Some days anxiety builds like steam in a kettle—loud, hissing, and impossible to ignore. Other times, it creeps in quietly, making you feel shaky and out of sync before you’ve even had your coffee. No matter how it shows up, anxiety has a way of convincing you that it owns the whole day. The good news? It doesn’t.
There’s no one-size-fits-all cure, and honestly, anyone who promises one probably isn’t living with it. But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck. You can take steps—real, grounded, actionable ones—that start to turn the volume down today. Not in some future where your life is perfectly arranged and the stars are aligned, but now, as you are, with what you’ve got.
Start With One Small Disruption
Anxiety thrives on loops. Same thoughts, same fears, same exhausting mental reruns. So if you do nothing else, do one thing differently—just enough to disrupt the spin. It doesn’t have to be revolutionary. Walk outside barefoot if you always wear shoes. Make eggs for dinner instead of scrolling delivery apps. Text someone you like but haven’t talked to in months. You’re not fixing your anxiety with a single act, but you’re reminding your brain you’re in the driver’s seat.
That tiny jolt can be enough to throw the cycle off just a little. It says, “Hey, I’m still here. Still capable.” And if you do that once today, it counts. It really counts.
Get Honest About What You’ve Been Avoiding
There’s always something—an email, an overdue bill, a phone call you’ve been dodging—that adds weight to the undercurrent of anxiety. It hums in the background like a refrigerator you’ve tuned out until it’s suddenly deafening. Facing it head-on doesn’t mean you have to fix it today. But naming it and deciding when you’ll deal with it puts you back in control.
It might be that you’ve needed help for a while and haven’t reached out yet. If it’s therapy, good. If it’s meds, even better. There’s no gold star for handling it alone. Whether you end up with a psychiatrist in Milwaukee, group therapy in Richmond or anything in between, there are people who are good at this, and they’ve seen worse than what you’re going through. You’re not broken for needing support. You’re just human.
Move Your Body Without Making It A Whole Thing
You don’t need a gym membership or a full Peloton setup to use your body as a tool for getting your brain to shut up. Something as low-effort as vacuuming, walking to get the mail, or putting on music and swaying around like a sleepy toddler will do the trick. Your nervous system wasn’t built for this much sitting and overthinking. It wants motion.
Think of it like giving your anxiety somewhere to go. If it’s just stuck in your chest with nowhere to land, it’ll drive you nuts. But if you give it a physical outlet, your body starts whispering, “We’re okay. We’re doing something.” That’s usually enough to take the edge off and make space for other strategies—ones that don’t involve sprinting down rabbit holes or refreshing news apps until your thumbs go numb.
This is also the point where dietary changes might help, and no, it doesn’t mean going full kale-and-quinoa overnight. Maybe just swap out that third coffee for a sparkling water or grab a handful of almonds instead of candy when you’re stress-grazing. Your blood sugar isn’t trying to sabotage you on purpose, but when it crashes, it sure knows how to mimic a panic attack.
Say No, Even If It Feels Weird
Anxiety will trick you into thinking you have to say yes to everything, just to keep the world spinning. The invitation you don’t want to accept, the favor you don’t want to do, the task you don’t have the bandwidth for—it all piles up. And the more you agree to things you resent, the more you start to disappear behind them.
Saying no doesn’t have to come with an apology or a novel-length explanation. “I can’t this time, thanks for thinking of me,” is complete. If you’re not used to setting boundaries, your anxiety might scream that you’re disappointing everyone. That’s okay. It screams about a lot of things that aren’t true. Let it scream while you do what you need to do. Over time, it’ll quiet down. It always does.
Do One Thing That Reminds You Who You Are
It’s easy to forget that you’re more than just a bundle of symptoms. Anxiety has a way of shrinking your world until you’re nothing but a walking to-do list and a tightly wound ball of nerves. So find one thing today that reminds you you’re a person—not a productivity robot, not a diagnosis, not someone who has to earn their rest.
Maybe it’s pulling out an old playlist from a road trip you still think about sometimes. Maybe it’s baking something from scratch even though the box mix is right there. Or rereading a book you dog-eared to death in college. The thing itself doesn’t have to be impressive. It just has to feel like you. You’re allowed to be someone outside of coping strategies. You’re allowed to take up space just because you’re here.
Signing Off With Sanity Intact
No one’s saying anxiety will vanish because you lit a candle, took a walk, or said no to a text. But today isn’t about fixing everything. It’s about loosening your grip just enough to breathe. You don’t have to be fearless. You just have to show up for yourself, however unevenly. That’s not weakness—it’s wisdom. You’re allowed to rest. You’re allowed to not do it perfectly. And yes, you’re allowed to get through the day by doing what actually works, not what looks good on paper.
Lynn Martelli is an editor at Readability. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University and has worked as an editor for over 10 years. Lynn has edited a wide variety of books, including fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, and more. In her free time, Lynn enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with her family and friends.
