Counseling in Katy, TX: Coping Skills Help Relieve Anxiety

We’ve all had that moment: the blood is pounding in your ears, and it seems like the anxiety and stress are going to win. Those are the moments when you need to utilize your coping skills. Reaching out for counseling in Katy, TX is a great first step toward real relief from daily anxiety. Learning, and using, different coping skills can help calm an anxious mind, allowing the mind to process, and work through thoughts and feelings while in a calmer state. Coping skills can be used as a simple “pick me up” from time to time to bring a splash of joy, or release, into your life. They can also be used to expel the excess energy to complete the cycle of anxiety that builds up when tensions, and emotions, are running high. 

In very simple terms, coping mechanisms can be broken down into three categories: energy releasers, relaxation, and finding joy. Mixing and matching a combination of these coping skills can help to reduce your anxiety, and bring you to a stronger, more peaceful state of mind.

• Energy Releasers

The concept behind energy releasers is pretty basic, and they behave exactly as they sound they should. They expel the energy that builds up from anxiety, tension, or high levels of emotion, helping you to release the pent up energy that keeps you too stimulated to work through stressors in a calm state of mind. You can do things such as physical exercise: running, kickboxing, jumping jacks, etc., or if full blown exercise isn’t your cup of tea, you can try screaming into a pillow, crying, or even laughing. The purpose of energy releasers is to relieve the built up tension, and bring about a balanced environment to work through your pressures. 

• Relaxation

When very tense, a massage always sounds delightful, doesn’t it? I don’t know about you, but a massage doesn’t make it into my life very frequently, so I have to use other relaxation coping skills. Stimulating your body’s relaxation coping mechanisms may help you bring a sense of peace to your personal ambiance. Breathing exercises, soothing music, and even a weighted blanket can bring about a peaceful, calming scene to your daily life. Even taking a moment to walk through nature and breath in the open air can bring about a sense of relief. A body at peace is a good beginning to soothing your mind.

• Finding Joy

Bringing joy to your life is a good way to reconcile your anxieties while giving yourself a little “pick me up.” Finding joy can look like many different things, and may vary greatly from person to person. In a very simple form, finding joy can mean partaking in a hobby, or seeing the beauty of a flower in bloom. Whatever creates that spark of joy- GO FOR IT! Talk to a loved one, whether it be family or friend, and allow yourself to feel joy, and experience happiness. Don’t be afraid of enjoying yourself; your happiness and enjoyment begins with you!

It’s important to remember that after using coping skills, the emotion that triggered you needs to be resolved. That emotion will stay with you until it has been processed, and worked through. It should be less daunting to work through that trigger now that you have used your coping skills and are in a calmer frame of mind. Don’t give up, and keep exercising your coping skills!

Do you need support using healthy coping skills? Let’s work together, today! Contact me with a phone call or text message at 281-937-4737 for help working through physical stress that comes from anxiety, depression, and stress management. Counseling in Katy, TX can help you reach a happier, more comfortable state of mind.