9 Tips Everyone Should Know About Coping with Anxiety

Find a sympathetic ear

Your feelings can be undermined by the belief that you shouldn’t feel anxious, that your feelings aren’t valid—and this can be reinforced by well-meaning family members and friends. Their intentions may be good, but that sentiment is useless during an anxious spell; you can end up feeling guilty on top of anxious. (You can train yourself and others to be a better listener with this advice.) A little acknowledgment goes a long way, says Kate Marrow, manager of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline. Marrow says the phrase she uses is: “It’s okay to feel what you’re feeling.” This validates your experience and justifies what you’re going through. Choose someone in your life you can trust, or try uttering affirmations to yourself—it really works.