Managing Daily Symptoms of Anxiety

Clients often share with me that they experience daily, low-level symptoms of anxiety that are bothersome, uncomfortable, and frustrating. It feels as if they are experiencing this underlying anxiety all day. This could look like physical symptoms of anxiety, such as a more noticeable or racing heartbeat, feeling restless/on edge, stomachache, or headaches. How do you manage these low-level symptoms of anxiety that are challenging to shake?

Allow yourself to search for the “why” once, and then give up the search:

Maybe you often find yourself searching for why you feel anxious, and can’t come up with any specific reason. This can then turn into unhelpful rumination. Consider any changes or adjustments in your life. Do things feel up in the air right now? If so, a general sense of uncertainty could be fueling your physical symptoms of anxiety. If you can’t find a specific worry or reason after a brief search, move into acceptance.

Accept and allow the feelings to be there.

You might be in a state of being hyperaware of the physical sensations in your body and interpreting these sensations in unhelpful ways, such as “Why does this keep happening to me?” or “My heart beating this fast can’t be good for me.”

Instead, when you notice these sensations, try allowing them to be there. For example, you could say to yourself, “I’m noticing anxiety and I’m not sure why. That’s okay, that happens sometimes. Anxiety is uncomfortable but not dangerous.”

Use relaxation exercises or grounding techniques to manage uncomfortable symptoms.

Calm your nervous system by choosing your favorite relaxation exercise or grounding technique. Deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation are great options! Grounding techniques can also be useful. Try literally grounding yourself by pressing your feet down firmly to feel the ground beneath you, to immediately reconnect with the present moment. Then, re-engage with the present. What were you doing before you noticed this feeling?

Rate your anxiety a few times throughout the day to notice how your feelings and bodily sensations change.

You might have already come to the unhelpful conclusion that you’re anxious all day, and it’s miserable. In reality, our feelings are temporary and come and go.

Try checking in with yourself a few times throughout the day. Rate your anxiety on a scale from 1-10. Do you notice that your anxiety does, in fact, vary throughout the day? What patterns do you notice about your anxiety is the highest and lowest?