Dealing with anxiety can be overwhelming, and sometimes it may seem like you’re the only one going through it. According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, anxiety is actually one of the most common mental disorders in the country, affecting 40 million adults — including the very people we turn to for guidance.
Yes, we’re talking about your therapists. Take, for example, Mahlet Endale, a licensed psychologist based in Atlanta whose anxiety mostly manifests in sleep disturbances. There’s also Sara Weand, a relationship and anxiety therapist in Annville, Pennsylvania, who often feels pain in her upper back and shoulders when she’s feeling anxious.
So what tools do the experts use when they’re feeling anxious? Below are a few they swear by. Here’s hoping they’ll help you, too.
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“I use it on my pressure points when I feel a panic attack mounting,” she told HuffPost. “I hold it on the back of my neck or on my wrists to help my body calm itself down.”
This is particularly helpful because “ice can be an effective tool for people experiencing panic attacks.” Tick recommended using the roller along your cheekbones while holding your breath and then breathing deeply.
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“It’s incredibly helpful when you’re feeling anxious and trying to go to sleep,” she said. “Mine weighs about 20 pounds, but it doesn’t feel uncomfortably heavy or get hot, and the weighted pressure feels comforting and grounding.”
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“I find that the Hypervolt helps loosen up my body by releasing tension and increasing blood circulation to my muscles," she said. "Working from home at a desk all the time has put tremendous stress on our bodies, requiring us to do more to help our bodies heal."
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“[Doing this] keeps me grounded and balanced,” she said, noting that these particular pens show up on black paper. "I love using them to tap into creativity through the mindful art of 'zentangles,'" aka doodling in a pattern.
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“Headspace has great courses on meditation in general as well as special training on using meditation to manage different things like stress, anxiety, chronic pain, anger, staying balanced and many more,” she said. “They also have all kinds of meditations, wind downs and stories designed to help you fall and stay asleep.”
“I usually will use a wind-down or one of their Sleepcasts (45-minute gentle stories to fall asleep to) when I first climb into bed," she continued. "During peak anxiety times I use the Nighttime SOS options to help quiet my mind and fall back asleep quickly if I wake up in the middle of the night. I have yet to find anything as effective as the Nighttime SOS meditations to help with my night wakings.”
Alexa Pinsker, an art therapist and licensed counselor in Colorado, also relies on meditation apps. Pinsker said Ten Percent Happier is usually her go-to “because they have specific guided meditations on stress as well as a section for guided sleep meditations. They also have many free talks, courses and guided meditations. During the pandemic, they offered free subscriptions to health care providers, which was awesome."
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Pinsker said these headphones were specifically “designed for sleep so they are wireless and extra comfortable." Drown out all of those stressful thoughts and drift off.
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“I’d shut down all devices, turn on music and focus my mind on the puzzle," she said. "I don’t have very much free time, and a 500-piece puzzle is both complicated enough to keep my attention and not so difficult that it takes too long for me to complete. It is the perfect way to soothe the stress of the day both out of my mind and my body."
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“I love the ritual of making tea and feeling the warm cup in my hands,” she said. “This stuff is amazing and also comes in decaf (sometimes caffeine makes my anxiety worse). I would often take a work break and go to the Harney and Sons store in SoHo, so the taste and smell of this tea reminds me of those relaxing middle of the day breaks.”
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Dian Grier, a licensed clinical social worker in California, swears by the magic of this brown noise machine from LectoFan.
“I could not live without my brown noise machine,” she said. “The brown noise machine is a much lower pitch and calms me better than the white noise. The one I use is called LectroFan, and it is advertised as white noise, but has the brown noise included. It keeps me asleep because it blocks out any sudden noises, and I am a light sleeper, so the constant low tone helps.”
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Of course, when it comes to stress and anxiety, tools like these only go so far. Lifestyle habits like adequate sleep and exercise can work wonders. And perhaps the best way to manage anything wreaking havoc on your mental health is seeing a therapist, Endale said. (Here’s a guide on where to start, and here’s a list of affordable resources if therapy doesn’t fit into your budget.)
“I also recommend people seek professional help if they find the stress is so much that they can’t even get themselves to use their usual healthy anxiety management strategies,” she added.
“Sometimes when we are experiencing chronic anxiety, our body succumbs to the stress of it all and the anxiety develops into depression. This is also a key indicator that it is past time to get professional support.”