5 ACT-Based Strategies to Reduce Anxiety Naturally

Anxiety can feel overwhelming, making it difficult to focus, relax, or take action. When anxiety strikes, it often pulls you into a cycle of overthinking, avoidance, and distress. While it’s tempting to try to eliminate anxious thoughts and feelings, fighting them often makes them stronger. The more you resist, the more they persist. However, rather than battling anxiety directly, you can learn to relate to it differently.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) provides practical strategies to help you manage anxiety without getting stuck in the struggle against it. ACT is not about eradicating anxiety but about changing your relationship with it so that it no longer controls your life. Instead of feeling trapped by fear, ACT allows you to live with greater freedom and intention.

How ACT Helps with Anxiety

ACT is rooted in six core processes: cognitive defusion, acceptance, present-moment awareness, self-as-context, values, and committed action. Instead of trying to suppress or control anxious thoughts, ACT teaches you how to accept them while taking meaningful action based on your values. By integrating these principles into your daily life, you can develop a healthier and more empowering way to navigate anxiety.

Here are five ACT-based strategies to help you reduce anxiety naturally:

1. Cognitive Defusion: Creating Distance from Anxious Thoughts

Anxiety often brings a flood of distressing thoughts, such as “I’m not safe,” “I can’t handle this,” or “Something bad is going to happen.” When these thoughts take hold, they can feel like absolute truths. Cognitive defusion is a technique that helps you step back from these thoughts rather than being consumed by them.

Instead of taking your thoughts at face value, practice defusion by reframing them. Try saying, “I notice that I am having the thought that I can’t handle this.” This small but powerful shift creates distance between you and your thoughts, reducing their intensity. You can also experiment with saying the thought in a funny voice or singing it to the tune of a familiar song. These playful techniques highlight the reality that thoughts are just words in your mind, not facts you must obey.

2. Mindful Acceptance: Allowing Anxiety Instead of Fighting It

When anxiety arises, your natural instinct may be to push it away or resist it. Unfortunately, avoidance often makes anxiety worse over time. The more you fear anxiety and try to suppress it, the more power it holds over you.

Mindful acceptance involves allowing your anxious feelings to be present without judgment. Instead of saying, “I shouldn’t feel this way,” try acknowledging, “I notice that I feel anxious right now, and that’s okay.”

A useful exercise is to imagine your anxiety as a wave in the ocean. Instead of fighting the wave, let it rise and fall naturally. By allowing anxiety to exist without resistance, you take away its ability to dictate your actions. You can feel anxious and still move forward with what matters to you.

3. Present-Moment Awareness: Grounding Yourself in the Here and Now

Anxiety often pulls you into the future, making you worry about what might happen. You may find yourself lost in worst-case scenarios, feeling paralyzed by uncertainty. A core ACT skill is learning to anchor yourself in the present moment, reducing the grip of anxious thoughts.

A simple way to do this is through grounding exercises like the 5-4-3-2-1 technique:

• Name 5 things you can see
• Identify 4 things you can hear
• Touch 3 objects near you
• Notice 2 scents
• Focus on 1 thing you can taste

Engaging your senses in this way brings you back to the present and interrupts the cycle of anxious rumination. You can also practice present-moment awareness by focusing on your breath, feeling your feet on the ground, or taking a mindful walk outside.

4. Values-Based Action: Choosing Meaning Over Fear

Anxiety can keep you stuck in avoidance. The more you try to escape discomfort, the smaller your world becomes. One of the most empowering ways to break free from anxiety’s grip is to act in alignment with your values, even when fear is present.

Start by asking yourself: What truly matters to me? Maybe it’s being a loving parent, pursuing a meaningful career, or showing up authentically in relationships. Now, consider: What would I do right now if anxiety weren’t holding me back?

Rather than waiting for fear to disappear, take a small step toward what matters. This might mean making a difficult phone call, attending an event despite social anxiety, or speaking up even when you’re nervous. The goal is not to eliminate fear but to move forward despite it. By consistently choosing values-based actions, you build resilience and confidence.

5. Self-Compassion: Being Kind to Yourself

Anxiety can make you feel weak or incapable, but these thoughts are not accurate reflections of who you are. Many people criticize themselves for feeling anxious, believing they should be “stronger” or “better” at handling stress. However, self-judgment only increases suffering.

Self-compassion involves treating yourself with the same kindness you would offer a close friend. Instead of berating yourself, try saying, “It’s okay to feel this way. Anxiety is part of the human experience, and I am doing my best.”

A powerful self-compassion exercise is placing a hand over your heart and taking a few slow breaths. As you do this, remind yourself, “I am not alone. Others experience this too. I can meet this moment with kindness.”

By practicing self-compassion, you create a supportive inner environment that helps you navigate anxiety with greater ease.

Anxiety Doesn’t Have to Control You

Anxiety is a natural part of life, but it doesn’t have to define or control you. With ACT, you can develop a new relationship with anxiety—one where you accept its presence while committing to a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Rather than waiting for fear to disappear, you can take steps toward what truly matters, even when anxiety is present. By practicing cognitive defusion, mindful acceptance, present-moment awareness, values-based action, and self-compassion, you can reclaim your sense of agency and reduce anxiety naturally.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you’re looking for additional support in managing anxiety, we’re here to help. Through ACT-based therapy, we can guide you in navigating anxiety with clarity and confidence.

If you’re in Wyoming or California and looking for flexible, telehealth psychotherapy, we offer hour-long sessions tailored to your needs. We also provide international coaching through Bowen Family Systems, a transformative approach to breaking unhealthy patterns, strengthening relationships, and fostering long-term growth.

Don’t let anxiety hold you back from the life you want to live. Reach out today to explore how we can work together.