---
title: Techniques for Managing Anxiety
description: "Anxiety is really uncomfortable. Therapy is an important part of changing your relationship with anxiety but you also need tools to use in the moment when struggling. Here are some evidence-based techniques for dealing with anxiety in the moment."
url: "https://www.wellnesscollaborative.io/resources/techniques-for-managing-anxiety-infographic/"
updated: "2026-06-17"
category: Client Handouts
tags:
  - Anxiety
---

# Techniques for Managing Anxiety

Client Handout · Managing Anxiety

# Techniques for Managing Anxiety

Therapy changes your relationship with anxiety over time — but you also need tools for the moment you're in it. These are evidence-based techniques you can use right away.

### Breathing

Slows a racing heart and shallow breath.

**Try:** Inhale 4 seconds, hold 4, exhale 4. Repeat until your body settles.

### Grounding

Pulls focus back to the present moment.

**5-4-3-2-1:** Name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste.

### Muscle Relaxation

Releases the physical tension anxiety builds up.

**Try:** Tense each muscle group 5 seconds, then release — feet up to head.

### Mindfulness

Lets you notice anxious thoughts without being swept up.

**Try:** Focus on your breath. When the mind wanders, gently return — no judgment.

### Challenge the Thought

Loosens the grip of worst-case thinking.

**Ask:** What's the evidence? What's the worst case — and how likely is it, really?

### Move Your Body

Burns off stress hormones, releases endorphins.

**Try:** Walk, stretch, dance — even a few minutes shifts the state.

### Safe-Place Imagery

Creates a mental escape from anxious sensations.

**Try:** Picture a calm place in detail — the sounds, colors, and how your body feels there.

### Journaling

Externalizes worry so it feels more manageable.

**Try:** Spend 5–10 minutes writing what you feel and what triggered it.

### Set a Worry Time

Contains worry instead of letting it run all day.

**Try:** Pick 15 minutes daily for worry. Outside it, tell yourself to wait for it.

**Most of all:** be gentle with yourself. Feeling anxiety is human — it doesn't mean anything is wrong with you.

This handout is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for professional care. If anxiety is affecting your daily life, talk with your therapist or provider.

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