Five Coping Skills for Anxiety
What Are Five Coping Skills for Anxiety?
Simple, Practical Tools to Help You Feel Calmer and More Grounded
Anxiety can feel relentless. Your thoughts won’t slow down, your heart races, and your body feels tense no matter how much you try to relax. Maybe you’ve tried to “just calm down,” but it never seems to work for long. You may feel frustrated, disconnected, or even ashamed that anxiety still has this much power over you. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone — and learning a few practical coping skills can help you manage those anxious moments with more confidence and control.
Are you interested in going beyond just coping skills to learn and process through the root causes of your anxiety? If so, let’s get connected and schedule your first therapy appointment today.
Why Coping Skills Matter
Regulating Your Body and Mind Before You Can Think Clearly
When anxiety runs high, it can actually impact our ability to think clearly, with logic and reasoning. That’s why in the moment, it can feel nearly impossible to “think your way” out of anxiety.
Coping skills help regulate your body first, so you can regain access to that logic and reasoning. Even when anxiety isn’t overwhelming, these tools can help you redirect your attention and manage the intensity of physical and emotional symptoms.
It’s important to note that coping skills aren’t a fix or a cure. They don’t address the deeper root causes of anxiety or change the circumstances that may be contributing to it. Instead, they serve as tools you can keep in your toolbox to help calm your nervous system and regain focus when anxiety begins to rise.
Using Coping Skills Proactively
Building Habits Before You Need Them
I encourage you to use coping skills more often than you think you “need” to. The reason is simple—if you only try to use a new skill when your anxiety is at a ten out of ten, you’re not likely to remember what to do or how to do it.
The more you practice these skills when you’re calm or mildly anxious, the more natural they become. Your brain and body start to recognize them as familiar patterns of regulation. That way, when anxiety spikes, these tools are already within reach and your body knows how to respond.
Five Coping and Grounding Skills for Anxiety
1. Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is one of the most accessible and effective ways to reduce anxiety in the moment. You can find countless breathing exercises — from yoga breathing to box breathing — but the essentials remain the same:
Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.
Keep your breaths slow and controlled — you’re in charge of the breath, not the other way around.
Focus on deep belly breathing from your diaphragm rather than short, shallow chest breaths.
2. 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding
This technique helps redirect your focus from anxious thoughts back to the present moment using your five senses. Describe to yourself:
5 things you can see
4 things you can touch
3 things you can hear
2 things you can smell
1 thing you can taste
Use as much detail as possible — imagine you’re describing what you notice to someone who isn’t in the room. You don’t have to complete the full sequence every time; even identifying one or two sensory details can help bring your mind back to the here and now.
3. Body Scan
A body scan helps you notice where you’re holding tension and practice releasing it. Slowly move your attention from head to toe, noticing areas that feel tight or heavy — your jaw, shoulders, neck, or lower back. When you find tension, gently release it. You might drop your shoulders, roll your neck, or stretch lightly. This exercise can help you reconnect with your body and signal relaxation throughout your system.
4. Prayer
Prayer can be a powerful form of grounding and peace. It shifts your focus away from anxious thoughts and back toward the One who is in control. Through prayer, you can bring your worries before God, thank Him for His goodness, and remind yourself of His sovereignty and presence.
For more ways to pray through anxiety, you can read my related post: Prayer for Anxiety.
5. Sensory Grounding with Ice, Cold, or Sour Candy
Sometimes, your body responds best to a strong sensory cue. Holding an ice-cold water bottle, touching a cold metal surface, or having a candy with an adverse taste (like a Warhead or Fireball) can naturally redirect your attention. The strong cold or sour sensation instantly draws your focus away from anxious thoughts and into the present moment.
Learn more about managing anxiety through personalized individual therapy sessions tailored specifically for you!
Bringing It All Together
Now that you’ve learned a few ways to calm your mind and body, it’s important to remember how these tools fit into the bigger picture of healing. Coping and grounding skills are not one-size-fits-all. Different techniques will work better for different people and in different situations. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s building awareness of what helps you manage the intensity of your anxiety when it surfaces.
If you feel as if you experience more than mild worry or nervousness, or you find that your anxiety feels deeper or more persistent, it may be time to speak with a licensed professional counselor. Together, you can uncover what’s driving the anxiety and develop tools that fit your unique needs and story.
If you’d like to learn more about working with me, you can visit my About Me page or explore how counseling can help you move toward a calmer, more grounded life.
Sarah Theimer, LPC, CCTP-II
Hi, I’m Sarah Theimer, a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Virginia and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional – Level II (CCTP-II). I help adults understand and work through the root causes of their anxiety, not just manage the surface-level symptoms. Through my practice, Breakthrough Mental Health Counseling, I offer virtual sessions across Virginia that integrate evidence-based therapies and, when desired, Biblical truth to help you find lasting peace and balance.