserve It
Sometimes we need to take a mental time-out from life to recharge. Allot time to read a relaxing, calming, or funny book. Watch your favorite TV show. Run a warm bath or shower. Light candles. Use essential oils. (See steps 14-17 for more ideas.)
Put whatever is making you anxious aside for a moment while you reconnect with yourself. This can bring clarity, perspective and peace and help with the next step.
11. Find a Safe Space to Acknowledge Your Feelings and Triggers
If we don’t have an outlet to express ourselves, we tend to hold onto all those big feelings crammed inside of us. Consider where you feel safe. Then, let your mind explore your emotions. Remember, it’s ok to have these feelings. Finding healthy ways to cope with those feelings is key.
While you spend time learning more about how you feel, also discover what may trigger those big emotions. Is it a person you spend time with? Something you see on TV or social media? A place you visit? Knowing your triggers can help you cope with the anxiety they ignite.
12. Release Your Hold on What You Can’t Control
Ask yourself if what you’re worrying and stressing over is something you can change. Can you do anything about the situation? If not, realize it’s out of your control and we can’t control everything in life. If there’s nothing else we can do to change the situation, we must move onto how to cope with things as they are.
If letting go is challenging, and you practice faith, consider offering up your worries in prayer to a higher power.
13. Be a Devoted Friend to Yourself
I keep reminding myself to put this at the top of my list of coping skills for anxiety. As we suffer intense anxiety and panic attacks, it’s easy to think of ourselves as weak. But we must be kind to ourselves. And comfort ourselves as we’d comfort a dear friend.
Having grace and understanding of when we’ve reached our limit is one way to do this. Repeating positive affirmations is another. You can acknowledge the negative first if it seems helpful: “Yes, I feel uncomfortable at this moment.” But then, consider realistic possibilities or positive experiences you’ve had in the past and say something such as: “I am strong. I have gone through something similar before. I will get through this. I will grow stronger after this and be proud of myself for persevering.”
14. Visualize Traveling Somewhere Tranquil
If one of your go-to coping strategies was travel, it may seem like this pandemic stole that from you. But, your imagination is a powerful thing!
When feeling anxious, take a moment to think of someplace that brings you peace. Now, close your eyes and envision yourself entering your safe place. Recreate the sounds, smells and noises of your refuge. Spend time in your space building and enjoying the tranquility you usually feel when you’re in the real-life version.
15. Practice Mindfulness
I stumbled upon mindfulness while coping with anxiety, depression and PTSD and it changed my life. This is high up on my list of coping skills for anxiety. Mindfulness is the ability to call our awareness to the present moment, without judgment of our thoughts and feelings, often by connecting with our senses.
One of the ways I practice mindfulness is to slow my breath and notice what I’m hearing, feeling, smelling, tasting and touching. Whether it’s a mindful walk, a mindfulness exercise before bed, or simply focusing on one of my senses to ground me to the present moment, mindfulness is my most-used tool in my coping skills toolbox.
16. Comfort Yourself with the Hand on the Heart Exercise
Feeling anxious and lonely seems to feed the anxiety and make it worse. When I’m in that state, I need to feel loved. Placing my hand or hands on my heart and doing this exercise eases my loneliness.
Start a Hand on the Heart exercise by placing your hands on your heart. Notice the weight of your hands and the warm of your touch. Breathe into your heart center a few times to begin calming the chaos. Then, think of someone who loves you unconditionally. Someone who makes you feel safe. It can be anyone: a spouse, a child, a parent, a teacher, a friend—even a pet. With that person in mind, remember how your body feels when surrounded by that unconditional trust, love and support. Let the feeling resonate through your body. Stay with the feeling for at least 30 seconds and bask in its warmth and safety.
17. Leave the Chaos and Find Peace with Meditation
Similar to mindfulness, meditation can help you cope with anxiety by focusing on something else. As your awareness is drawn elsewhere, your mental state may become more calm and relaxed.
My favorite meditation is a body scan. It’s a meditation that calls your attention to various areas of your body and any sensations you feel in those areas without judgment. It helps you connect with your physical self and the present moment. You can find a guided body scan in this post about step-by-step mindfulness exercises to use before bed.
