How to Get Rid of Anxiety: What Actually Works

Here is the honest answer to how to get rid of anxiety: you calm your body first, you stop letting anxiety decide what you avoid, and you change your relationship with anxious thoughts instead of arguing with every one of them. For most people, the fastest and most lasting way to do that is a short course of evidence-based therapy like CBT or ACT, paired with a few daily habits that settle your nervous system. You probably will not erase anxiety completely, and you would not want to, because some anxiety keeps you safe. What you can do is shrink it until it stops running your life.

I want to walk you through what that looks like in real life, why so many people are struggling with it right now, and how to get help without worrying about the cost.

You Are Not the Only One Feeling This Way

If anxiety has been getting louder for you, you are in very large company. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 19.1% of U.S. adults had an anxiety disorder in the past year, and roughly 31% will have one at some point in their lives. Women are hit harder, with a past-year rate of 23.4% compared to 14.3% for men.

Here in Utah, the numbers are climbing. A 2024 analysis of CDC survey data found that more than 33% of Utah adults reported feelings of anxiety, up from about 28% in 2022 and above the national average of about 29%. Earlier KFF data ranked Utah highest in the country for the share of adults living with any mental health condition.

The part that bothers me most is this. NIMH data shows that fewer than half of adults with an anxiety disorder get any treatment in a given year. Anxiety is one of the most treatable things I see in my office, and most people are still white-knuckling it alone.

How to Get Rid of Anxiety in Everyday Life

Start with your body, not your thoughts. When anxiety spikes, your nervous system is in alarm mode, and you cannot think your way out of an alarm. Slow your breathing so the exhale is longer than the inhale, like breathing in for four counts and out for six. Put your feet on the floor and name five things you can see. These are not tricks. They send a signal to your brain that you are not in danger right now, and once your body settles, your thinking brain comes back online.

Move a little, most days. A 2026 review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine pooled data from nearly 80,000 people and found that exercise meaningfully reduces anxiety symptoms. Here is the encouraging part: shorter, lower-intensity exercise was most strongly linked to relief. You do not need a gym membership. A twenty-minute walk around Morgan counts.

Stop feeding the avoidance. This one is hard to hear. Every time you skip the meeting, cancel the plans, or avoid the phone call, anxiety gets a little stronger, because your brain learns that the thing really was dangerous. Recovery means taking small, manageable steps toward what you have been avoiding, one rung of the ladder at a time.

Notice the thought instead of fighting it. Anxious minds love "what if." Trying to argue with every worry often keeps you stuck in the loop. Instead, try saying, "I am having the thought that something will go wrong." That small shift creates distance, and distance gives you choice.

Protect the basics. Sleep, caffeine, alcohol, and blood sugar all affect anxiety more than most people realize. Cutting back on caffeine and keeping a steady sleep schedule will not cure anxiety, but they lower the baseline so everything else works better. If you notice certain situations set you off again and again, my post on emotional triggers can help you map them.

Why Therapy Is the Most Reliable Way to Get Rid of Anxiety

Self-help tools are a great start, but if anxiety has been around for months, it usually has deeper roots than a breathing exercise can reach. That is where therapy comes in, and the research behind it is strong. A meta-analysis of 41 randomized controlled trials found that people in cognitive behavioral therapy were nearly three times more likely to respond to treatment than people given a placebo.

In my practice, I draw on several approaches depending on what you need. CBT helps you catch and change the thought patterns that keep anxiety going. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches you to make room for uncomfortable feelings without letting them make your decisions. Internal Family Systems (IFS) helps you get curious about the anxious part of you, which is usually working overtime to protect you from something. DBT skills give you concrete tools for riding out intense emotion in the moment.

Therapy is collaborative. You will understand what we are doing and why, and most clients start noticing real changes within the first several sessions. If your anxiety is tangled up with low mood or numbness, it is also worth reading about the signs of depression that do not look like sadness, because the two often travel together.

Does Insurance Cover Therapy for Anxiety?

In most cases, yes. Anxiety disorders are diagnosable medical conditions, and federal mental health parity law requires most health plans to cover mental health care on terms comparable to physical health care. Cost is one of the most common reasons people put off getting help, so I want to make this part as simple as possible.

Stillbrook Counseling is in-network with Medicare, Utah Medicaid, SelectHealth, Regence BlueCross BlueShield, PEHP, Aetna, and UnitedHealthcare/Optum. Being in-network means you pay your plan's normal copay or coinsurance instead of the full session fee. Before your first appointment, it helps to call the number on the back of your card and ask three questions: whether outpatient mental health is covered, whether you have a deductible to meet first, and what your copay is per session.

If you are not sure what your plan covers, reach out. I am happy to help you figure it out, and you can find more detail on my fees and insurance page.

When It Is Time to Get Help

It is time to reach out if anxiety has lasted more than a few weeks, if you are avoiding things that matter to you, if it is affecting your sleep, work, or relationships, or if you are having panic attacks. You do not have to wait until it is unbearable. Therapy works best when you start before you are running on empty.

If you are ever in crisis or having thoughts of hurting yourself, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline any time, day or night.

Ready to Feel Like Yourself Again?

You do not have to figure out anxiety on your own. I offer anxiety therapy in Morgan, Utah, serving clients in person from Mountain Green, Weber County, Davis County, and Salt Lake County, with telehealth available anywhere in Utah. My style is direct, warm, and collaborative, and you can learn more about me and how I work.

The easiest first step is a free 15-minute consultation. We will talk about what you are dealing with, answer your insurance questions, and see if we are a good fit. No pressure, just a conversation. Schedule your free consult today or call (385) 433-4684.