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The 10 Best Anxiety Busters: Simple Strategies to Take Control of Your Worry
Ready-to-use strategies to tame even your most anxiety-inducing moments. Suffer from a fear of flying? Break out in a sweat during presentations? Experience a sudden panic attack when in a confined space, like an elevator? Whether you’re struggling with mild anxiety or battling more severe phobia or panic, these are common experiences that affect millions of people. So what are the perennially anxious to do?
In ten simple techniques, this pocket-sized, anxiety-busting guide boils down the most effective remedies for worry and anxiety, whether chronic or in the moment. From breathing exercises and relaxation practices to thought-stopping techniques, worry “containment,” effective self-talk, and strategies that put an end to catastrophizing once and for all, it’s your go-to guide when anxiety levels begin to boil. Throw it in your carry-on, stow it in your briefcase, or keep it in your desk when you need a quick reminder of some easy techniques that can turn your anxiety from overpowering to manageable in no time.
In ten simple techniques, this pocket-sized, anxiety-busting guide boils down the most effective remedies for worry and anxiety, whether chronic or in the moment. From breathing exercises and relaxation practices to thought-stopping techniques, worry “containment,” effective self-talk, and strategies that put an end to catastrophizing once and for all, it’s your go-to guide when anxiety levels begin to boil. Throw it in your carry-on, stow it in your briefcase, or keep it in your desk when you need a quick reminder of some easy techniques that can turn your anxiety from overpowering to manageable in no time.
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 30, 2008
206 people are currently reading
1008 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Wehrenberg
13 books9 followersMargaret Wehrenberg, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist in private practice, a popular public speaker, and international anxiety coach. She is the author of numerous books, including the best-seller The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques, Second Edition, and its companion workbook.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
August 29, 2016
Call me a freak, but I really liked this book.
It's VERY technical, but when you're talking about stuff like anxiety I think technical helps.
Here's an example of what I mean. "What's making you so worried? It's that darned negative, limbic-generated worry getting stuck in the anterior cingulate gyrus."
See? That just cracked me up.
But seriously, the emphasis is that things like anxiety are actually the result of over functioning parts of our brain. We're not just crazy. Comforting, to say the least.
It's VERY technical, but when you're talking about stuff like anxiety I think technical helps.
Here's an example of what I mean. "What's making you so worried? It's that darned negative, limbic-generated worry getting stuck in the anterior cingulate gyrus."
See? That just cracked me up.
But seriously, the emphasis is that things like anxiety are actually the result of over functioning parts of our brain. We're not just crazy. Comforting, to say the least.
October 15, 2010
Book that has concrete strategies and behaviors to help you deal with anxiety. Each item is presented with an explanation in a straightforward way. Common objections, criticisms, and pitfalls are presented with support for the author's methods. She doesn't dumb it down or try to make you feel bad about yourself. I never actually finished the book. I got enough out of it to help my anxiety issues. I'm not saying that I'm NEVER anxious, but it helped me to feel more in control of what was happening. If I feel that I need a little more help, I would happily go back and read some more, and try some more techniques. The only negative thing that I will say is the section on improving sleep is pretty generic and not terribly helpful. Much of the book may be helpful in improving some types of sleep problems related to anxiety, so I'll cut the author some slack.
It should be noted, of course, that if you have mental health problems, in addition to the book, you may want to seek the help of a professional.
It should be noted, of course, that if you have mental health problems, in addition to the book, you may want to seek the help of a professional.
March 7, 2017
This review is based only on a small portion of the book - Technique #9: Control TMA (Too Much Activity). I felt like it would offer some good tips for the type of chronic, mild anxiety that comes up for most highly-driven people. And there were definitely some helpful takeaways.
Three Sentence Summary:
If your anxiety comes from just being a high-drive personality, you’re wired to be busy and staying in motion helps you discharge the anxiety. So accept that you’ll never be a lie-in-the-hammock type of person and simply re-allocate your energy to things that will help balance out your life. Remember to do fun things, not to achieve something but simply to take pleasure in them, especially physical activity.