18. Be Prepared and Have a Plan
In this uncertain time, everything seems different: how we visit the doctor, the dentist, purchase food, you name it. And all of that uncertainty and change can increase anxiety.
To get ahead of it, stay prepared. Take the time you need to research how to make a doctor’s appointment if you end up needing one. Research the best time to go to the store if you’re anxious about being around others. Being proactive could help you remain calm when a usually anxious situation arises.
19. Consult and Confide in a Professional
Like I said earlier, I’m not a medical professional. These are the types of coping skills that I’ve had success with for my anxiety. But everyone is different. And we all have different triggers. Confiding in an empathetic, supportive and caring therapist was the best decision of my mental health journey.
If you feel like your anxiety is too much, seek professional help.
What Types of Coping Skills Do You Use to Calm the Chaos?
Have you tried any of these strategies? I’d love to know what coping skills for anxiety you’re using during this time.
In the comments below, let me know how you cope with anxiety. And how you’ve had to change your coping skills during the pandemic.
As always—and especially now, try to stay mindful, even when your mind’s full,
~Chelsea
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71 comments
Chelsea, thank you so much for this! It’s really such a wonderful tool!!
Thanks Jenna!
Great tips and advice! So many families are struggling right now and this is so helpful!
Thank you Holly!
Taking time to read your mindfulness posts helps me breathe more slowly and feel less anxious. Dealing with an aging parent with Dementia and not being able to see her…her anxiety transfers to me. It’s rough! Your exercises always bring me to a healthier place. Thank you 🙏!
Aw, thanks so much! I appreciate that so much. 🙂 And yes, that is a lot to deal with right now. And not being able to see our loved ones makes us feel like we’ve lost our support group. I’m glad you find some of these useful and helpful!
I think a lot of us are more anxious right now. It just comes out of nowhere sometimes. Great tips to keep in mind!
Thanks Debbie. I hope you find a few of them helpful. 🙂
I have always believed in the power of just taking a breath. Working in food service, I have had so many times when co-workers were freaking out when it got busy. My go-to when helping them has always been to remind them to take a deep breath. Just that little action can completely change your perception of what is happening.
Yes Sabrina, taking a moment to breath deeply is so calming. The food service industry can get really busy, so that’s a great tool to use in that setting!
These are great options you have listed. My favorite is learning something. OMG, I learned how to teach English, beginning Russian, and all about niche sites thanks to COVID anxiety!
Wow! That’s an impressive list of new things you learned during this pandemic! Having some down time, and a lot of nervous energy has helped me stay busy and learn new things as well!
I’m sure that a lot of people will find this very comprehensive list super helpful!
Wow these are great coping skills that really do help!
I take Epsom salt baths and make sure I walk at least a few miles every day. Anxiety is a huge issue for so many, especially this year.
Kristin, that’s great you walk a few miles each day. I try to walk about 45 minutes with the kids before we start distance learning in the mornings. It helps all of us stay calm during our Zooms and school work. And Epsom salt baths is a great idea!
As you say, it’s so easy to get caught up in distractions on our devices – what I’ve recently learned is called doomscrolling. I love all your suggestions for getting peaceful after that.
Thank you Beth! And I’ve totally been victim to doomscrolling! But early on during COVID, I tried to avoid going on the news or social media early in the morning or at bedtime. Those times of day seemed to be when I’d get most sucked into upsetting news. Putting boundaries in place has helped me though!
These are all useful and relevant strategies! I am grateful to Covid in a way for helping me replace traditional coping strategies with healing strategies instead, like many of the ones you listed. Meditation, breathing, and yoga are my go-to’s along with ice cold showers. I’m also focused on trying and learning new and different things. It helps!
I’m glad your new coping skills are working for you Ramae! I love yoga, too. It really helps relieve the tension in my shoulders from stress. Cold showers is a new one to me though!
These are all great ideas to calm the anxiety. Thanks.
This is such a great post! My son and I were just talking about anxiety yesterday. I get anxiety in big crowds, mostly places like Walmart or other big shopping centers. I used to go in the middle of the night to avoid it, but again, because of the pandemic I can’t – they close at 8pm. My go to coping skills are getting outside for a hike and exercise at home. Now, I can put a few more tools in my box thanks to this post! Thank you! I have subscribed and have a few people I can share this with who will benefit from it.
