DIY vs. Professional Help: Treating Anxiety on Your Own vs. Seeing a Therapist

When anxiety hits, most of us think: “Do I need a therapist, or can I just fix this myself with deep breathing, podcasts, and pretending I’m okay?” Spoiler: both approaches can be useful—but they’re not exactly the same.

Handling Anxiety On Your Own

Self-help strategies can definitely help manage mild anxiety. Things like journaling, meditation, exercise, or limiting caffeine all have real benefits:

• Exercise has been shown to reduce anxiety symptoms in multiple studies. One 2018 study in Frontiers in Psychiatry found that regular physical activity significantly lowered anxiety levels.

• Mindfulness and meditation have also proven effective. Research published in JAMA Internal Medicine (2014) showed mindfulness programs improved anxiety, depression, and pain after just 8 weeks.

• Journaling and breathing exercises give your brain a way to “unload” stress, which can lower racing thoughts and calm your nervous system.

The catch? Doing it solo requires consistency and self-motivation—two things that can be really hard when you’re already anxious.

Seeing a Therapist

Therapy offers structured, professional help. Therapists are trained to spot patterns you may not see and give you tools tailored to your situation. The most common method?

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): This is considered the gold standard for treating anxiety. According to the American Psychological Association, about 60% of people with anxiety improve with CBT, often in as few as 12–16 sessions.

• Therapy also provides accountability (you’re less likely to ghost your coping strategies when someone’s checking in on you).

• Plus, therapists can help you decide if medication might be useful—a route that’s not available if you’re DIY-ing.

So, Which Is Better?

Think of it like this:

• Mild anxiety = self-help can be enough.

• Moderate to severe anxiety (panic attacks, daily impairment, insomnia, etc.) = therapy is usually the better path.

• Best of both worlds? Use self-help tools alongside therapy. Studies show combined approaches often work better than either alone.

The Bottom Line

Trying to manage anxiety alone isn’t wrong—but sometimes it’s like trying to fix a broken sink with duct tape. A therapist is the plumber who knows where the leak is coming from. Both options have their place, and reaching out for help doesn’t mean you’ve failed—it means you’re serious about feeling better.

So if anxiety is stealing too much of your peace, maybe it’s time to tag in a professional. Your future calm self will thank you.

- Always anxious 🤍