Five Strategies for Stability: Self-Care During Anxiety Treatment

Look, anxiety is relentless. It’s a constant flood of intrusive thoughts, a physiological storm that convinces you that something—everything—is about to go horribly wrong. And if you’re in therapy for anxiety, you’re not just fighting against those thoughts—you’re working to rewire your entire cognitive framework. That’s no small feat.

So, while therapy lays the groundwork, self-care is the reinforcement. It’s not just about relaxation—it’s about actively shaping an environment where healing is possible. Here are five structured, deliberate, and effective self-care strategies to support you on this path:

1. Creative Expression—Channel the Chaos

Anxiety thrives on unprocessed thoughts, looping the same worries on repeat. One way to disrupt this cycle? Turn that energy into creation. Writing, music, painting—any medium that allows you to externalize your thoughts gives you power over them.

This isn’t about producing a masterpiece. It’s about getting it out—converting abstract anxieties into something tangible, something that can be observed, understood, and ultimately, managed. When you create, you move from being consumed by your emotions to containing them in a form you control.

2. Digital Boundaries—Guard Your Mental Space

Your mind is already crowded. The last thing you need is the constant noise of social media, news cycles, and mindless scrolling adding fuel to the fire. Anxiety thrives in overstimulation, and modern technology has perfected the art of keeping your nervous system in a perpetual state of alertness.

Solution? Regulate your digital environment.

• Designate screen-free zones—your bedroom, the first hour after waking, mealtimes.

• Unfollow anxiety-inducing content—yes, even that influencer who seems to have it all together.

• Use technology with intention—not as an automatic response to boredom or discomfort.

A clear mind is a resilient mind. And resilience is what you need.

3. Gratitude—Rewiring Your Perception

Your mind defaults to threat detection. That’s anxiety’s nature. But here’s the thing—you can counterbalance that by actively training your brain to notice what’s going right. This isn’t about forced optimism; it’s about redirecting focus.

Try this: Every night, write down three specific things you’re grateful for. Not generic fluff—specific things.

• The way sunlight hit the coffee shop window this morning.

• The conversation that made you laugh harder than expected.

• The moment you felt a little lighter, even for just a second.

This practice is small, but over time, it alters your brain’s default settings, shifting you away from automatic fear and toward a more balanced perspective.

4. Nature—A Biological Reset

You are not designed to be trapped in artificial spaces, bombarded by notifications, breathing recycled air under fluorescent lights. Your nervous system is wired for the natural world—sunlight, movement, fresh air.

Research is clear: Time in nature reduces cortisol (stress hormone) and increases serotonin (stability hormone). It doesn’t have to be complicated. A walk in the park. Sitting outside for ten minutes. Watching the clouds move. Let your nervous system recalibrate.

And if you think you don’t have time for it, consider this: Anxiety steals more time than nature ever will.

5. Self-Compassion—Stop Being Your Own Opponent

Anxiety will convince you that you’re failing—failing to manage it, failing to function like others, failing to “just be normal.” And when that happens, you have two choices:

1. Attack yourself.

2. Support yourself.

The first option? It’s the default. The second? It’s a skill.

Self-compassion is not indulgence—it’s strategy. It’s choosing to speak to yourself with the same kindness you’d extend to a struggling friend.

• “This is difficult, and that’s okay.”

• “I am learning. Progress is not linear.”

• “I deserve patience—from myself, too.”

Retrain your inner dialogue. Turn your mind into an ally, not an enemy.

Final Thought: Structure = Stability

Self-care isn’t pampering. It’s deliberate psychological conditioning—habits and actions that fortify you against the unpredictable nature of anxiety. If you’re going to therapy, you’re already doing the work. Support that work by structuring your life in a way that reinforces it.

Because if you set the right conditions, your mind can—and will—adapt.