Hi Lindsey! My son and I do a lot to calm our anxiety together, too. He’s still young so he’s only just learning what the word anxiety means, but he knows the feeling well. We practice mindfulness and breathing together. And getting outside is a big one for us too! And oh my gosh I can so relate to you with the grocery shopping. That whole process has changed for me because I’m nervous to take the kids now, so I have to wait for my husband to get home to watch them before they can go. And then I shop for 2 weeks at a time because being out at these stores gives me so much anxiety I want to experience as little as possible. I got anxious in crowds before the pandemic, so I understand that too! Thank you so much for subscribing and sharing! 🙂
I can’t tell you how much I miss texting my friends last minute to meet up for happy hour after work. Thanks for some great coping skills.
Aw, Linda. I feel the same. It’s so so challenging. I hope some of these coping skills bring you comfort.
I’ve never heard of hands over heart before. This is a good reminder of other things we can do for anxiety when we don’t have the same support as usual because of Covid.
Thanks Bonnie. The weight of my hands on my chest during hand on the heart is very relaxing for me. Plus, it helps remind me to have some grace with myself. It comforts me that’s for sure.
Going outside and definitely helped me cope with some anxiety. Breathing fresh air and feeling the warmth of the sun are wonderful!
My too Sydney!
I love this post! It is so true and timely! I have horrible anxiety and depression, exacerbated by carbs and sugar (surprisingly enough) So I recently started mediating in the morning and evening with my three children. The three-year-old won’t sit still for longer than two minutes but he comes back and forth while we meditate. I also ground myself often throughout the day, take a deep breath, hold it for a count of four and release. I do it three times, each time. It seems to help. I shared your post on facebook. Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Erica! Thank you so much for your kids words and for sharing! I truly appreciate it and am honored you found it helpful. I love that you meditate with your kids. We do mindfulness together, and my youngest will be 3 in two weeks. He does the same thing, wanders in and out. Or just lays on top of me LOL! And grounding is so great for our anxiety! We have a low table that we set up LEGOS or toys on and sit together to build and being on the floor like that is calming for all of us! Thanks for sharing your story!
These are so great! I definitely find that I can get past anxiety episodes with so many of these especially breathing deeply and intentionally, getting out into nature, and moving my body. Thanks for the great post!
Aw, thanks so much Kendra! Breathing deeply is a great one for us too!
Chelsea what a great post and advice! This pandemic has really challenged us emotionally, physically and financially. And stress comes with it. With our national parks open, we have been exploring and going on a lot of hikes. When we’re at home we watch a lot of good movies to keep our mind busy. Also connecting with our love ones help as well. We don’t read or watch news at all. So depressing!
Hi Jane, I love seeing the hikes you post about on your blog! I wish I could easily get there and take some of those adventures right now! With young kids and this heat, I get out in the mornings for a walk and that helps too. And I agree with you, I stay away from news for the most part.
Chelsea, these are awesome tips, thank you so much for sharing! Pinning to come back to later. I feel like I normally deal with stress pretty well, but this pandemic has stressed me out to the MAX. And like you said, all of the regular coping strategies are out of reach or at least severely modified. Thank you so much for providing helpful and actionable tips to try next time I feel overwhelmed.
Thanks so much Britney!
Even though I’m fully aware that I should take care of my physical needs to be in prime shape to tackle stress, I rarely do.
Hi Danielle. I totally get it. I’m “fully aware” I need to do things, but then following through on it is the challenge. But we have to give ourselves some grace, especially now. I hope some of these tips help you. 🙂
Great tips especially in these times.
These are all really great suggestions. We all have anxiety at times.
Good reminders for anytime in life. Thanks!
Great suggestions, Chelsea! Living mindfully, staying in the present moment, and always remembering to breathe is always the best medicine.
Thanks Suzan!
These are all great ideas for anxiety. Before the pandemic I had very little anxiety. However, having to wear a mask for hours during my work shift my anxiety has increased a great deal. I find lowering my mask when no one is close and using breathing exercises I learned in grad school for mental health.
Thanks for sharing Alice. I feel the same way about wearing a mask for long periods of time. Especially in the heat. Breathing exercises work for me too. Hang in there!
There have definitely been situations over the past few months where I’ve felt anxious and under normal circumstances I know I wouldn’t normally feel that way. It’s been a long couple of months.
