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Some useful tips on dealing with Anxiety and Panic

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0 Just got here
I expect you're familiar with anxiety and panic symptoms such as shaking, shivering, sweating and increased heart palpitations. I used to have anxiety attacks in crowded places such as supermarkets. Even airports. And my fear of walking into a crowded room made me want to turn around and run back out. Here are some useful techniques things you can use to handle the rise of panic and anxiety. I found them very useful. The great thing now is I hardly ever suffer anxiety and panic. With regular practise I believe you can, too.

Before we start though, please talk to your doctor or heathcare practitioner. Get advice from them first.


Think for a minute. Anxiety is not dangerous - it’s just uncomfortable. I won't die or go crazy. But I remind myself that my body is body is having a false alarm, that's all. Nothing, I remind myself, is going to happen. I've survived anxiety attacks before so I will this time, too. I'm not going to fight my feelings. I'm going to let them come and then I'm going to ride them out. So I focus on a task like counting backward from 100. Or sitting in the park in the shade of great big tree and there are squirrels around, and lovely green grass. All is peaceful. I've closed my eyes to think on these things. And our lovely garden at my famhouse. All green and peaceful with pretty flowers with bougainvillea swaying in a gentle breeze. Use this to help you relax and keep your mind focussed.

During a panic or when having an anxiety attack, get your friend to come and sit with you. Here are some things I'll want my friend to help me with........



Talk to me and assure me that you will not force me into anything I don't want to do, and that you will take me to my safe place if need be. Just gentle conversation, please. And some laughter would be great. Help me get involved with something - like focusing on something else. For me, I need to hear sounds and laughter but the most important thing for me is to have someone to talk to who understands and we can just talk through this, all this that is troubling me. Try and find something that distracts me. Start talking about other things. Be supportive, listen to what I am saying. We all need different things- all of us have different things that help us. Encourage me in my successes and buoy me up when I feel like I've had a failure.

And please stay with me! Do not leave me - talk to me, touch me, rub my back, and reassure me. Just keep talking about anything so that I have to concentrate on your talking and can try to ignore the panic.

Relaxation techniques.
The key to deep breathing is to breathe deeply from your abdomen, getting as much fresh air as possible in your lungs like I did. When we take deep breaths from the abdomen, rather than shallow breaths from our upper chest, we get to inhale more oxygen. The more oxygen we get, the less tense, short of breath, and anxious we feel.

1. Sit comfy with a straight back.
2. Breathe in through your nose. The hand on your stomach should rise. The hand on your chest should move very little. That's what I found.
3. Exhale through your mouth, pushing out as much air as you can while contracting your abdominal muscles, like I did. The hand on your stomach should move in as you exhale, but your other hand should move very little, that's what I found.
4. Continue to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to inhale enough so that your lower abdomen rises and falls. Count slowly as you exhale. Slowly, after a few of these deep breaths, your anxiety begins melting away.

If you find it difficult breathing from your abdomen while sitting up, try lying down. Put a small book on your stomach, and breathe so that the book rises as you inhale and falls as you exhale. You can do this on your bed, or on a sofa. :)

5. Don't treat me any differently once you know about the panic.
6. Don't force me to go someplace I feel very uncomfortable about going. Do not surprise me by doing it anyhow.
7. And if I leave early, please try to understand. Don't bad mouth me behind my back and then let me hear about it later.



Some time ago I read a lovely story called "The Colour of Ink". This an edit.

"This is one of the strongest tools, in my opinion, to help me through panic. And by this I mean just TALK to me, about anything or nothing at all. Talk about the clouds, the grass I am standing on, the light across from me, THE COLOR OF INK. Talk about the different colours ink comes in nowadays. These little calm thoughts send me messages that I am ok and that life is calm. Ink comes in many colours and we can even name them - very calm talk about nothing at all and I am under control."

Another method involves pets. Out of all the pets, cats have been scientifically proven to be the most relaxing animals. This, however, does not mean none of the other pets aren't relaxing! When you have a pet, you can usually train it to be loyal. You can stroke it, comfort it, and be comforted by it. For instance, if you take a dog out for a walk you can see it is enjoying itself. For me though I don't have a dog now, this gave me a wonderful feeling and made me feel happier for the rest of the day. If you own a dog, going a run with it may be a good idea as it can help take out anger and stress on the pavement. Or if you own another well loved pet, spend time with it whenever you can. 

