5 Therapies That Work for Stress and Anxiety
Last Updated on May 22, 2025 by Prath
Reviewed by April Justice, LICSW
- Published on 22 May 2025
One-third of young adults in Singapore are facing symptoms of anxiety or stress.
Most of us know how stress feels. Deadlines at work, marriage pressure from family, personal struggles with maintaining friendships – the list goes on.
Experiencing these feelings is like carrying a boulder on your shoulders. It’s heavy, you can’t breathe, and you’re exhausted.
But imagine someone helping you carry that boulder. Or better yet, imagine the weight being lifted completely. That’s what therapy can feel like.
In therapy, you learn how to manage, and sometimes even let go of, the weight of stress and anxiety. The tools you gain don’t just help for the moment. They stay with you long after your sessions end.
In this article, we’ll shed light on the types of therapy that help most with stress and anxiety, and share simple self-care techniques you can practise on your own too.
This Article Contains:
2 Therapies That Work for Stress
1) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is currently the most widely researched and scientifically proven therapy. It addresses how your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours work and influence each other.
When you’re under stress, the body is in a freeze or fight mode. In this state, stress rapidly affects the cognitive functions of the frontal lobe.
For example, you may struggle to think, feel, judge, and process information healthily. Your memory may weaken, and in some cases, your muscle control is also affected.
Due to this physical impact, your thoughts may become negative or irrational.
However, a CBT therapist will work with you to identify these irrational thoughts and replace them with positive ones. For example, if you’re thinking, ‘I’m going to fail at this job,’ you may learn to reframe it with something more realistic like, ‘My job is challenging, but I have enough time, and I will take everything slow. I will ask for help when I need it.’
Over time, the shift in your perspective may reduce the effect of stress on your thinking.
Techniques used in CBT
Below are some common CBT techniques used by therapists:
- Thought records: You may be asked to write down your thoughts and reflections on stressful situations, how you handled them, how you think you could’ve coped, and your feelings related to the experience.
- Behavioural activation: This tool focuses on how your behaviour can affect your mood and feelings. Hence, the therapist may assign homework to encourage you to engage in meaningful or fun activities like swimming to reduce symptoms of distress.
- Problem-solving: This approach helps you handle overwhelming stressors with actionable, step-by-step solutions. For example, you may analyse the pros and cons of a solution, evaluate the practicality, and implement the most effective option.
2) Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Therapy (MBSR)
MBSR is an approach that combines mindfulness exercises with positive thinking. Some techniques include meditation, body scans, affirmations, mindful movement and intention-setting (ie setting intentions for the day/week).
Unlike common belief, MBSR is an evidence-based program that reduces high-stress levels.
The two main components of MBSR are:
- Mindfulness meditation
- Yoga
Core principles of mindfulness that therapists in Singapore may emphasise include:
- Using mindfulness as an enjoyable tool rather than a task that you ‘have’ to do every single day. This way, mindfulness becomes more of an adventure and less of a chore.
- Focusing on individual effort, motivation, and discipline to practice meditation in various forms and exploring the techniques that most suit your needs.
- Addressing the immediate lifestyle change that may be needed to incorporate mindfulness practices into your daily schedule.
Essentially, you may learn how to react to stressful situations with:
- Clarity of thought
- Peace of mind
- A balanced and stable nervous system
Techniques used in MBSR
Common MBSR stress relief techniques include:
- Breath awareness: Focusing on how the air fills your lungs and learning to root your attention to your breath
- Body scanning: Noticing physical sensations in each body part, starting from the top of the head to the toes
- Mindful movement: Doing gentle and relaxation yoga stretches to relieve the body of any stress that may be lingering
A stress relief technique
Try starting your day with a short mindfulness practice.
Set the clock for 10 minutes, sit comfortably in an alert position, and focus on your breath.
For the first few minutes, inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Repeat this process until you feel your body and mind relaxing.
If your mind wanders (which it likely will), gently bring your attention back to your breath.
To do so, you can count numbers, place a hand on your chest to feel the breathing movement or hold your breath for a count of 5 seconds each time you inhale.
Over time, this simple habit can improve focus, reduce tension, and help you respond more calmly to stress throughout the day.
3 Therapies That Work for Anxiety
1) Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is part of CBT and is generally considered the best approach for anxiety management.
During sessions, you may be gradually exposed to your fear, either a situation or an object.
The therapist in Singapore may start with less threatening stimuli and eventually work their way through increasingly feared stimuli. The entire process happens in a controlled, safe, and confidential manner.
The core idea of exposure therapy is to desensitise the client to their anxiety.
For example, if you are socially anxious, your therapist may follow the steps below:
- Start by watching a documentary about social anxiety to better understand your experiences and feel less alone.
- Visit a social event, but just observe from outside the venue without interacting with anyone.
- Attend the event and sit inside the venue without engaging socially and just getting used to the environment.
- Learn specific skills to build confidence, such as texting or calling loved ones, to start engaging in social situations.
- Finally, practise initiating small conversations with one or two people at the venue.
Each step is designed based on the severity of your symptoms.
Techniques used in MBSR
Below are common ways therapy helps with anxiety:
- Imaginal exposure: Teaching you to visualise your anxiety in detail before encountering it in real life
- In vivo exposure: Directly and immediately facing the object or situation you fear in a controlled environment
- Interoceptive exposure: Manipulating physical sensations, like increasing or decreasing heartbeat, to learn that the situation is not frightening.
