Slow Down Your Breathing
When you're feeling overwhelmed, intentionally slowing your breathing can help you pause and reconnect with the present moment. Try taking a slow breath in and making your exhale slightly longer than your inhale.
Anxiety & Stress Resources
When Your Mind Won't Slow Down
Everyone experiences stress and worry from time to time. But when anxiety begins to interfere with your sleep, relationships, work, concentration, or ability to enjoy your life, it may be time to seek additional support.
Anxiety can look different for everyone. You may feel constantly worried, overwhelmed, restless, tense, irritable, or unable to turn your thoughts off.
Sometimes anxiety shows up physically — through a racing heart, muscle tension, headaches, stomach problems, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, or feeling constantly “on edge.”
Understanding Anxiety
Anxiety is your body's response to perceived danger or uncertainty. In appropriate situations, it can help you prepare and respond. The problem can arise when your nervous system remains activated even when there is no immediate danger.
You may find yourself:
- Constantly anticipating something going wrong
- Replaying conversations or situations
- Overthinking decisions
- Having difficulty relaxing
- Avoiding situations because they feel overwhelming
- Seeking repeated reassurance
- Feeling unable to “shut your brain off”
- Having trouble sleeping because of worry
You don't have to wait until anxiety becomes overwhelming before asking for help.
Practical Ways to Manage Stress
Focus on What You Can Control
When anxiety focuses on everything that could happen, bring your attention back to what you can actually influence today. Ask yourself: “What is one thing I can do right now?”
Reduce Information Overload
Constant news, social media, emails, and notifications can keep your nervous system activated. Consider creating intentional periods when you disconnect.
Move Your Body
Walking, stretching, and other forms of physical activity can be useful ways to manage stress.
Protect Your Sleep
Try to maintain a consistent sleep routine and create time to wind down before bed.
Talk to Someone
You don't have to carry everything privately. Talking with a trusted friend, family member, or therapist can help you gain perspective.
When Anxiety May Need Professional Support
Consider talking with a mental-health professional when anxiety is interfering with work or school, affecting your relationships, preventing you from doing things you want or need to do, interfering with sleep, or when anxiety is causing significant physical symptoms, leading you to avoid everyday activities, or feeling increasingly difficult to manage on your own.
Therapy can help you understand the patterns contributing to anxiety and develop healthier ways of responding to stressful situations.
Helpful Anxiety & Mental Health Resources
- NAMI — Mental-health information and support resources. www.nami.org
- Mental Health America — Mental-health information, screening tools, and educational resources. mhanational.org
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — Call or text 988 for crisis support in the United States. 988lifeline.org
- SAMHSA National Helpline — Information and referral for mental-health and substance-use services. www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
Therapy for Anxiety & Stress
You don't have to wait until anxiety becomes overwhelming before asking for help. Therapy can provide a supportive place to understand what's happening, identify patterns that may be keeping anxiety going, and develop strategies that work for your individual circumstances.
Schedule a ConsultationThe information on this page is educational and is not a substitute for individualized mental-health care.