Helpful Tips for Anxiety/Panic?

[ChiGal]

We all suffer from some form of anxiety - and some of us (me included) have panic attacks. And now that the holidays are rolling around and cold/flu season is upon us I thought maybe we can share some helpful tips on how we all deal with it. Maybe find some new ways to deal with the scary moments and thoughts? And btw I mean other than taking a pill - which I am not knocking but it isn't always possible or ideal.

I have a few that help me, for example:

- Deep breaths. Inhaling and counting to 5, exhaling while counting to 5. Repeating it until my heart rate goes down.

- Muscle tension. Start at your feet. Clench them, hold for a few seconds and release. Move up to your calf muscle, repeat. And so on, and so on...move up the body.

- Sounds ridiculous but yelling "STOP" when panicky thoughts try to take over either in my head or out loud (looks weird in public though lol) can help.

- Yoga. It helps! You can find free classes online or on YouTube. It's not as boring as it seems, trust me!

So share your helpful remedies and tips, you can help someone in need!

[thecheesecake17]

Nice thread (:

I like the idea of 'STOP!!' I've definitely done this when I feel n* to the point where I know its illness and real n*.... Cos that's when the panic mode switches on and sometimes I need to hit my shaky knees and say 'pull yourself together!'

Another one (its the same kinda 'STOP' routine) is motivation - I felt like I wanted to v* randomly when I woke up sweating in August and stood near my window wanting to die and tried hard to stop myself from feeling it and I decided 'Panicking will add 10% more trouble if I am sick. But you know what, let's try some kind of hypnosis. I'm a strong 22 year old woman. I ate potatoes for dinner and I haven't even been out, so how could I be sick? And hahaha, would I really freak out? I'm like the strongest woman in the world. I'm fine' ...and in all honesty, as I typed a message to you guys on here and calmed down whilst inhaling fresh air, I went back to being PERFECT. I believed what I told myself and read a post about imagining yourself as a superhero version of yourself and that did help a bit..maybe I just got fresh air though, who knows! Eitherway I was training my brain.

Personally I don't find relaxation techniques relieving....I'm still shaking during a panic and it doesn't settle until I take one deep breath and if i try focusing on breathing and calming down, if I still feel n* I panic even more! Cos my brain allows me to focus more on what I feel...however I understand that breathing is compulsory with relaxation.
I kinda find that 'doing stuff' helps. I walk around my room keeping myself busy or talk to someone online and this is a good distraction and if panic arises I can put 100% energy into focusing on my online friend....

Muscle tension is a good one as mentioned above ^^^^^!

Ummm what else..... The problem arises when we ARE actually sick though, its been a good summer for me minus major panics and anxiety..... But we're in the season which quite literally sucks the fun out of everything so I guess the only thought process if we DO get sick is, "it will be over soon". Cos let's be honest, the nasties don't last too long and if its flu, its not likely to hit our tummies as bad as the other damn thing. I guess if any of us get sick this winter, try your very hardest to think about your favourite things/people. Distraction is key!!!!

Good luck guys...

[Bebopy5]

I like this thread!

I'm definitely a deep breather! I'm going to have to try the "STOP" one. haha.

I like to take walks outside even if its cold out. This helps my mind focus on something other than the panic.

Calling/talking to a loved one when possible. My mom just knows how to calm me down.

Any sort of distraction that will keep you occupied.

xx

[ChiGal]

^Yes, cold works too! Even putting on a fan or something with a cold cloth. Definitely snaps you out of panic

[Heather_509]

Breathing is definitely a good one if you can do the proper techniques and keep yourself from getting distracted.
I also like to think positive thoughts, remind myself that I am causing my panic attack and I have the power to stop it. I imagine myself calm, relaxed and breathe deep...
Another good one for me is coloring, but not possible on full panic cuz of the shakes. Lol
And family/happy movies will usually calm my panic enough to allow me to sleep when I'm awake from panic at night.