5 Tools to Help Diffuse an Anxiety Attack
Today I wanted to talk a little bit about anxiety attacks and panic attacks, more specifically 5 tools that can help diffuse things in the moment. This is something that I have personally been struggling with recently and thought it would make a great topic for a post.
To begin if you at any point feel that your anxiety is more then you can manage on your own PLEASE seek help from a professional. Reach out to friends, family, councilors, your DR. There is no shame in admitting that you need support or help.
When an anxiety attack hits it can be from what seems like nowhere, you may or may not be able to point to a specific trigger. All you know is that things feel scary and overwhelming. I know that for me there have been moments when all was well and then BAM my heart is racing, I have this feeling of overwhelming panic, my thoughts get stuck and life in generally feels heavy and shaky. I can even recognize and acknowledge that what I am experiencing is even irrational at times but that isn’t enough to calm the panic. So what can we do? Here are 5 things that I have found to be helpful.
Physical Activity- Get moving. Physical activity releases endorphins which help with our mood. Also if we are doing something with our body our minds have a bit less time to dwell. I personally found that putting on the most ridiculous YouTube workout video I could find was helpful. I was not only being physical but also ridiculous and not taking myself so seriously. You could walk the dog, go for a run, or polka. Really take your pick of anything that gets your body busy.
Find an activity for your hands (the more intricate the better)- Find an activity that requires concentration and ideally that uses your hands too. For example coloring a really detailed picture, knitting, doing the dishes, scrubbing the bathtub, cook something new where you have to follow a new recipe, or something like the game candy crush.
Focus on your breathing with some mindfulness work-deep focused breathing can really be helpful. Make it deep down to the diaphragm, reach for your belly button. Deep breathing can stimulate the vagus nerve which can help activate the parasympathetic nervous system. You can also use this time to imagine each individual muscle from your head to your toes tensing and then relaxing. By doing these two things you can helps slow your heart rate. You could also visualize your most perfect place. Get super detailed. What is the temperature? Ocean? Mountains? Both? What color is the sand? Is the dirt under your feet fertile? What are the colors? Are you alone? Who would you take with? You get the point-go for the most detailed image you can come up with. You could even write it down (may be the start to your next great novel).
Cold water on the face- There are studies that show that cold water to the face can lower your heartrate pretty instantly. When we are in the middle of a panic attack the physical body is hyper-aroused and the shock of the cold water on the face can bring the heart rate down.
Talk to someone-Call someone and talk, and talk, and talk. It doesn’t have to be a professional, unless you think you need a professional. I personally call my mom or my best friend. Talk about anything and everything. Get your mind off your panicky thoughts. Get laughing with them because you can’t panic and laugh at the same time.
I know that most of these seems straight forward and perhaps a little obvious but believe me when I say that when you are in the middle of an anxiety attack things are not always obvious. I am sure there are probably other tricks that people use but these are five of the things that I have found to be helpful for myself. I hope that they are help for you as well.
Please remember if you are feeling overwhelmed reach out for help if you need it. There is no shame, you are worth it and you are loved.
Hugs -Serena