Favorite Quotes:
====== Technique #9: Control TMA (Too Much Activity)
The high activity level is probably not going to change, and people with TMA may not ever relax in the way a less driven person can
but they can change the way they direct their energy to achieve more balance, more fun, and much less anxiety.
If something blocks these high-drive people from working at their “normal” pace, they feel agitated, and if that interruption lasts too long, their anxiety skyrockets.
He appeared on the outside to be in a rage, and on the inside he was feeling out of control over not being able to follow a plan he made.
Having an unexpected few hours of free time when a meeting cancels can cause anxiety about how to use the time to their best advantage, and that stuck ACG can cause even more anxiety by preventing the person from finding a good alternative use of the time.
Why would someone with TMA from anxiety resist changing their behavior or activity? Because high activity diminishes anxiety.
Plan for Dreaded, Unexpected “Free” Time
This simple fix of planning is truly that: a simple fix for a frequent and completely manageable exacerbation of anxiety in the highly active person.
People with anxiety try to handle it by eliminating reasons to worry, and a good way to eliminate reasons to worry is to make no mistakes. The fewer mistakes they make, the less they will to have to worry.
perfectionism. It sets them up to review their work repeatedly, double-check for errors, work extra hours, and do work themselves rather than entrust it to others.
What these perfectionists do not realize is that they are going to worry no matter how hard they work. They just find other things to worry about, and their heightened stress makes them more hypervigilant and uptight.
It becomes a vicious circle of looking for potential problems to avert, finding them, being convinced they handled them, and continuing to look for more.
they develop a fear that if they ever let down their perfectionistic guard, things will completely fall apart and others will blame them entirely.
In other words, they come to believe that everyone believes mistakes are intolerable and proof of their unworthiness.
“Perfection is impossible.”
“If something is really impossible, then I have no obligation to try for it.”
Actually, planning a non-perfect performance of some responsibilities works better than noticing accidental imperfection.
Decide not to take on a specific, one-time responsibility, and see whether the work gets done without you.
Observe and evaluate how people respond to the imperfect work of others.
Observe how little anyone cares whether or not you were perfect.
take note of what makes the difference between important and inconsequential things.
Often, one part of life assumes significance over other parts for good reason. It could be reasonable to work at your job 12 hours a day during a circumscribed period of time
However, shifting back to balanced activity can be a problem for the TMA person who gets used to the workload and keeps on doing it.
These people easily continue on the trajectory they set, while other aspects of their life fade from awareness.
The TMA person easily forgets that high activity is not a value in and of itself.
Being busy may just be the way your brain is made. Even if you work a little less, you are likely to be just as active, but the added activities should create some balance in your life.
They do not direct their high activity to their own benefit by using it for balance, rejuvenation, or relaxation. Rather, they just use their energy as a counterweight to worry.
Laughing is a great way to increase good feelings while discharging physical energy.
gradually take everyday life so seriously that they stop experiencing the humor in it. Their time is spent watching for potential problems rather than for potential delight.
do one thing she wanted to do over the weekend that involved no work whatsoever—she was to do it just because she felt like it at the moment. In other words, something for just for fun.
balance for her was not necessarily about taking a lot of time, but about the quality of the time. That gave her pause to think about how often she denied herself the moments that would make life more worth living.
People with TMA will probably never embrace the lie-in-the-hammock version of time off.
balance is usually better found in busy activity, as long as doing the activity is not a way to avoid anxiety but a way to use some energy in a fun way.
The high energy level needs to be discharged, and using it for active non-work activities is beneficial for anxiety relief and for calming the stress response.
the person with TMA needs to distinguish between the pleasure of accomplishment and pleasure just for the sake of pleasure. The actual doing of the activity—not just accomplishing it—should be pleasurable.
Their minds are in the future or the past, but not in the moment. Not paying attention to fun robs it of its usefulness.
Look for fun activities that require physical energy output.
