Nine Unexpected Ways to Manage Anxiety As the World Gets Weirder

Let’s skip the “How are you?” formalities – if you’re a conscious human in 2025, you’re stressed. In an era where doomscrolling is a hobby and uncertainty is our baseline, anxiety levels have skyrocketed. 

About 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. had anxiety symptoms in 2022, about a 17% increase since 2019. With heightened anxiety spreading like a bad internet challenge, managing it isn’t a luxury – it’s essential. When we’re chronically stressed, we can hardly function, let alone be our best selves.

What Exactly is Anxiety?

Anxiety deceptively seems to be all in your head, but it actually impacts the entire body. While occasional anxiety is normal, chronic anxiety is another beast entirely. According to UC Davis Health, physiologically, long-term anxiety means your body’s stress response never really shuts off. The result? A cocktail of stress hormones coursing through you 24/7, keeping your nervous system amped and wreaking havoc on your cardiovascular, immune, digestive, and even respiratory systems. As anxiety becomes more a part of our collective norm, so should integrating practices into our lifestyle that help us regulate. Here are nine common and less common methods of anxiety management to calm frayed nerves.

1. Literally Touch Grass (Forest Bathing)

It’s not just something to snap back at online trolls; touching grass has powerful benefits. Forest bathing is the Japanese practice of mindfully immersing yourself in nature to soak up its calm. No actual bathtub required; just find a green space, walk slowly, and breathe in the earthy air. Science backs it up: people who took leisurely walks in a forest saw a 12% drop in stress-hormone levels (cortisol), along with lower blood pressure and heart rate, compared to those stuck walking in the city. The benefits of forest bathing can linger for days, boosting your mood, creativity, and even immune function. If you don’t have a forest handy, don’t worry. A patch of grass at a local park will do.

2. Mindful Chores

Mindful chores turn your everyday tasks – washing dishes, folding laundry – into mini-meditations. Instead of zoning out and going into autopilot, you focus your full attention on the task at hand. Your hands in soapy bubbles, the mop against the hard floor, the sound of a scrubber against bathroom tile. A study on dishwashing found that when people washed dishes “mindfully,” they increased feelings of inspiration by 25% and lowered their nervous anxiety levels by 27%. Singer Valerie June even credited mindful chores for inspiring her to write one of her songs. So, skip the headphones and grab a broom; it might change your outlook.

3. Mindful Movement

Don’t feel like cleaning? Take the same mindfulness practice into some physical activity. Go for a walk, without a phone call or a playlist, just your five senses and a little curiosity. Not only will you release endorphins from moving, but you’ll also activate the relaxation response. Research suggests that meditative movement can be at least as effective as traditional exercise in reducing anxiety and depression symptoms. The act of syncing breath with movement helps hush the brain’s stress signals and lowers that fight-or-flight reaction. 

4. Herbal Healing

When anxiety has your nerves fried, a little ancient plant power might help take the edge off. Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCM) has been taming stress for a few millennia. Certain herbs in the TCM arsenal are known for their calming, balancing effects. For example, ginseng – dubbed “the King of Adaptogens” can help regulate your body’s stress response by modulating cortisol (the stress hormone) levels, essentially helping you resist the physical impacts of stress. 

Most herbal medicines can be taken as teas, capsules, or tinctures, and the best thing to do is consult a practitioner to get personalized guidance. If consulting an herbalist is out of your means, try brewing a cup of herbal tea, which, in the very least, forces you to slow down for a moment and breathe.

5. Music and Sound

Vibration has a huge impact on our bodies and can even ease stress and anxiety. Sound or frequency therapy is all about using sonic vibrations to bring your body and mind into a calmer state. Things like Tibetan singing bowls, tuning forks, gongs, or even specialized music have been used for centuries. Sound therapy uses resonance – projecting external sound vibrations onto the body – which may help cells and tissues return to a healthy state. You can DIY at home with a pair of headphones and curated playlists of binaural beats or ambient music.

6. Paint it Out (Art and Creative Therapy)

Art and creative therapy are about using artistic expression to process feelings and calm the mind. When words fail or racing thoughts take over, picking up a paintbrush, pen, or lump of clay can give your anxiety an outlet. Research shows that engaging in creative arts can tangibly improve mental health. A review of 21 studies found significant reductions in anxiety and depression symptoms for people participating in art-based interventions. Making art (or music, or dance, etc.) accesses a different part of your brain than logical worry does; it puts you “in the zone,” a flow state where nagging thoughts quiet down. By focusing on colors, sounds, or movements, you naturally shift into the present moment and out of an anxious headspace. 

7. Scream (Yes, Really)

This is a little dark, but definitely effective. Sometimes, the easiest way to release anxiety is to literally let it out with a good old-fashioned scream. Primal scream therapy was a thing in the 1970s (John Lennon swore by it), and while it’s not a mainstream, evidence-based treatment, there’s something to be said for the immediate catharsis of shouting into the void (or into a pillow). Rather than internalize your stress, which is terrible for your heart, you release it harmlessly. Do it solo or with a group (yes, there are scream clubs), and see how you feel after. 

8. Comfort Movies

What’s your favorite comfort movie? The one you’ve seen hundreds of times and could fall asleep to because it’s so calming? It’s probably a cheesy rom-com or an animated movie, and chances are it actually helps ease anxiety. 

Psychologically, these movies give us something incredibly important: predictability and positivity. Unlike real life, you know a wholesome Disney flick will end well, and that certainty can be calming. Research has found that rewatching your favorite feel-good movie is oddly comforting for a reason. It’s called the familiarity effect: your brain loves what it knows, and knowing the jokes and outcomes in advance actually lowers anxiety. So, yes, shamelessly watch A Goofy Movie for the 100th time and consider it therapy. Consider it a reliable anchor in an unpredictable world.

9. Goat Yoga, Puppy Pilates, and Emotional Support Pets

If you haven’t seen the viral pictures, animal yoga is exactly what it sounds like – doing yoga in the presence of adorable animals like puppies, kittens, or goats. It’s hard to stay stressed when a baby goat is nuzzling your neck during child’s pose or a litter of puppies is darting between your legs as you attempt downward dog. And there’s real stress relief happening here. Interacting with animals triggers the release of feel-good brain chemicals in humans – boosting mood and reducing stress and anxiety. 

Get Weird for Wellness

Consider this list permission to try something offbeat in the name of mental health. In a world that’s perpetually on fire, taking care of your anxious mind is non-negotiable. Remember, managing anxiety isn’t about eliminating stress; it’s about learning to ride the waves instead of drowning in them.