The Anxiety First Aid Kit: Quick Tools for Extreme, Uncertain Times

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“Ideal for these unsettling times; highly recommended for general readers." —Library Journal (starred review) A quick-relief guide for calming anxiety and stress right now—during the COVID-19 pandemic If you’re feeling unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety right now, please know that you aren’t alone. In these extreme and uncertain times, it’s natural to be in a constant state of mental and physical strain. Whether you’re dealing with job loss, a sick loved one, or just feeling the weight of the world during your 2 a.m. doomscroll—you need quick tools you can use right now, whenever and wherever you are, to lower stress and soothe anxiety. This emergency kit has you covered. Written by a dream team of mental health experts and grounded in evidence-based therapy, The Anxiety First Aid Kit offers powerful tools for triaging stress and anxiety in the moments when you need it most. You’ll find easy and doable ways to help you press pause on panic, and find your calm spot right away. You’ll discover in-the-moment interventions to help you relax before your anxiety and stress go into overdrive. And finally, you’ll learn how to make healthy and workable lifestyle changes to improve your mental health and increase resilience, so you can effectively deal with stressful situations in the future—no matter what life throws at you. Between pandemic-related economic fears, the frustrations of social distancing, indoor confinement, work and household double duties (now including homeschooling!), and the looming threat of serious illness, is it any wonder you’re feeling completely stressed out and anxious? If you need immediate relief, The Anxiety First Aid Kit has everything you need to manage stress and anxiety—right now. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PART I: FINDING CALMRIGHT AWAY 1: DON’T BE ALARMED 2: NOTICE YOU’RE ALL RIGHT, RIGHT NOW 3: DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING 4: CREATE YOUR SPECIAL PLACE 5: TAKE REFUGE 6: PROGRESSIVE RELAXATION 7: SITTING MEDITATION 8: RAPID RELAXATION 9: RELAXING VISUALIZATION 10: FEEL SAFER PART II: FACING WORRY AND ANXIETY 11: CHANGE YOUR INTERPRETATIONS 12: TAKE YOUR WORRIES FOR A WALK 13: REPLACE THOUGHTS 14: MAKE A WORRY APPOINTMENT 15: CHANGE THE ANXIETY CHANNEL 16: PUT YOUR WORRIES IN A LINEUP 17: DO THE OPPOSITE 18: COUNT YOUR WORRIES 19: HUMOR YOUR WORRY 20: THE WORRY EXPERIMENT 21: REPLACE WORRY WITH PLANNING PART III: ADVANCED RELAXATION SKILLS 22: THE MINDFULNESS POWER UP 23: THE PENDULUM DROP 24: FIVE-FINGER EXERCISE 25: AUTOGENICS 26: ANTI-STRESS COMBOS 27: TAKE IN THE GOOD PART IV: SUPER EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES THAT TAKE A LITTLE MORE TIME 28: SEE THE GOOD IN YOURSELF 29: THINK THE THOUGHT—WITH A TWIST 30: GET EXCITED 31: COGNITIVE DEFUSION 32: BEAT EXHAUSTION AND FIND STRENGTH 33: USE EXERCISE TO COPE WITH ANXIETY 34: GET SOME SLEEP 35: SEND ANXIETY TO THE SPAM FOLDER 36: COPING THOUGHTS 37: BE GENEROUS 38: LOVE 39: ACKNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPT SUGGESTED READING About the Authors