Three Sentence Summary:
If your anxiety comes from just being a high-drive personality, you’re wired to be busy and staying in motion helps you discharge the anxiety. So accept that you’ll never be a lie-in-the-hammock type of person and simply re-allocate your energy to things that will help balance out your life. Remember to do fun things, not to achieve something but simply to take pleasure in them, especially physical activity.
Favorite Quotes:
====== Technique #9: Control TMA (Too Much Activity)
The high activity level is probably not going to change, and people with TMA may not ever relax in the way a less driven person can
but they can change the way they direct their energy to achieve more balance, more fun, and much less anxiety.
If something blocks these high-drive people from working at their “normal” pace, they feel agitated, and if that interruption lasts too long, their anxiety skyrockets.
He appeared on the outside to be in a rage, and on the inside he was feeling out of control over not being able to follow a plan he made.
Having an unexpected few hours of free time when a meeting cancels can cause anxiety about how to use the time to their best advantage, and that stuck ACG can cause even more anxiety by preventing the person from finding a good alternative use of the time.
Why would someone with TMA from anxiety resist changing their behavior or activity? Because high activity diminishes anxiety.
Plan for Dreaded, Unexpected “Free” Time
This simple fix of planning is truly that: a simple fix for a frequent and completely manageable exacerbation of anxiety in the highly active person.
People with anxiety try to handle it by eliminating reasons to worry, and a good way to eliminate reasons to worry is to make no mistakes. The fewer mistakes they make, the less they will to have to worry.
perfectionism. It sets them up to review their work repeatedly, double-check for errors, work extra hours, and do work themselves rather than entrust it to others.
What these perfectionists do not realize is that they are going to worry no matter how hard they work. They just find other things to worry about, and their heightened stress makes them more hypervigilant and uptight.
It becomes a vicious circle of looking for potential problems to avert, finding them, being convinced they handled them, and continuing to look for more.
they develop a fear that if they ever let down their perfectionistic guard, things will completely fall apart and others will blame them entirely.
In other words, they come to believe that everyone believes mistakes are intolerable and proof of their unworthiness.
“Perfection is impossible.”
“If something is really impossible, then I have no obligation to try for it.”
Actually, planning a non-perfect performance of some responsibilities works better than noticing accidental imperfection.
Decide not to take on a specific, one-time responsibility, and see whether the work gets done without you.
Observe and evaluate how people respond to the imperfect work of others.
Observe how little anyone cares whether or not you were perfect.
take note of what makes the difference between important and inconsequential things.
Often, one part of life assumes significance over other parts for good reason. It could be reasonable to work at your job 12 hours a day during a circumscribed period of time
However, shifting back to balanced activity can be a problem for the TMA person who gets used to the workload and keeps on doing it.
These people easily continue on the trajectory they set, while other aspects of their life fade from awareness.
The TMA person easily forgets that high activity is not a value in and of itself.
Being busy may just be the way your brain is made. Even if you work a little less, you are likely to be just as active, but the added activities should create some balance in your life.
They do not direct their high activity to their own benefit by using it for balance, rejuvenation, or relaxation. Rather, they just use their energy as a counterweight to worry.
Laughing is a great way to increase good feelings while discharging physical energy.
gradually take everyday life so seriously that they stop experiencing the humor in it. Their time is spent watching for potential problems rather than for potential delight.
do one thing she wanted to do over the weekend that involved no work whatsoever—she was to do it just because she felt like it at the moment. In other words, something for just for fun.
balance for her was not necessarily about taking a lot of time, but about the quality of the time. That gave her pause to think about how often she denied herself the moments that would make life more worth living.
People with TMA will probably never embrace the lie-in-the-hammock version of time off.
balance is usually better found in busy activity, as long as doing the activity is not a way to avoid anxiety but a way to use some energy in a fun way.
The high energy level needs to be discharged, and using it for active non-work activities is beneficial for anxiety relief and for calming the stress response.
the person with TMA needs to distinguish between the pleasure of accomplishment and pleasure just for the sake of pleasure. The actual doing of the activity—not just accomplishing it—should be pleasurable.
