Literature Review

My research question is: What is the best way to cope with anxiety? I chose this topic

because anxiety has been something I have struggled with my entire life. Everyone deals with

anxiety whether that is diagnosed, or you just get anxiety in certain situations. For most people,

anxiety isn’t a crippling disorder that they have to deal with every day. Most of the time, people

will just get anxious in situations like public speaking, riding rollercoasters, etc. Many people

have developed coping skills but not all coping skills are healthy. What I want to figure out is the

healthiest coping skill that is easy for anyone to do.

Anxiety has been around since the dawn of time. “Greek and Latin physicians and

philosophers distinguished anxiety from other types of negative affect and identified it as a

medical disorder.”[ CITATION Mar15 \l 1033 ] This is showing us that anxiety was first

recognized as a medical disorder in the 17th century. “Between classical antiquity and the late 19th

century there was a long interval during which anxiety was not classified as a separate

illness.”[ CITATION Mar15 \l 1033 ] This is where we start to see change in how anxiety

disorders are viewed. “...typical cases of anxiety disorders kept being reported, even under

different names.”[ CITATION Mar15 \l 1033 ] This also proves that anxiety has been around

forever. Even if you’re calling it something else. A sheep is still a sheep even if you call it a cow,

right? This is a really good source because it explains the very beginning of anxiety to the most

recent information regarding anxiety. This is an awesome one way stop for all the information I

need about the history of this subject.

Anxiety is the most widespread mental health condition. It is extremely common. Even

though it has been around forever, and a ton of people have it, the diagnosis and treatments are

continuously being changed. There is a ton of new information being discovered regarding
anxiety, so the diagnosis is always changing. The new information being discovered about

anxiety is also affecting the discovery of new treatment options on how to cope with the

disorder. The article, “Current Diagnosis and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders” [CITATION Ale \l

1033 ] is a great source for my research question on how to cope with having anxiety. It gives

great information about the treatment of anxiety along with great statistics about anxiety. This

article also gives good medical book definitions form different types and different levels of

anxiety. It also goes in depth on diagnostic dilemmas, biological and psychological factors, and

even different types of therapy.

There isn't a ton of information available about how people try to cope with anxiety.

There are three main ways to deal with anxiety that being prescription drugs, counseling,

meditation and exercise. What works and what doesn't work really depends on the person. Some

people like to pick and choose but they do to help their anxiety. [ CITATION Mic21 \l 1033 ]

One thing that can help you cope with your anxiety is figuring out your trigger. There are

a lot of different triggers like a stressful job, genetics, trauma, phobias, caffeine and etc. figuring

out your trigger can help you cope with your anxiety by either getting help for your specific

trigger or cutting out what triggers you. For example, if caffeine is what is triggering your

anxiety, you can cut out caffeine or limit your caffeine intake. [ CITATION All181 \l 1033 ]

A main coping strategy I see suggested a lot is exercise. It is supposed to take your mind

off of things, reduce stress, reduce fatigue, improve alertness in concentration and enhance

overall cognitive function. when you are stressed it impacts your whole body. About 5 minutes

of exercise can stimulate anti-anxiety effects. [ CITATION ADA1 \l 1033 ]

In conclusion, there are many different types of anxiety, types of people, and types of

coping mechanisms. The answer to my research question is kind of ironic based off of my legal
studies major. It is the most lawyerly answer which is, it depends. Nothing works the same for

everybody. What I have learned that works for me is indulging in selfcare, hobbies, and

medication. This combination of coping skills I use may not work for others. All you have to do

is go through the rough trial and error of finding what works best for you.
Works Cited
ADA. Exercise for Stress and Anxiety. n.d. <https://adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/managing-
anxiety/exercise-stress-and-anxiety>.
Bystritksy, Alexander, et al. Pharmacy and Therapeutics. January 2013.
<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3628173/>.
Hirschlag, Ally. Do You Live with Anxiety? Here are 11 Ways to Cope. 17 December 2018.
<https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/how-to-cope-with-anxiety#long-
term-strategies>.
Llamas, Michelle. How to Deal with Anxiety . 12 March 2021.
<https://www.drugwatch.com/health/mental-health/how-to-deal-with-anxiety/>.
Marc-Antoine Crocq, MD. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience. 17 September 2015.
<https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4610616/>.