coping tools

Anxiety and Stress

Podcasts

Y our Anxiety Toolkit - Anxiety & OCD Strategies by Kimberley Quinlan, LMFT [podcast]

Therapy in a Nutshell. This mental health podcast features many episodes devoted to dealing with anxiety and OCD. [podcast]

Other Resources

Resources about stress and coping skills [American Psychological Association website]

Support Groups

Peer support groups are often run by those who have personal experience with the subject of the group. There are often local and online groups that you can attend for free. HeyPeers.com is a great place to start your search for support groups. This site also helps connect you with local resources and chat rooms. Sign up on the website, or access the service through its app.

Breathing and Meditation

How mindfulness changes the emotional life of our brains by Richard J. Davidson [YouTube TED talk]

10 Breathing Techniques for Stress Relief and More

[article]

Joanne D'Amico publishes a variety of guided meditations, progressive muscle relaxations, and even bedtime stories on her YouTube channel, Spotify, and podcast websites. Some of my favorites are:

Panic Attack Talk Down (start at 4:28) [YouTube video]
10 min Relaxation Guided Meditation [YouTube video]
Rainy Day Relaxation (start at 0:37) [YouTube video]

20 Minute Guided Meditation: Full-body Relaxation and Active Body Scan (start at 0:29) [YouTube video]

Exercise is a helpful way to cleanse your body of stress.

When your heart rate goes up and moves your blood through your body, it’s going to filter out stress hormones, cortisol in particular. That’s going to help you feel more relaxed, sleep better, and calm down the anxiety in your brain so that the parts of your brain that think more clearly are back online. Exercise also in general helps us better tolerate levels of cortisol. This doesn't mean you have to go run a 5K tonight. Take small, manageable steps toward making exercise a regular part of your routine. Pick a time when you will commit to some physical movements and put it on your calendar. Then follow through. It could be a promise to walk around the block or perhaps follow a short exercise video.

5-Minute Break [YouTube video]
Seated exercise routine for those with limited mobility [YouTube video]

Faith-Based Resources

Attacking Anxiety by Pastor Shawn Johnson. [YouTube video]

How to Manage Overwhelm + Reduce Stress by Renewing Your Thoughts [podcast]

Freedom to Feel on the You've Heard It Said Podcast by Life.Church [podcast]

Naming your emotions helps your brain calm down by connecting the amygdala to the thinking centers.

A Word About Online Resources

My hope is to share resources here that are useful. Although I do my best to keep information current, it is possible for links to become outdated or for material to change. A link is not an endorsement of a particular person or organization, nor do I receive any incentives from them.

Keep in mind that these resources are not specific to your situation and therefore are not therapy or a substitute for mental health services. Please consult your therapist, physician, or other professional support for advice that is specific to you, and call your local 24-hour helpline (988) if you are in crisis.