The First Step in Taming Your Anxiety

How to respond when your brain and your body feel anxious

The first step in taming your anxiety

Verywell / Julie Bang

Every Friday on The Verywell Mind Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Amy Morin, LCSW, shares the “Friday Fix”—a short episode featuring a quick, actionable tip or exercise to help you manage a specific mental health issue or concern.

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Friday Fix: Episode 65

Whether your anxiety spikes every time you have to make a phone call or you experience panic attacks that come “out of the blue,” anxiety feels uncomfortable.

Anxiety tends to trigger worrisome thoughts and a physiological response, like a rapid heartbeat and an increase in pulse. Those responses have the power to increase anxious feelings. It’s a vicious cycle that can be tough to break.

The way you respond to an uncomfortable feeling makes a huge difference in how intense those emotions become and how long those feelings last.

There may be some mistakes you’re making that are actually making your anxiety worse. Fortunately, learning about anxiety can help you figure out how to respond to your anxious feelings in a helpful way.

On today’s Friday Fix, I share one of my favorite strategies for taming anxiety. It’s a great first step for any time you feel anxious. It works well for people of all ages in all different types of circumstances. And it can be an effective strategy for all different types of anxiety.

By Amy Morin, LCSW, Editor-in-Chief
Amy Morin, LCSW, is the Editor-in-Chief of Verywell Mind. She's also a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.