The Coping Skills are so informative and helpful. Thank you!
Such great ideas. I’ve noticed when I’m experiencing anxiety, disconnecting from triggering sources REALLY helps me reset.
Thanks Megan! Yes, that’s a great way to turn off the triggers.
I was so happy to have an amazing home gym during this pandemic! It was a great stress relief for both myself, and my daughter. Our daily workouts gave us a chance to talk (she suffer from anxiety), and burn off some negativity. We are also fortunate to be close to a really nice walking trail… so getting outside in the fresh air was good for the kids and myself!
Hi Marianne, that sounds fantastic! I bet it really helped your daughter, too! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
COVID has definitely made it difficult for me to practice yoga, so I find time to walk to the park and do a few poses, I remember to “PBR” -pause, breathe and respond when I’m feeling anxious and allow myself to feel emotions without judgement. I started taking magnesium’Calm’ supplement at night which helps. I love the hand over heart excercise you mentioned, can’t wait to try it! ❤️
Hi Tanya, thank you for sharing! Finding time to practice yoga has been challenging for me now that distance learning has started for my kids. That’s great that PBR works for you and the supplement at night as well. The hand on the heart exercise is one of my favorite for self-love. I hope you enjoy it too!
You are amazing Chelsea. Love reading your blogs. Miss you very much.
Aw, thanks so much Hope! Miss you too!
What great methods and pathways to calm in not only these crazy times, but always. Thank you, Chelsea.
Thank you Teri!
These are all excellent suggestions and much needed right now! I practice being out in nature, deep breathing and meditation when I feel anxious.
Thanks for sharing Cindy. Being in nature is a go-to for me!
These are such wonderful and helpful tips! It seems many are developing anxiety due to the times were currently living in.
Thank you Anitra!
Chelsea, great tips for releasing anxiety. We need a lot of tools in our toolbox these days. For me getting in a good walk and listening to my favorite music helps.
Chelsea, I was just talking about anxiety today with a friend. I am so glad you focus on natural ways to relieve anxiousness. Our society has a tendency to reach for drugs, legal and illegal to calm their emotions.. Your suggestions are so much safer and healthier.
Thank you LaDeana.
Chelsea, what a blessing you and this post you’ve written are. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the read and relate to so much of what you’ve said. Anxiety can be absolutely debilitating. It will rob us of joy, peace, and general contentment in every sense. It also tends to awaken our inner critics and cause our feelings of low self-esteem to worsen. As we pick ourselves apart, we find that the downward spiral continues. What a terribly dark place I pray everyone can stay out of for good.
I agree with all of your points here. Being aware of triggers is a big one. Like you, my past experiences with PTSD and other traumatic experiences left me with a few. It’s scary how quickly they can come upon us, and when we’re not mindful of what we feel, they wreak havoc on our minds and bodies. Your tips of mindfulness are simply beautiful and powerful ways to ‘cope’ with those feelings. Being present in what we feel, rather than trying to snuff it out, helps us evaluate fear from fact.
The hand over heart exercise is amazing too. What a comforting way to remind us of safety. Being loved, safe, and validated are some of our most basic human needs. Thank you for sharing this! ♥
Your tips are actionable and relatable. I’ve shared so others can come and learn as well. Sending many blessings and endless love to you and your family. I pray each of you are well. ♥
Oh my gosh Holly, your thoughtful words mean so much to me. I’m honored that this post has touched you so deeply. I’m sorry that you, too are plagued with PTSD. But I’m thankful you reached out here and we connected. These coping skills have brought me much peace during this time. I’m grateful they are a comfort to you as well.
Wow! Your site is amazing! Tell me that you’ve been at this for a while, because I’m just getting started, and mine’s a wreck. Yours is so very professional! Congratulations.
Aw, Jo An, that’s so thoughtful of you to say! Thank you so much! Learning and having fun as I go!
Great post! Even though we are exiting the pandemic, I still really need these tips. I am excited to try the hand on heart exercise as I think that could be really helpful to me. I also appreciated the suggestion to avoid triggers. For me, the news is a big one. Thank you for this meaningful information.
Thanks so much for sharing Stephanie, I really appreciate it. The hand on heart exercise is a great one when I need self-love (which is a lot these days!).