A few techniques that you can use to help you deal with anxiety when it strikes.
Breathing techniques/relaxation
If possible find somewhere to sit down comfortably. Take a deep breath in for 4 seconds, try and hold it for 2 seconds and then release it for 6 seconds. Take a pause in between each breath and repeat. You can practice this technique even when you’re not feeling anxious to help you feel more relaxed.
Stop
Tell yourself to stop and take control of your breathing. Ask yourself what is happening at this moment that is causing the anxiety to strike. Is it something someone has said? Could it be the location that you find yourself in? Is something you have heard?
Ask yourself where is the evidence to support or counter your current thinking process. If a friend was saying these things to me, what would I say?
Set a Worry Time
Worries can appear at any time and become very debilitating. If you let your worries pop into your head and take over your thoughts, it can prevent you from functioning normally. If a worry starts, acknowledge the worry, even write it down but do not think about it there and then. Put time aside in the evening, ie 20 minutes to focus on all your worries. Make a list and work through your worries in order of importance. Challenge yourself by asking what needs to be different for me to able to cope in this situation. How could I view this worry differently? When you revisit them later, sometimes they might not actually seem as important as they did earlier in the day. This may be because you are looking at them with less emotion.
Challenge your thoughts
Ask yourself, if I was facing the situation that makes me feel anxious now, what would be the best outcome, the worst outcome or the most likely outcome?
If the worst outcome was to happen, would it matter to me in a week, a month, or a year?
Describe both your rational thought and irrational thought about this situation.
Graded exposure
Work out which situations cause you anxiety. Write a list and put a percentage score by each activity of how anxious it makes you feel. Plan a goal to challenge your anxiety. Make sure the goal is achievable or this will increase your anxiety. Once you have the goal break it down into manageable steps.
An example of this would be:
Goal: I want to go and meet a friend for a coffee but getting on the bus makes anxious.
Steps to achieve the goal:
Check the bus times
Make sure I have enough time to walk to the bus stop
Walk to the bus stop
Stand in the queue at the bus stop
Get on the bus when it arrives
You can carry the steps out one at a time and even do a couple of test walks to the bus stop and see how you feel after each step. After each step, give yourself the credit for what you have achieved, be proud of yourself. For some people, they will seem like insignificant steps but for others, it will seem like a mountain to climb. Learning how to deal with anxiety when it strikes can reduce the mountains that you have to climb..