Their minds are in the future or the past, but not in the moment. Not paying attention to fun robs it of its usefulness.
Look for fun activities that require physical energy output.
March 25, 2009
This book was fantastic!! The author discusses more effective ways to manage anxiety without the use of medications. She acknowledges that medications can be useful for a short time but that they should not be the primary treatment method. This really aligns with my personal beliefs about medications. Specifically, she focuses on breathing techniques and self-talk methods. If you have anxiety issues, I definitely recommend this book!
January 3, 2015
This was a helpful book for everyone in my family. I originally checked it out to try and learn some new techniques to help my son with his OCD and anxiety issues. He's 11, and was very interested in all the parts of the brain and how to manage them to stop being afraid all the time. (He also receives therapy and treatment, but a LOT of it falls on the shoulders of the family to help him manage.)
Once I got into the book, I realized there was plenty in it for me. The breathing and relaxation techniques were helpful and written in just such a way that they were easy to read aloud with the kids and practice together. We have been practicing for about a week with good results.
The book is specifically geared toward those with panic disorders, social anxiety, or generalized anxiety. Since I was mostly reading it for the general anxiety, about 2/3 of it didn't apply (and honestly, some of the sections about panic made me feel like maybe I was going to panic! Ha ha). However, the tips on stopping anxious thoughts, avoiding catastrophizing, and replacing your thoughts were really helpful.
I've read quite a few books on anxiety now. My favorite for kids is What to Do When You're Scared & Worried: A Guide for Kids. This is my new favorite for adults. I have several pages of notes I plan to reference.
Once I got into the book, I realized there was plenty in it for me. The breathing and relaxation techniques were helpful and written in just such a way that they were easy to read aloud with the kids and practice together. We have been practicing for about a week with good results.
The book is specifically geared toward those with panic disorders, social anxiety, or generalized anxiety. Since I was mostly reading it for the general anxiety, about 2/3 of it didn't apply (and honestly, some of the sections about panic made me feel like maybe I was going to panic! Ha ha). However, the tips on stopping anxious thoughts, avoiding catastrophizing, and replacing your thoughts were really helpful.
I've read quite a few books on anxiety now. My favorite for kids is What to Do When You're Scared & Worried: A Guide for Kids. This is my new favorite for adults. I have several pages of notes I plan to reference.
Read
May 8, 2025Good information.
This book has been very helpful. I recommend it to anyone dealing with a lot of anxiety.
Part 1 took a while for me to get through however. It gets pretty technical about how anxiety works in the brain (which I do find interesting) but it's probably a good idea to skip forward to the anxiety techniques and go back to Part 1 later on.
This book has been very helpful. I recommend it to anyone dealing with a lot of anxiety.
Part 1 took a while for me to get through however. It gets pretty technical about how anxiety works in the brain (which I do find interesting) but it's probably a good idea to skip forward to the anxiety techniques and go back to Part 1 later on.
March 8, 2016
Very good information (broken down into sections) of how to deal with various types of anxiety, anxious thoughts and anxious behavior. I borrowed this book from my local library, but I might actually consider buying.
March 25, 2016
Very useful, practical techniques. I expect to refer to it often.
February 4, 2016
This book is good...as far as it goes. The sections describing physical and cognitive-behavioral interventions for anxiety are terrific, frankly, and I would recommend those to anyone. I have to say, however, that elsewhere in the book there are some enormous holes. It's one of the few guides for laypeople that gives the lowdown on how alcohol makes anxiety worse, not better, for instance. But it doesn't mention at any point that marijuana, wildly popular as a "treatment" for anxiety, has exactly the same deleterious effects on those struggling with anxiety as alcohol, and it never mentions at any point that the "medicines" used for anxiety, like benzos, are much worse and much more of it. And I really have to take issue with the bass-ackwards Chapter One heading "How Your Brain Makes You Anxious," clearly geared to pander to those medical-model types who want us all to feel like victims of our wonky brain chemicals; FYI, peeps, it's EXACTLY the other way around. It also doesn't mention anywhere how other chemicals -- like opiates, the Drug Family of the Moment -- creates and worsens anxiety problems.