My ex gave me a lot of those tips. Some more very useful tips on relaxation can be found here. 


Love,

Mandy

Comments

  • BubblesGoesBooBubblesGoesBoo Posts: 3,590 Community Veteran
    Thanks for this! I've struggled with anxiety for some time now but will be putting these exercises into place to try help it :)

    One way of helping my anxiety i've found is popping candy, it's really good as a grounding technique, like focusing on all the senses at once, helps bring me back into the room so to speak :)
    ' So I put a bullet where I shouda put a helmet, and I crash my car cause I wanna get carried away, that's why I'm standing on the overpass screaming at myself 'hey, I wanna get better''  
  • LaineLaine Deactivated Posts: 2,762 Boards Guru
    Thanks for this Floxy, while it hasn't properly calmed me down because mines more complex it has assured me slightly, 

    I'm currently in hysterics so it was just nice to ground myself with some reading,

    Pets generally help me significantly so it's very sad i don't have any lol x

    🌈Positive thoughts🌈

    "This is my family. I found it, all on my own.
    It's little, and Broken, but still good. Yeah. Still good." ~ Stitch

    "Lately, I've been struggling with all the simple things in my life" ~ Cian Ducrot

    "I don't know if it's because my heart hurts or I'm insecure" ~ Juice Wrld
  • EyepatchEyepatch Posts: 666 Incredible Poster
    Some great tips! Thank you :) Im also not a fan of crowds. Sometimes I find going to a quiet place and counting to 120 works a little. As it makes me focus on something simple, or I put one headphone in and think out the lyrics of a song while it plays. Anything to take my mind away from my situation 
    "Sometimes we find ourselves stuck between choosing what is right, and what is easy." 
  • SienaSiena Posts: 15,463 Skive's The Limit
    edited August 2018
    If you type in on instagram #SatisfyingVideos - it comes up with loads of videos that are calming & relaxing & satisfying to watch - if you wanna find a diffferent way to take your mind of things & anxiety. That are easy to watch
    “And when they look at you, they won't see everything you've been through. They won't see the **** that turned to scars that began to fade with time. They won't see the heartbreaking things that shook up and changed your entire world. They won't know how many tears you cried or even what it was you were crying about. They won't see how strong you had to be because you had no other choice. What they will see though is how compassionate you are because you experienced pain. What they will see is how kind you are because you experienced how cruel the world is. What they will see is how good you are because you've seen how bad things or people can be. The difference between you and your experiences are who you choose to be, despite everything that could have turned you cold and unkind.You are the good the world needs and the best of us.” ~ Kirsten Corley
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0 Just got here
    Eyepatch said:
    Some great tips! Thank you :) Im also not a fan of crowds. Sometimes I find going to a quiet place and counting to 120 works a little. As it makes me focus on something simple, or I put one headphone in and think out the lyrics of a song while it plays. Anything to take my mind away from my situation 
    @Eyepatch thank you for that. I hate crowds also, especially at airports from where I do much travelling, ( unfortunately :/ )
    Shaunie said:
    If you type in on instagram #SatisfyingVideos - it comes up with loads of videos that are calming & relaxing & satisfying to watch - if you wanna find a diffferent way to take your mind of things & anxiety. That are easy to watch

    Thanks @Shaunie but I don't have an Instargram, but use some You Tube vids for anxiety methods which are very good, some of them. Also I show them to Sophie. She gets anxiety and sometimes panic attacks.

    Laine said:
    Thanks for this Floxy, while it hasn't properly calmed me down because mines more complex it has assured me slightly, 

    I'm currently in hysterics so it was just nice to ground myself with some reading,

    Pets generally help me significantly so it's very sad i don't have any lol x
    Pets are expensive to keep (£140 vet's bill for Jack yesterday, but I'll get it back from his insurance) but you must have a different type of anxiety, I'm guessing? If you could ever tell me in a pm, then perhaps I could help you.

    Thanks for this! I've struggled with anxiety for some time now but will be putting these exercises into place to try help it :)

    One way of helping my anxiety i've found is popping candy, it's really good as a grounding technique, like focusing on all the senses at once, helps bring me back into the room so to speak :)

    Thanks, @BubblesGoesBoo, I haven't thought of popping candy to ground myself, and will pass that on to Missy. She loves exploding bubblegum so she'll love ya for that! =)
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