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Here are some things that make you anxious, per a recent

Twitter poll

:

• Debt
• Paying for healthcare
• Aggressive drivers
• The possibility of being single forever
• Social media
• Large crowds
• People who finish all their fries before eating their burger
• Tipping
• Anxiety itself
• Twitter polls (sorry)
• Donald Trump, of course.

This wasn't meant to stress you out even more, but rather to say: Yup. Everyone seems to be sharing brain space with an unwelcome squatter these days—anxiety, depression, you name it. If you're ready to serve up an eviction notice—or hey, sit down with your mental vagrants, have some tea, and talk about what they have to offer you—well then you've come to the right place.

Follow along as Coping explores our worst mental states and how to deal.

We have a phenomenal advisor-therapist on board to answer your questions, too:

I'm Michelle Lozano, an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and member of the

Anxiety and Depression Association of America

. I'm a proud Chicagoan specializing in anxiety and related disorders. I'm set on bringing you some clinical insight, but most of all, hope—we're in this mess together, so let's be informed and current about healing.

Q: My best friend passed away suddenly in a motorcycle accident. In an attempt to avoid the memories, I stay busy, remain at a constant high-stress mindset, and never can find the ability to relax. I feel so uncomfortable being alone and get frustrated often with friends that don't put in a lot of effort. I am on ADD meds as well as two anxiety medications. Any suggestions or tips to slow down, or for processing this trauma?

—Lauren

A: To Lauren, I'm so so sorry to hear of your tragic loss, and the suffering you're going through.

It makes sense that you'd want to avoid feeling uncomfortable/upset/in pain. Keeping busy is one of the most common coping strategies I hear about from clients.

But the distraction is only temporary, and the negative feelings build up. Then when they all hit you, you have no distress tolerance to keep you level. My recommendation: Heal on your schedule. No need to face memories of your late bff head-on. That requires patience, respect, and the help of your therapist.

Here are some tips for slowing down:

• Oddly enough, exercise. Cardio in particular is great for burning anxious energy. Try to go three times a week and log your mood at the end of each day to assess changes. T2 Mood Tracker is a great app for doing that.
• Ask your therapist to guide you through PMR, progressive muscle relaxation. This app can then help guide you outside of therapy.
• Last buzzwords to try: breathing exercises and mindfulness. Regularly. The power of this is real. Try mindfulness out with Headspace and see if it feels useful.

As far as medication goes, I would always stick to your psychiatrists' recommendation (and switch providers if that relationship feels one-sided!).

I'm sure none of this is brand-new information, but sometimes implementing these coping strategies shows different results at different times in our lives. I hope it helps.

Warm Regards,

Michelle

• Anxiety is inevitable if you want to live a meaningful life. You can't escape it. So why not make it work for you?

• This breathing exercise can calm you down in just a few minutes. And no one can even tell you're doing it.

• This is what it's like to live with high-functioning depression. Sometimes, depression robs you of your best self quietly.

  Dread, a Comic by Line Hoj Hostrup:

📩 📩 📩 Send your questions to coping@vice.com and we might run the answer in next week's newsletter.