June 8, 2014
I marked it 4 stars not because it was particularly helpful to me, but because I think it is a well-written book that could be very helpful to someone suffering from anxiety. The only reason that it wasn't particularly helpful to me is that through my own reading, research, experience and therapy I already know it all. It's amazing how many people don't understand the effects that, for instance, not eating all day, or smoking, can have on your mental health. It's also amazing how many doctors give a prescription for Valium before talking about mindfulness or learning to manage anxiety using CBT and other techniques, or even simply asking patients to think about why they are anxious and what they can do about it.
This book is based on solid research, and is simple to understand if you ignore all the brain science parts. I have found the techniques detailed to improve my anxiety a great deal, although I was lucky enough to learn them from a professional.
This book is based on solid research, and is simple to understand if you ignore all the brain science parts. I have found the techniques detailed to improve my anxiety a great deal, although I was lucky enough to learn them from a professional.
March 9, 2016
I really enjoyed this book and took away quite a few great tips from it. It's an easy read with short chapters. There are a LOT of tips though, so I recommend having a pen and paper handy.
The most helpful tips for me had to do with:
- simple but often forgotten tips like eating well, sleeping well, exercising, taking breaks, etc
- diaphragmatic breathing with exercises to practice
- mindfulness meditation (I'd already begun practicing this on my own and it has helped me manage my anxiety tremendously)
- muscle relaxation exercises
- avoiding catastrophizing
- swapping out anxious thoughts for more helpful ones or activities
- making a plan for how to manage your anxiety
- tolerating your anxious feelings
- changing your perfectionistic thoughts & actions
I feel like I have an arsenal of techniques now to help me manage my anxiety. I look forward to continuing my practice and to incorporating these new ones. Definitely a helpful book!
The most helpful tips for me had to do with:
- simple but often forgotten tips like eating well, sleeping well, exercising, taking breaks, etc
- diaphragmatic breathing with exercises to practice
- mindfulness meditation (I'd already begun practicing this on my own and it has helped me manage my anxiety tremendously)
- muscle relaxation exercises
- avoiding catastrophizing
- swapping out anxious thoughts for more helpful ones or activities
- making a plan for how to manage your anxiety
- tolerating your anxious feelings
- changing your perfectionistic thoughts & actions
I feel like I have an arsenal of techniques now to help me manage my anxiety. I look forward to continuing my practice and to incorporating these new ones. Definitely a helpful book!
March 25, 2018
This book was one of the more helpful self-help books that I've read. I've struggled with anxiety for many years and I've found that many of the resources on long on content but short on method. Most of them offering some vague form of "take a deep breath and come to terms with whatever you are struggling with." This book actually offers some practical advice on how to handle the physical and mental symptoms of anxiety. Plus as an added bonus, the author has a pretty good sense of humor. There are some lighthearted moments in this book that help lighten the mood(it's not essential to have a good sense of humor if you have anxiety, but it sure helps). I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is struggling with anxiety.
May 11, 2019
Extremely interesting read on what makes the brain anxious, how medication comes in to play, and finally (the bulk of the book) behavior modification strategies.
I would recommend this book to almost anyone, as I think it explains so much when one is anxious, even if you don't consider yourself to be suffering from "anxiety." There is a lot of information for those who suffer from panic attacks, which is appropriate, but for those who do not, it's fairly easy to skip those sections.
I will be keeping this book as a resource to understanding my own (somewhat high strung!) and others' personalities. It gave me some good ideas on parenting strategies as well.
I would recommend this book to almost anyone, as I think it explains so much when one is anxious, even if you don't consider yourself to be suffering from "anxiety." There is a lot of information for those who suffer from panic attacks, which is appropriate, but for those who do not, it's fairly easy to skip those sections.
