Manage Anxiety | An Occupational Therapy Approach With Practical Tools for Calming Your Mind and Body

Take control of your anxiety with this practical, easy-to-follow, downloadable workbook.
Created by a therapist and grounded in occupational therapy, this guide gives you real tools to manage stress. You’ll learn how to calm your body, shift your thinking, and build confidence. Whether you’re going through a tough time or just want to feel more in control, this workbook supports you every step of the way.

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🧠 Understand Anxiety: What’s Happening in Your Body and Mind

First, get a clear understanding of how anxiety works. You’ll learn how your nervous system responds to stress through fight-or-flight or rest-and-digest modes. In addition, you’ll explore how certain thinking patterns—like catastrophising or overgeneralising—can make anxiety worse. As a result, you’ll gain essential insight into what’s happening inside you and why it can feel so intense.

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🔄 Break the Cycle of Anxiety and Avoidance

Anxiety often leads to avoiding things—like tasks, people, or decisions. However, avoiding these situations usually makes anxiety stronger over time. This section helps you recognise those avoidance patterns. Then, you’ll learn how to respond in new ways that build courage, increase your confidence, and expand your comfort zone.

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🌿 Grounding Techniques: Stay Present and Calm

When your mind feels overwhelmed, grounding exercises can help. You’ll try simple techniques like the 5-4-3-2-1 method and body scans. These activities use your senses to bring your focus back to the here and now. As a result, you can feel more centred and less swept up by racing thoughts.

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💭 Reframe Your Anxious Thoughts

Next, learn how to shift your thinking with cognitive reframing. This section teaches you how to notice negative thoughts, question them, and find more balanced alternatives. In turn, this helps you feel less stuck in fear and more open to new perspectives.

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🧘 Mindfulness for Calm and Clarity

Mindfulness gives you space to observe your thoughts and emotions without judgement. Through simple breathing and observation exercises, you’ll practise staying present and grounded. Therefore, you can respond to stress with more calm and self-compassion.

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🌬️ Calm Your Body: Nervous System Regulation

In addition to calming your mind, this section helps you soothe your body. You’ll learn belly breathing and progressive muscle relaxation, both of which activate your body’s natural calming system. These tools reduce physical symptoms of anxiety, like tension or a racing heart.

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🛠️ Plan Ahead for Tricky Moments

Some situations are more likely to trigger anxiety. That’s why this section helps you plan ahead. You’ll learn how to spot early signs of stress, set up coping strategies, and create routines that support resilience. As a result, you’ll feel more prepared and less reactive.

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🎒 Build Your Personal Coping Toolkit

Finally, you’ll bring everything together by creating your own anxiety coping toolkit. You’ll choose the techniques that work best for you, make a clear plan, and adjust it as needed. Therefore, you’ll have a ready-made set of supports for whenever anxiety shows up.

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Designed in the UK and based on occupational therapy, this workbook offers a supportive, structured way to manage anxiety. It helps you understand your experience, regulate your nervous system, and take meaningful steps towards feeling calmer and more in control. Whether you’re working with a therapist or using it on your own, this workbook is your guide to breaking free from the cycle of anxiety.