As part of the ABC's Anxiety Project, we asked how you deal with anxiety.
We received more than 700 responses from people across the country, generously sharing personal accounts of anxiety and how they cope.
The stories show everyone is different, both in how they experience anxiety and how they manage it, but some strategies came up again and again.
From formal treatments to breathing exercises and journalling, here are some of the most common strategies.
Lifestyle: exercise, routine and mindful consumption
From getting enough sleep to good nutrition, for many, maintaining a healthy lifestyle was crucial.
Exercise was the most-popular lifestyle strategy.
Tasmanian man Wayne Dicker was a teenager when he discovered staying fit physically helped him psychologically.
"It repudiates anxiety … taking the problem and giving it a good belting," the now 61-year-old said.
"[I] used it to rebuild my shattered self-confidence. I will always be amazed and grateful at just how effective this strategy has been in my life."
Melbourne student Luca also said exercise was essential, along with routine and self-compassion.
"Compassionate self-talk for me looks like acknowledging times are difficult and being OK with not being OK."
Watching what you consume was also common, extending not just to what you eat or drink, but also to what you watch and read.
Avoiding alcohol and restricting social media and news media exposure was beneficial for some.
For regional New South Wales woman Eunice Curran, dietary changes — including cutting out coffee, sugar and processed foods — helped with physical anxiety symptoms.
"My nervous system and heart rate is calmer," the 62-year-old said.
Informal supports: Reaching out to loved ones and employers
Social connection was another way people kept their anxiety levels manageable.
Tamar Collier from northern New South Wales said it was important to be open with friends and family about what her anxiety can look like and what they can do to help.
"This enables them to recognise when it's happening if I'm not well enough to articulate my distress … and to help me, and them, through the worst of it," the 32-year-old said.
Melbourne man Mohammad Mosayed Ullah said being honest with his employer about his mental health was valuable.
"It helped reduce [my] worries about my performance, feel calm, knowing my supervisor is empathetic is a great sense of security," Mohammad said.
But it's not just humans we turn to for support.
Adelaide woman and care-leaver Meg Schwartz has lived with anxiety "for as long as [she] can remember".
The unconditional love of her pet birds, dogs and cat, she said, was profoundly healing.
"Nothing beats anxiety like having the soothing company of a beloved pet, spending time stroking and cuddling them," the 67-year-old said.
Formal treatments: psychological therapies and medications
While not everyone who shared their experiences had a diagnosed anxiety disorder, many did.
For many people living with a diagnosed condition, talking to a psychologist or counsellor was helpful, while for some, medications — primarily antidepressants — were beneficial.
For others, it was a combination of the two.
Melbourne man Matthew Kanizay said seeing a psychologist was transformative.
"I was able to share things with him that I never thought I would," the 20-year-old said.
Cognitive behavioural therapy — known to psychologists and their clients as CBT — was often mentioned.
Many found it a useful way of changing anxious thinking patterns, while many said other types of psychotherapy were effective.
Melbourne man Andrew Joseph said acceptance and commitment therapy — or ACT — helped him face his anxiety after years of "fighting to avoid" it with suppression or distraction.
"I learnt to accept it as a part of me … it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders," Andrew said.
"[When] I start to feel the symptoms, I simply remind myself it is just anxiety that I am feeling, and my anxiousness generally subsides."
Sydney man Alex said medication helped get him to a good place, although he thought it was still stigmatised.
"I don't think medication gets talked about enough for those of us who are really struggling," Alex said.
"[it] has cleared the clouds enough for me to engage in techniques that are helpful."
For some people though, getting off medication when they no longer needed it was a difficult experience.
Stopping to breathe: mindfulness, meditation and grounding techniques
Meditation, yoga and mindfulness techniques — which focus on the mind-body connection — were other common ways people managed their anxiety.
Melbourne man Christopher Hill said he found slow breathing exercises helpful in preventing panic attacks.
"As long as you control your breath, it won't escalate," the 36-year-old actor, marriage celebrant and kindergarten teacher said.
Christopher also uses the exercises at work when he notices a student struggling with anxiety.
"I sit down with them and say, 'Let's slow down and blow up our imaginary balloons together'," Christopher said.
"I breathe in slowly and then slowly blow into my 'balloon' and pretend it's filling with air as my hands move wider apart.
"The kids copy the movement, slowing down their breathing, preventing the panic attack from escalating."
Chris Taylor, who lives in regional Western Australia, started meditating four years ago.
The impact on his mental health was so great he has started volunteering at a local meditation centre.
"It is profoundly effective … I no longer take the heavy medication I was on as a result," the 37-year-old said.
Self-care, reflection and spending time doing what you love
Newcastle woman Helena Van Den Heuvel said self-reflection was one of the most effective strategies for that "familiar knot in the stomach".
This involves considering what's going on in her life that may be contributing and whether it is in her control.
"If I'm really stuck in my head, I write everything down in … my phone or a journal," the 29-year-old said.
"You can write slower than you think, so it helps slow the internal chatter."
For Shepparton man Kian Lok, reflection means setting aside time to acknowledge his emotions.
"It helps to stop things from building up so much and makes me more aware of what's going on for me emotionally."
Spending time on enjoyable activities was another popular way of preventing anxious thoughts from taking over.
For Perth educator Rebecca Chapman, that means heading outdoors.
"Time in nature helps me tremendously. I like having my hands in the dirt, planting and propagating, bush walking … it's a beautiful distraction," Rebecca said.
She also focuses on the ways anxiety can be a positive force in her life.
"It makes me good at my job, more empathetic and a perfectionist who wants everything done properly," Rebecca said.
Embracing anxiety by facing the fear and finding what works for you
For many people, the most important thing was not letting anxiety dictate their life.
"If you give in to anxiety and avoid things you are afraid of, your world will only get smaller," said regional Victorian woman Janice Alden.
Janice said doing things she was afraid of — including starting her own business and performing in front of audiences — had been life-changing.
"I was terrified, but I kept going," she said.
Sydney man Pablo Scodellaro goes even further, embracing his anxiety.
"I literally welcome anxiety in my mind saying, 'Hello, I know you are there. I am here for you'. If you fight anxiety, you compound the problem," Pablo said.
"Every time I embrace anxiety this way, it loses a bit of power."
Ultimately, though, many recognised what works for one person won't work for everyone and that healing is rarely linear.
"Strategies differ for everyone and that's OK. It's just important to build a safe space and get back to it … to recharge yourself," said Hobart woman Rasyiqah Suratman.
"It is also important to accept and be okay with relapsing after making tremendous progress."
