This article is a collection of comments and advice therapists have contributed to us on how to deal with anxiety, as well as stories from people who were able to overcome their anxiety and can talk about how they did it. Here’s the query we put out:

For people who suffer from anxiety, how can they combat this and what advice do you have? Personal stories welcome from people who suffered from anxiety and have made significant progress, as well as of course psychologists who can comment with authority.

There were some fantastic responses to that, especially from therapists who have many years of experience treating people with anxiety. Here’s a summary of what’s been suggested so far, along with a link to the full comment:

• Deep breathing exercises, acupressure, exercising and visualizing throwing your worries away (link)
• Helping others through their anxiety can help you deal with your own issues (link)
• Therapeutic yoga and EMDR (link)
• Magnesium and meditation (link)
• Decide on your desired state and rehearse it (link)
• ‘Take your thoughts to court’, consider actionable steps you can take to remedy the worry, and be mindful in everything you do so you’re not obsessing over your worries all the time (link) (I really enjoyed reading this one)
• Diet may potentially be a factor (link, link)
• Realize you’re not alone, and seek help (link)
• Consider an activity that will get you out of the house and have some interaction with people, such as (in this example) group fitness classes (link)
• Mindful touch practices (link)
• Track your anxiety (link)
• Consider hypnotherapy, and as a last resort, medication (link)
• Work on your limiting beliefs and positive thinking (link)
• Exposure therapy where the exposure is the symptoms of panic attacks themselves (link)
• Know your triggers so you can prepare in advance (link)
• Focus on something real, such as your breathing, to stop your mind wandering off with anxious thoughts of what might potentially go wrong (link)
• Consider that there may be deeper underlying issues that need to be addressed, and the anxiety is merely a warning sign that something else is wrong (link)
• Practicing acceptance (link)

To read more and see the comments and advice from therapists, please click here for the complete article.

Credit: Katie Holmes