Anxiety Activities for Adults: Your Guide to Managing Stress

Anxiety is a common mental health issue affecting millions of people around the world. It can show up in different ways for different people.

This article explores several activities and strategies that can help adults manage their anxiety. These activities can help regulate your nervous system, ground you in the present moment, and help you understand and accept your emotions.

While these anxiety activities for adults can be helpful, they aren’t a substitute for professional mental health care.

Below, we’ll cover:

• Cognitive and behavioral techniques
• Stress reduction methods
• Lifestyle adjustments
• When to seek professional help

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Based Activities

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of therapy that helps you understand the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It gives you practical strategies for managing anxiety. Here are a few CBT-based activities you can try:

Cognitive Restructuring

Cognitive restructuring is all about changing the way you think. Here’s how it works:

1. Identify Unhelpful Thoughts: Pay attention to your anxious thoughts and try to label them. What are you worried about? What triggers those thoughts?
2. Examine Evidence and Utility: What evidence do you have that supports those negative thoughts? What evidence contradicts them? Are these thoughts even helpful?
3. Challenge Negative Beliefs: Replace those negative thoughts with more balanced and realistic ones. This is called cognitive reframing. For example, instead of thinking “I’ll fail this presentation,” you might reframe that to “I’m well-prepared, and even if I make a mistake, it’s not the end of the world.”

Behavioral Activation

Sometimes, anxiety makes you want to avoid certain activities or situations. Behavioral activation helps you get back into doing things you enjoy.

1. Identify Avoidance Behaviors: What activities or situations are you avoiding because of anxiety?
2. Set Goals: Set small, achievable goals for reintroducing those activities back into your life.
3. Create a Schedule: Plan those rewarding activities into your daily or weekly routine. Engaging in positive activities can really lift your mood.

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy involves gradually facing your fears in a safe and controlled way.

1. Create a Hierarchy: List the situations you fear, from the least anxiety-inducing to the most.
2. Gradual Exposure: Start with the least anxiety-inducing situation and gradually expose yourself to more challenging ones. If you’re afraid of social situations, start with a quick chat with a cashier, then work your way up to a small gathering.
3. Gradually Build Tolerance of Uncertainty: Accept that you can not control everything and that is ok.

Stress Reduction and Relaxation Techniques

Sometimes, anxiety is a sign that you’re under too much stress. Here are some ways to dial down the stress and boost relaxation:

Breathing Exercises

When you’re anxious, your breathing is often shallow and rapid. Taking control of your breathing can help calm you down.

Diaphragmatic Breathing (Belly Breathing)

Focus on breathing deeply from your diaphragm. A good way to practice this is the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Inhale for a count of 4, hold your breath for a count of 7, and exhale slowly for a count of 8.

Square Breathing (Box Breathing)

Inhale, hold, exhale, and pause for the same amount of time. For example, inhale for a count of 4, hold for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 4, and then pause for a count of 4.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR)

This technique involves tensing and releasing different muscle groups in your body in a specific order. As you release each muscle group, pay attention to the difference between the tension you were holding and the feeling of relaxation.

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindfulness meditation is about focusing on the present moment without judging yourself or your thoughts. The idea is to observe your thoughts and feelings as they arise without getting carried away by them.

If you’re new to meditation, start with just 5 minutes a day and gradually increase the time as you become more comfortable with the practice.

Making lifestyle changes and practicing self-care

Anxiety can feel overwhelming, but there are many things you can do to help calm your mind and body.

Get some exercise

Regular physical activity is a great way to reduce anxiety. Even gentle activities like walking, yoga, or gardening can make a big difference.

Spend time in nature

Being outdoors can be incredibly therapeutic. Taking a walk in a park, sitting by a lake, or simply spending time in your garden can help reduce stress. Research shows that taking a 20-minute “nature break” can lower your stress hormone levels.

Start a journal

Writing down your thoughts and feelings can be a powerful way to process your emotions. Use your journal to track your mood and identify patterns that might be contributing to your anxiety.

