Anxiety Toolbox: Distracting Anxiety

Sometimes anxiety doesn’t need immediate answers. It just needs a plan.

Over the years, I’ve gathered a small toolbox for moments when anxiety creeps over me. It’s not a “just do this and everything will be fine” kind of thing, and it took time to get here. I also had to look more closely at what lies underneath my anxiety to understand when distraction helps and when it doesn’t.

Anxiety still shows up from time to time. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is that it loses some of its power when I can meet it with a plan. A bit like having a plan for an unexpected visitor you don’t really have the nervous system for right now — you don’t throw them out, but you also don’t hand them the keys to your house

I think of this as using compartmentalization as a skill. I tell my anxiety:
I hear you, and I will come back to you later.
But first, I’m going to take a shower, make breakfast, go outside, and do something that helps my body feel safer. When I’m more rested and more resourced I will take the time to listen.

It doesn’t always work. Sometimes anxiety stays loud. But often, it softens simply by being acknowledged without being followed. And that, for me, already makes a difference.

This is just one tool in the toolbox. Not a cure, not a rule. Just something that helps me get through the moment.

This plan isn’t about finding one fix for everything. It’s more like trial and error, a collection of options I can reach for instead of spiraling. Because once anxiety is there, it’s very convincing. Everything suddenly feels urgent. My whole life needs to be rethought right now. Every decision feels final.

Getting started is often the hardest part, because anxiety wants my full attention. But over time, this has become a bit like muscle memory. The more often I practice it, the easier it is to move through my mental checklist instead of getting stuck inside my thoughts.

The checklist usually starts very basic. Have I eaten in the last few hours? Have I had enough water? Am I too cold or too warm? Is there a sound that’s irritating me? Is something in my body aching or tense? These questions don’t solve everything, but they often lower the volume.

Only after that do I move on to measures: taking a walk, eating something nourishing, taking a shower, calling a friend, changing rooms, or doing something gentle with my hands. In many ways, this is about distracting anxiety — not ignoring it, but also not letting it take over.
One of the best ways I can calm and distract my anxious mind at the same time is with a puzzle. A puzzle and an audio book alongside. My mind will be hyper-focus on solving the puzzle. While my life feels like it is shredded into pieces and I have no clue how to fix it. The puzzle in front of me shows me that even if it seems like it wouldn't fit at first it will eventually find its place.