Unpacking Coping Strategies: Navigating Anxiety and Building Healthy Habits

Themes: Coping Strategies
Helpful for: Anxiety, stress, trauma

When people talk about anxiety, the next phrase that usually pops up in the conversation is “coping strategy”. Anxiety (among other mental health concerns) can cause stress in our lives and we need to find ways to manage so that we can still function each day. So we rely on coping strategies to reduce, or extract, our anxiety from our body and brain. But, what often happens is that despite our attempts, the anxiety never really fades and we wind up in a cycle of attempting to lower something that’s not budging.

To be honest, this whole process reminds me of Build-a-Bear… I know, a strange shift but bear (no pun intended) with me here. We’ve all probably been in a Build-a-Bear or at least know about them. The idea is simple: you build a furry creature and then begin to accessorize with outfits, props, and costumes. It seems innocuous enough, but then you go to the checkout counter and realize you’re going to need a second mortgage to finance that tiny furry animal and their massive closet now. Anxiety - and how we cope with it - is similar. We over-accessorize and wind up simply weighing ourselves down with the coping mechanisms we think will solve everything.

We invest time, energy, and resources into managing our inner turmoil, only to discover that our coping mechanisms have become unsustainable. But here’s the thing about anxiety: it’s not a pathology to be eradicated, but rather a companion to be understood and managed. We all have our own unique ways of coping, some healthier than others.

Extracting Anxiety

From drinking and drugs to endless scrolling on our phones, we employ various methods to extract the anxiety festering within us. The idea makes sense - if we can do something to just rid ourselves of the anxiety, then fantastic! But, these less healthy methods of coping (mostly avoidance, if we’re being honest) extract the anxiety - they increase the feelings of anxiety - and it’s not eliminated. Scrolling leads to comparison. Drugs or alcohol lead to a declined mental state that only increases the symptoms we’re feeling. It’s a futile endeavor, with a terrible return on investment, much like our over-accessorized Build-A-Bear. We can never do enough to extract all of that anxiety.

Diluting Anxiety

So, what’s the alternative? The answer lies in shifting our focus from extraction to dilution. Think of anxiety like cholesterol. We can’t rid our body of it - we need it to some extent. Instead, we need to choose coping mechanisms that allow us to dilute and reduce its impact and intensity. Meditation, yoga, exercise, and nurturing relationships, all of these offer healthy outlets for dissipating anxiety’s grip on our psyche. These are things that allow us to feel more relaxed and ready to face the day.

But coping strategies can only take us so far. What we truly need are living strategies, tools and techniques that empower us to not just cope, but to thrive in the face of adversity. It’s about recognizing that anxiety is not something to disappear forever, but rather something to be managed and understood.

Finding the right balance of practices that work for us as individuals is what matters most when it comes to tackling anxiety. So, the next time you find yourself grappling with anxiety, remember this: you can’t remove it entirely, but you can dilute its potency. And in doing so, you’ll discover a newfound sense of resilience and inner peace that no amount of over-accessorized bears could ever provide.