Coping with Anxiety and Stress

Chelsea Conner • July 22, 2024

Effective ways to Cope with Anxiety and Stress

Anxiety and stress are emotions that can be a natural part of being human. It is important to be aware though when anxiety becomes detrimental to our daily functioning. Some symptoms that can arise if anxiety has become detrimental to our daily functioning are digestive issues, sleep disturbance, chest pain, easily fatigued, rapid heart rate, as well as avoiding completing daily tasks and ruminating on negative thought patterns that keep us from engaging in daily activities.

If these symptoms are occuring on a daily to weekly basis and interrupting your daily functioning, this can be addressed with strategies and coping tools that therapy can be very beneficial for. Some strategies and tools that can be utilized in a therapy setting and be helpful for combating anxiousness are:

Deep Breathing/meditation - engaging in different breathwork exercises, such as box breathing, muscle tension relaxation, and 4-7-8 breath work, as well utilizing visualization techniques and meditation to ground yourself.

5-4-3-2-1 Technique - identify 5 things you see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.

CBT - Understanding how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influencing one another. Learning strategies to challenge distorted thinking patterns that could be influencing an increase in anxiety that is impacting daily functioning.

Physical Exercise: Exercise alleviates cortisol within the body, which is known as the stress hormone. It also releases endorphins that help improve mood and decrease anxiety long term.

Other important contributors to stress and anxiety that need to be evaluated due to their negative impacts with increasing anxiety are current nicotine, alcohol, and caffeine usage, as well as sleep hygiene and triggers that increase anxiousness.

At Lexington Counseling and Psychiatry - Office of Paul Dalton - we have providers who can help assist you to learn coping skills to manage your stress and anxiety. Call us at 859.338.0466 to schedule an appointment. Our current offices are located in Lexington, Frankfort, and Richmond, KY. We have been trusted mental health professionals in Central Kentucky for over 22 years!

Supporting Articles:

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders

https://www.apa.org/topics/anxiety

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/anxiety-disorders/what-are-anxiety-disorders

https://adaa.org/tips

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/how-to-cope-with-anxiety

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The Benefits of Therapy

By Chelsea Conner • September 8, 2025

The Benefits to Therapy and Why It Is Important to Seek out Help

How to Build Success When Recovering from Substance Use

By Chelsea Conner • August 14, 2025

Substance use is a growing health concern. 47.7 million Americans reported the use of illegal substances according to a study conducted in 2023 by The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. A Substance Use Disorder (SUD), defined by The American Psychiatric Association, is ‘a complex condition in which there is uncontrolled use of a substance despite harmful consequences.’ The American Psychiatric Association recognizes that someone who has a SUD has an intense urge to engage in any of the listed substances - alcohol, tobacco, or psychoactive substances that impact daily functioning, interpersonal relationships, and overall health. Another term well known for SUD is addiction. There is no single cause for a SUD but rather, a combination of factors can contribute to its development. Self-medication, genetics, peer pressure, curiosity, performance enhancement, and medical use turned misuse can all lead to someone engaging in problem use with substances and even addiction. Another study conducted in 2023 by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, showed that 70% of people who sought out treatment for substance abuse/misuse reported improvements to their overall health and functioning within the first year of treatment. There are several available options for treatment, including outpatient care, intensive outpatient care, and in-patient care treatment. It is also important to have a collaborative approach when it comes to treatment for a SUD to have the best outcome, which can include medication management, individual therapy, group therapy, peer support, AA/NA meetings, sponsor, and a healthy support system within interpersonal relationships. It's important to remember that addiction is not a moral failing, it's a complex medical condition that can affect anyone. Compassion, understanding, and proper treatment are essential to recovery and can lead to successful outcomes. Some treatment modalities that have shown success in therapy when treating SUD include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Contingency Management (CM), Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) and Motivational Interviewing (MI), as well as a facilitated 12 step program and a trauma focused lens. Whether you're concerned about your own substance use or worried about a loved one, help is available and healing is possible! Call our office at 859.338.0466 to schedule an appointment to work with one of our providers to start your healing journey to recovery. Our current offices are located in Lexington, Frankfort, and Richmond, KY. We have been trusted mental health professionals in Central Kentucky for over 22 years! Articles and Resources: https://drugabusestatistics.org/ https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/addiction-substance-use-disorders/what-is-a-substance-use-disorder https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6175215/ https://www.pyramid-healthcare.com/blog/2019/02/12/self-medication-and-addiction/ https://americanaddictioncenters.org/therapy-treatment