I will be keeping this book as a resource to understanding my own (somewhat high strung!) and others' personalities. It gave me some good ideas on parenting strategies as well.
May 10, 2015
A performance art instructor recommended this book to me. I can say that once I got through it, there were a few exercises that helped me work out some of my own anxieties or at least admit that I might have them. There are many tools to train your brain to believe you can be better, remain calm, and experience your fear in less paralyzing ways.
I found the book to be very difficult to read and extremely unenjoyable. Perhaps some of that is due to the subject matter, but some of it is due to the dense writing and clunky organization. Understanding a subject very well doesn't always translate into being able to explain it in an accessible way.
I found the book to be very difficult to read and extremely unenjoyable. Perhaps some of that is due to the subject matter, but some of it is due to the dense writing and clunky organization. Understanding a subject very well doesn't always translate into being able to explain it in an accessible way.
January 1, 2020
As a therapist I often refer to the techniques in this text to reduce overall anxieties and frustrations. While there are some tasks that seem to be obvious such as deep breathing and integrating mindfulness practices others such as checking your emotions and doing internal scans to determine how outside forces outside of your control impact you are relatively new in the anxiety realm. A useful guide for professional use or a practical text for those that find themselves struggling with anxiety and not yet ready to seek additional resources or wishing to supplement the current toolbox they have.
February 4, 2011
A lot of interesting tips for dealing with anxiety. Plus, a lot of explanation about how the brain works and why people are anxious. A lot I had read/heard other places, some new techniques. One specifically I taught my 5-yr old is to replace anxious thoughts with loud singing. She has found it is helpful for her. Not a book you need to read cover to cover to appreciate.
October 31, 2016
I found it very helpful in understanding myself and my own brain; the book gave me great tools to work with to change anxiety-creating habits. I wouldn't know about other types of anxiety, but as for that related to tension, high-drive, and over-activity (which is what I suffer from), that book is just what you need.
September 5, 2014
For me, who does not go to any psychologist, this book was very enlightening, with some good practical tips that I could use right away. The first part of the book gives a real simple and very interesting explanation of how the brain does what it does, so everyone can understand the basics of the brain functions.
September 2, 2011
Great book not only for myself but to use in therapy with clients. I have taken a lot of suggestions out of this book and used them to give clients homework assignments and practice different techniques in sessions. It has proved to be very helpful both in my personal and professional life!
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May 30, 2012This book tells readers not only how to prevent, but also how to control anxiety when it occurs.
1 mindlessness with shifting attention sounds like a great approach to let your body control your mind
1 mindlessness with shifting attention sounds like a great approach to let your body control your mind
March 15, 2018
Even for blog posts, the solutions are pretty much variations around the concept of "the power of prayer". Superstition well peppered with scientific sounding words. Like how neurosciences and breathing techniques. Still, cheaper than the membership to some oriental cults.
July 14, 2019
An interesting book, I found it a bit jargon heavy for my taste. Highly recommend for anyone who suffers from any form of anxiety or panic attacks etc because the techniques in this book are well discussed and explained and could work for a variety of different situations.
September 24, 2008
haven't read yet, but who hasn't suffered from bouts of anxiety?
February 4, 2010
Great book!
February 24, 2014
It is what it is..."so worry well and only once."
May 6, 2011
One of the best books on the subject I've seen published in a while.
July 22, 2012
recommended by Josh
February 4, 2012
Good book with clear, practical strategies for people dealing with anxiety.
It touches on the roles of medication and also psychotherapy.
This book is applicable to children and adults.
It touches on the roles of medication and also psychotherapy.
This book is applicable to children and adults.
October 27, 2012
Excellent reading for the anxiety-prone, it offers ideas to understand, cope with and overcome anxiety. Very helpful.
October 31, 2012
Excellent book on coping with and reducing anxiety. I liked especially the chapter on Technique 9: Control Too Much Activity.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews