Michelle_Snyder
Michelle Snyder, MA, LPCC, says anxiety can affect the whole body.

How to deal with anxiety: Some home remedies can help you feel calmer

March 11, 2025 | By Staff Writer

Anxiety is a feeling of things being out of your control to the point that you’re feeling afraid. It can be physically uncomfortable and can bring on worrying thoughts that are difficult to stop.

It’s not “all in your head.” Anxiety can affect your physical health through an increased heart rate and sweating.

“It really is a whole-body experience to have anxiety,” said Michelle Snyder, MA, LPCC, system director of mental health and addiction clinical services with M Health Fairview. “It affects the whole system in a really uncomfortable way. Anxiety can be so severe that it looks like a heart attack.”

You are the best one to decide if your anxiety can be managed with some coping strategies at home or if you should go to an emergency department for care. If your anxiety feels manageable or you already have an anxiety diagnosis and your symptoms are the same as you’ve experienced before, you might be able to stop the spiraling thoughts and panicky feeling with some coping techniques.

Blaine Boverhuis, MSW, LICSW, a licensed clinical social worker at the M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital EmPATH, suggests pausing to rate how intense your anxiety is from 0 to 10. Coping techniques might help lower your anxiety a few points or help you get through a temporary bout of anxiety. Coping techniques can also complement medication or counseling. If your anxiety is usually on the high side of the scale and affecting your day-to-day life, consider getting professional care.

M Health Fairview offers a variety of mental health and addiction medicine care for adolescents and adults. Learn more about our mental health services. Mental health care is available in many of our primary care clinics. If you have a primary care provider, they can refer you.

Get tips for coping with depression, too.

Snyder and Boverhuis offer the following ideas for coping with anxiety at home. Some of these strategies might work for you, others might not. It can be helpful to keep several coping strategies in your toolbox. If you are a parent or caregiver, you can also teach these to kids.

Get moving.

Stress and anxiety activate the body’s fight-or-flight response that saved our ancestors from predators.

“For anxiety, movement can be helpful to burn off the fight-or-flight response,” Snyder said. “Physical activity releases endorphins, but it also can burn up that need to run away from the lion. We don't face off against lions anymore. We have sociological and emotional lions instead.”

If you’re feeling anxious, exercise might help. You could go for a walk, lift some weights, or sit in a chair and stand up over and over, Snyder recommends.

Cool down.

Since anxiety increases body heat, it can be helpful to cool your body down. Hold an ice cube, wash your hands in cold water, splash water on your face, or go outside on a cold day. That temperature difference also challenges the brain and body to react to something other than the triggering moment, Boverhuis said.

Ground yourself.

Using the senses can help you feel grounded, Boverhuis said. To help distract your brain and bring you back to the present moment, take a break to identify:

  • Five things you can see.
  • Four things you can hear.
  • Three things you can touch.
  • Two things you can smell.
  • One thing you can taste.

Feeling something comforting can also help, such as changing into comfortable clothes, wrapping yourself in a soft blanket, or holding a stuffed animal or pet. You might find other items to be soothing, such smelling a scented lotion or using a fidget toy to give your hands something to do, Snyder said.

Get mindful.

Meditation can also help calm your body, Snyder said. If it’s new to you, look for a guided meditation on YouTube or podcast apps.

You can also try paced or square breathing. To do: Take a long inhale as you count to four, hold for the count of four, exhale for the count of four, and hold for four. Snyder says the goal is to intentionally slow your breathing. You can count to four or six, or whatever feels good to you.

Paired muscle relaxation also gives your brain something else to focus on. Tighten each muscle group one at a time and relax. Start with your feet muscles and relax. Then tighten your lower leg muscles, followed by the upper leg. Keep going all the way up to your face.

What makes anxiety worse?

Sometimes we reach for things that actually increase anxiety because it might feel better in the moment. For example, alcohol usually dulls unpleasant emotions temporarily.

“But with alcohol there can be a nasty rebound effect when those feelings come raging back even worse,” Snyder said. “And that is not just for people with an alcohol use disorder. It’s a byproduct of the chemical reaction.”

Rather than using alcohol or other substances, Boverhuis recommends removing yourself from the situation causing your anxiety. That might mean taking a break from a heated conversation or putting your phone down.

“If it’s something phone-based that is causing anxiety, sometimes people still need that tactile sense of security from their phone,” Boverhuis said. “I recommend mindful apps, like the Calm app. There are several apps out there that can help with anxiety management.”

He also recommends keeping a log of the intensity of your anxiety and what triggered it. You might start to notice patterns, such as when I talk to a family member, I’m at a nine, or looking at social media feeds puts me at a seven.

Keeping a routine can also help reduce anxiety, Snyder said. Make sure you’re eating, getting enough sleep, and taking care of yourself, she said. If you’re already feeling hungry, lonely, angry, or tired, anxiety can come up next.

Getting help with anxiety.

If you are having a mental health crisis or experiencing suicidal thoughts, go to your nearest emergency department. You can also call your local crisis line:

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Anxiety