Medication, therapy, mindfulness techniques, writing, art, reading or watching something fun or life-affirming. And a good cry.

"What do you use as coping mechanisms? What helps you relax?"
alcohol but that's not a good choice.
my sister & i both are clinically diagnosed depressives with anxiety disorders.
she was pretty well out of it with meds into her 40s & not doing well b/c we build up a tolerance to them.
she started running & within a yr even entered a mini marathon for charity.
she started increasing her levels of serotonin & dopamine from the "runner's high" & cut out all meds.
we still don't get along & i cut off all communication with her (b/c of the way she treated our mother when our mother became terminal.)
there's no doubt though that she's much healthier mentally & physically since she started running/exercising & got off the meds.

Find an interest that you are passionate about it, and follow it . . . . if you cannot find anything like that, consider doing some type of charity work or something that is beneficial to humanity. I often hear of rich people, for example a person who made millions in the stock market, bought an extremely expensive home in South America, moved there with his wife, which seemed to be their dream . . . . . but then ended up committing suicide. No one seemed to understand it. I think I do. They separated themselves from society, stopped caring about anyone other than themselves, they had the power to change other lives, but chose to hide, wrap themselves up into their own personal bubble, or illusion . . . . . and never realized that they were destroying themselves. They stopped fighting, if they ever had in the first place, surrendered to illusion, and ultimately, life meant nothing to them because there was nothing that they saw to fight for. There is more than enough to fight for.

At times you may hear people say that what you give, you get back . . . . . What they are saying is not materially speaking, it is beneficial to oneself in other ways.

Honey..I think we all suffer especially Athiest. My sis in law is very Christian and doesn't get why sometimes Bro and I get sad.....i don't know what to say but wish you health and peace of mind. Shit is real.

When I am having periods of anxiety I tbh just bundle myself up in a room, turn off the lights and try to sleep it off but somedays I just hit the gym harder than usual, maybe just go out for a walk, gk outdoors somewhere green and do some photography, go to a coffee place and read a book over there but apart from that it us very important to take out alm the toxic people and things that trigger it. I admit we cannot do it a 100% but we still can try take the trash out at a greater extent.

I'm having great success with DBT.

weed

Being around my tribe