How to deal with anxiety

Anxiety is a normal response to threat. It becomes a clinical concern when it turns up without a threat, stays after one has passed, or begins narrowing the life you are willing to live.

A useful test is avoidance. If you have stopped driving on the freeway, stopped raising your hand, stopped opening certain letters, the anxiety has moved from feeling to behaviour.

Short term, grounding helps: slow the breath out longer than in, name five things you can see, put your feet flat on the floor. These do not treat anxiety, but they end an episode.

Longer term, cognitive behavioural therapy has the strongest evidence base. It works by testing anxious predictions against what actually happens, rather than by arguing with them.

This article is general information, not medical advice, and it does not replace an assessment by a clinician who knows your history. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For free 24/7 crisis support in the US, call or text 988.