Practice gratitude

Focusing on the positive aspects of your life, perhaps through a 20-minute gratitude meditation, can help shift your perspective and reduce feelings of anxiety. Each day, writing in a journal with gratitude journal prompts can be a beneficial mental health boost.

Get creative

Engaging in art, music, or other creative activities can be a great way to express yourself and release pent-up emotions. Art therapy can be very effective for managing stress and anxiety.

Activities for Managing Social Anxiety

Social anxiety can make it tough to connect with other people. Here are a few activities you can try to manage social anxiety, some you can do on your own and some with other people.

Solo Activities

These activities can help you build confidence and prepare for social interactions from the comfort of your own space.

1. Visualization Techniques: Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a social situation. Visualize yourself feeling calm, confident, and successfully navigating conversations. This mental rehearsal can help reduce anxiety when you’re actually in that situation.
2. Self-Compassion Exercises: Social anxiety can lead to self-criticism. Practice treating yourself with kindness and understanding. If you feel yourself spiraling, try saying something like, “It’s okay to feel anxious. I’m doing my best.” Remember, everyone makes mistakes, and you deserve compassion, especially from yourself.
3. Solo Behavioral Experiments: Challenge your negative beliefs about social situations in a controlled way. For example, if you’re worried about making small talk, try striking up a conversation with a cashier at the grocery store. See what happens and challenge any negative assumptions you might have.

Activities with Others

These activities can help you practice social skills in a supportive and structured environment.

1. Structured Conversation Practice: Practice conversations with a trusted friend or family member. You can choose a topic beforehand and rehearse how you’ll respond to different questions. This can help you feel more prepared and confident in real-life conversations.
2. Group Exercise Classes: Participate in group fitness activities like yoga, Zumba, or cycling. These classes provide a low-pressure environment to interact with others while focusing on a shared activity. You don’t have to be super chatty; just being around people can help reduce anxiety.
3. Volunteering: Engage in volunteer work for a cause you care about. Volunteering provides an opportunity to connect with others who share your interests and contribute to something meaningful. Structured group activities can be a great way to reduce anxiety.

Digging Deeper: Addressing Underlying Emotional Issues

Sometimes, anxiety is a symptom of something deeper. Working through these underlying issues can bring significant relief.

Identifying Your Values

What’s truly important to you? Exercises designed to clarify your personal values can be incredibly helpful. A “values bullseye” can help you align your goals with your core values, bringing a sense of purpose and direction that can ease anxiety.

Managing Anger

Anger is often a mask for other emotions like fear, sadness, or frustration. The “anger iceberg” model can help you explore the emotions beneath the surface, giving you a better understanding of what’s really going on.

Emotional Regulation

Learn to manage distress with the “distract, relax, cope” technique. It’s also important to allow yourself to feel emotions in a safe and controlled environment. Suppressing emotions can actually worsen anxiety in the long run. Give yourself permission to feel, process, and then release.

Improve your sleep hygiene

Poor sleep can make anxiety worse, and anxiety can make it harder to sleep. Fixing your sleep habits can break that cycle.

Here are some ideas to try:

• Keep a sleep diary. Track your sleep patterns to see if you can identify what’s helping you and what’s hurting you.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). CBT-I uses cognitive and behavioral techniques to address sleep-related issues. A therapist can help you establish a consistent sleep schedule and create a relaxing bedtime routine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary

The anxiety-reducing activities we’ve discussed can be a great starting point, but it’s important to remember that self-help strategies aren’t a cure-all. For some, they simply aren’t enough.

It’s time to consider professional help if you experience:

• Persistent anxiety that gets in the way of your daily life
• Trouble relaxing, even when you know you should be able to
• Feelings that seem out of control

Therapy can help you understand the root causes of your anxiety and find real, lasting relief. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one approach that’s well-researched and often effective. A therapist can also provide personalized guidance and support as you learn to manage your anxiety.

Think of these activities as tools in a toolbox. The more tools you have, the better equipped you’ll be to handle whatever life throws your way. Experiment with different activities to find what works best for you, and be patient. Consistent practice is key to managing anxiety, so don’t give up if you don’t see results immediately. Building mental well-being is a journey, not a destination.