2) Psychodynamic Therapy
Psychodynamic therapy explores past experiences and unconscious thought patterns to reflect on how they influence your thoughts and feelings.
For example, if you feel anxious about something but can’t pinpoint why, it could be because of neuroplasticity.
Our brains are phenomenal – they’re constantly rewiring based on new experiences. This is known as neuroplasticity.
But there’s also the good news: Because the brain constantly learns, you can teach it how to become less anxious. Therapists help you do this through scientific psychodynamic tools.
A common and effective way to analyse your thought patterns is through open-ended questions. During therapy sessions, your therapist may ask questions to help you explore your vulnerable thoughts and make sense of them based on your current situation.
Techniques used in psychodynamic therapy
Below are some ways psychodynamic therapy helps with anxiety:
- Free association: In a relaxed environment, your therapist may ask you to speak freely without holding back or hesitating. Your thoughts do not always have to relate to your problems. The free flow of thoughts is encouraged to reveal any deeper emotional patterns or unresolved conflicts that may resurface.
- Dream analysis: Dreams are powerful in that they may sometimes reveal your inner worries. Your therapist may ask you to maintain a dream journal. The idea is to write down your dream as soon as you wake up, including how you felt and what you thought about it. The patterns in your dream may reveal any underlying fears, anxiety, or stressors.
- Exploring defence mechanisms: We use maladaptive behaviours (often unconsciously) to protect ourselves from emotional or physical pain. The patterns could be self-harm, avoidance, or causing harm to others. Using this approach, your therapist will gently help you notice when these defences show and teach you how to replace them with healthier coping mechanisms.
3) Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT)
DBT was first designed to help people with borderline personality disorder. However, the approach has since evolved to address other issues, such as anxiety, stress, and depression.
The four components of DBT are:
- Mindfulness
- Distress tolerance
- Emotional regulation
- Interpersonal effectiveness
Firstly, mindfulness techniques include breathing exercises, body scans, affirmations, or yoga. Distress tolerance includes skills to learn how to tolerate distress and cope with anxiety in a healthy way.
Emotional regulation skills are important, as people often struggle to identify their feelings. Your therapist will teach you how to identify and regulate your emotions in the most effective way to manage anxiety symptoms.
Lastly, interpersonal effectiveness is a skill that teaches you how to communicate your needs, strengthen relationships, stay assertive, set boundaries, and maintain positive social groups.
When practised regularly, DBT skills can help you overcome anxiety.
Techniques used in DBT
- STOP skill: STOP refers to Stop, Take a step back, Observe, Proceed mindfully. The idea is to pause and respond in a way that’s least harmful to you or the people you’re involved with.
- TIPP skill: TIPP refers to Temperature change, Intense exercise, Paced breathing, and Progressive muscle relaxation. Your therapist in Singapore may teach you these skills to calm down your nervous system during an emotional moment.
- Wise mind: This skill is used to help you make decisions by balancing emotional and rational thinking. It helps you pause and ask, ‘What feels right and also makes sense?’
5 Simple Stress Relief Techniques
The benefits of therapy for stress are countless. However, you may need to learn simple self-care tools to cope with daily stress.
Here are five stress relief techniques you can try independently:
- Box Breathing: Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, and hold again for 4. Repeat a few times to calm your nervous system.
- Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Focus on each muscle group in your body, and tighten and release the muscles as you focus on your breathing. Start from your toes and move upwards.
- Digital Detox: The effects of social media on mental health can be negative as much as they can be hopeful. Hence, step away from screens for an hour or more whenever you feel the negativity creep in. Take a walk, journal, or cook a meal. Engaging your entire body and physical sensations can make it easier to distract yourself from the digital dopamine.
- Gratitude Journaling: Write down three things you’re grateful for each day. As you remain grateful for small things in life, you may notice a positive perspective and mindset shift.
- Grounding Exercise: Use the 5-4-3-2-1 technique: name five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste.
4 Anxiety Management Tools
You can learn easy coping mechanisms for anxiety on your own. Some of these include:
- Anxiety Trackers: Use apps or journals where you can write down your anxious thoughts, feelings, triggers, and responses. Over time, you may start noticing a pattern and discover how to avoid or better cope with your triggers.
- Soothing Kits: Create a small box with comforting items like a scented candle, stress ball, favourite tea, or photos that make you smile. Try to open your soothing kits whenever you feel anxious and allow yourself several moments to sink deeper into relaxation mode.
- Routine Building: Predictable routines can help your brain feel safe. Try to maintain a routine for all areas of life, like sleep, exercise, journaling, socialising, and eating.
- Support Network: Talking to your loved ones can make you feel calm and secure. Contact your friends, family, or support groups to find someone to talk to. Simply knowing someone is there to help you through your toughest moments in life can make you feel at ease.
Key Takeaways
Therapy can be a life-changing tool to manage stress and anxiety. Here’s a quick recap of the article:
- CBT and MBSR are effective therapy approaches to manage stress.
- Exposure therapy, psychodynamic therapy, and DBT can help reduce symptoms of anxiety.
- You can follow simple stress relief techniques and anxiety management tools like box breathing and using anxiety trackers to cope with everyday stressors.
You’ve already taken the first step to understanding how therapy helps with anxiety and stress. Now, take the next one and book a session with one of our expert Therapists in Singapore.
