Breaking Free from Anxiety: The 3-2-1 Method
"What if the best way to break free from anxiety isn't just one thing—but many small actions working together?"
What If You Need More Than One Solution?
"What if the best way to break free from anxiety isn't just one thing—but many small actions working together?"
Why Mental Health Solutions Aren't One-Size-Fits-All
When you're stuck in an anxious loop, the path out often feels hidden. Unlike physical illness, mental health solutions are rarely clear-cut. The issue is with mental health is that the medicine or solution to the issue isn’t always very obvious. What works for one person may not work for another.
Introducing the 3-2-1 Method
To combat this anxious loop which I was in, I wanted to maximise the chances of me getting better. So rather than picking one small factor and changing it, I thought why not pick 3 or 4.
I created what I call the 3-2-1 Method: combining several small changes like meditation, daily exercise, medication, and dietary tweaks, rather than relying on just one. This multi-layered approach built momentum and helped me break free from anxiety.
For me, I started meditating each day, doing daily exercises, and taking medication. A bonus change for me was incorporating vitamins into my diet. The progress was slow at first, but I started to feel better shortly after.
Placebo
I think the placebo effect plays a large part in this.
Psychologically knowing that I have multiple means of getting better mentally made me believe that it was a lot more likely to work. Potentially none of these things actually solved my anxiety.
It could have purely been the belief that I was helping myself that could have made me start to feel better.
Ideas for Your Own 3-2-1 Method
Creative projects like crochet or art
Daily exercise or walks in nature
Meditation or mindfulness practices
For me, crochet has been an amazing outlet in terms of anxiety. The tactile nature of working with your hands and raw materials really helps to focus your mind.
Takeaway
Sometimes the best "medicine" for anxiety is stacking small actions that work together. Start today—choose three small things and give yourself the chance to heal.
I also followed a method similar to the 3-2-1 approach. I joined a mindfulness workshop and began meditating daily even if it was just for five minutes. I became more physically active and exercised, albeit irregularly. I also restarted therapy, initially on a weekly basis and later switching to biweekly sessions.
What I found particularly helpful was journaling and writing in general; sometimes free-writing to release emotions and experiences, other times writing intentionally with a focus on gratitude.
There isn’t a single solution; it’s more about finding the right combination of practices that work together.
I was just talking to a friend about anxiety and your substack came up. I miss mediation. I'd love to get it back in my life.