Immediate Relief: Anxiety & Panic Attacks

[BloomInWinter]

Ah, the joys of the adrenalized nervous system! *sigh.

My anxiety & panic attacks and headed off when I'm listening inward and in tune to my activation level. Of course, there are so many times I do NOT realize my activation level is going up until I'm in one.

I'm so relieved to be learning there are skills we can employ bring ourselves out of these horrible feeling states. Whether by distraction, mindfulness, grounding, or whatever...we can find things that work for us. The kicker? We have to first identify them, and then practice them when we are NOT in the high anxiety/panic state so the skill will be there when we do need it.

Please list what works for you!

Some things that work for me;

• Safe physical touch on my arms, back, hair from my hubby
• Using a labrinyth on my ipad (paper works ok, too)
• Taking a walk
• Listening to my relaxation meditation
• Removing stimuli that are upping my activation (turning off the television, closing my eyes, turning off the radio, etc.)
• Taking a freezing cold shower...or a hot, hot one
• Reading a children's book to my kids
• Imagining my safe place
• Seeing my thoughts approaching on a conveyor belt, taking them off, boxing them up, and just continuing until they stop racing
• Naming things in my environment
• Listening to calming music
• Talking it out with a trusted person who will listen without judgment

 

[NIKI]

Having my husband hold me and tell me everything is going to be OK.
Hold on to an icecube
Mindfulness: Start doing things in slow motion consentrating on my moves
Remind myself that a panic attack can not kill me and it will not last long
Hold my animals close consentrating on patting them

 

[Lily.]

thank you so much for sharing...
listening to nature sounds
sound proof room
hot water bottle
being close to horses, graceful calm dogs
breathing with all my attention on the diaphram
body scan (focusing intently on my anatomy, bones)
standing on the earth beneath my feet
soft fleece clothes close to my skin
wrapping myself in warm, soft blankets
wide open calm places in nature, standing in the prairie
looking at pictures of nature, imagining myself walking and feeling the air, the ground under my feet
very quiet buildings, soundproof, like the museum and library
sitting very, very close, right next to a safe person
getting into a mummy bag (sleeping bag that is very close fitting), under the covers
sitting on the heating vent with a blanket around and getting, very, very warm
reading beautiful single words and putting all my attention on them.
slowing down and moving very, very slowly
holding something soft and warm in my hand
sitting and resting my hand's on my thighs and just breathing and letting my energy sink
Slow yoga or feldenkrais like movements
lot's of breathing...breath and focus on the air coming through the tip of my nose..then deeper into my head..back of y through...into my lungs, to my diaphram.
Concentrating on parts of my anatomy very deeply, grounds me.

 

[Sethe]

These are all wonderful ideas.

It is interesting how many of them focus on sensing as opposed to intellectualizing. Hmm, on second thought, I suppose there's a good mix between them.

I think the sensing exercises are good ways to ground the body in the present. Feeling cold earth beneath my feet is something I like to do often. It IS grounding.

I think engaging the body in the natural world (in a SAFE way) can be incredibly relaxing.

Watching birds at the bird feeder.
Gardening.
Observing wildlife.

Very relaxing.

I noticed a few other people mentioned temperature extremes. They can be relaxing (or grounding?). Right now, I have a heating pad next to my feet under the covers. Very toasty! Very calming.

 

[Seneca]

I have what I like to call "Arkham Syndrome." It's kind of like Stockholm Syndrome, but I've fallen in love with my "mental captors." That is, my fears and horrible imaginings.

I don't recommend this, but when I'm having a REALLY bad panic attack, embracing the fear makes it go away faster. Focusing on it, accepting that it's happening, makes me feel stronger. If I can learn to love a panic attack, then not much else in life can get me down.

 

[Xibalba]

Seneca, that's very advanced Buddhist stuff you have managed to do. They say when faced with anger or fear or some negative emotion, you should examine it objectively, smile at it, and make it your friend... then it will dissipate. The metaphor story of how Buddha defeated Mara the tempter is based on this concept. I wish I had your ability!

 

[Emily]

I also wish I had that ability, Seneca! Rather than fearing my fear and panicking over my panic attacks (even when they have yet to happen), being able to embrace it and stare it down seems like an intense tactic. Not sure I have the will power for that yet!

Deep breathing, always consistently helpful and relaxing.
If the sun is out, it's like instant therapy. To soak it in for a few moments makes me calm and hopeful.
Focused meditation on my family and other meaningful people I have in my life.
Thinking of good memories, not to just long for the past but to remember that good times are ahead also.
My cats. The little furballs are so dumb sometimes that they're amusing and always cheer me up.
And chocolate. Chocolate always helps! =D
I have plenty to be grateful for! That fact alone reminds me not to lose hope and to press on. :]

 

[Xibalba]

There is a trick I was taught, which sometimes works. Imagine your problems or traumas in your head, but not to any intense level that would bring on any stress. Just lightly think of them. Then picture them as people or animals chasing you from behind; let your brain decide what symbol to use. Again, KEEP IT LIGHT so you don't trigger any PTSD responses. Then, in your mind, stop running and calmly turn around. Look them in they eye and see what your imagination shows you. (I did this, and saw my fears as skeletons, for some weird reason.) Then you smile at them and open your arms, keeping the image of what they LOOK like -- not the feelings of the trauma they represent, but just the avatar your brain assigns them -- in your mind's eye. Typically, the figures will stop in their tracks and either fall still and inert, powerless... or sometimes even smile back in a loving way, or even change form to a more friendlier metaphor. Either way, what DOESN'T happen (contrary to what you might think) is they keep on pushing forward. Once you turn around, they always stop dead. When you're done, open your eyes and take one or two deep breaths,and you may find you feel better for quite a while. And you can be confident that you just confronted your fears and won over them, without any confrontation. You just... turned around.

 

[just me here]

I don't have an immediate releif, but I do know that releif is inevitable, and thinking about that idea can bring it about faster. I just remind myself that everything is temporary, everything passes, nothing is permanent, all is transient.

I also think about how our world takes on the apearance of whatever it is we are looking at. If you are intently studying a rose garden, your world becomes a rose garden, if you are busily weeding the beds, the same rose garden becomes a weed garden. Same with everything in life.

Another thought that helps: I know I cannot listen to music without thinking about it. I am a lifelong musician, and I can enjoy listening to almost anything, but if I know the tune I think about key and time signatures, chord changes, harmonies, instruments being used, etc. One thing I cannot do, I CANNOT recall the tune of another song while another song is playing. It's like I only have room for one song at a time in my head. I try to apply that limitation to whatever has me triggered and think about other lesser problems and slowly push out the big ones, then push out the little ones easily.

And of course, the classic: exercise. If possible, I walk or go swimming, mow a lawn or stack some firewood-anything besides sitting and stewing.

I wish there was an immediate releif that could be pulled out like a lifejacket to be worn as the boat sinks, but sometimes I find myself going down with the ship before I even know I need that jacket, and it just doesn't exist. All I have are shortcuts to the inevitable releif I know is coming, and maybe some mental or physical exercises to do while I wait for it to come to me.

 

[BloomInWinter]

Needing to review these...AGAIN!

 

[OKRADLAK]

Xilbalba, that is AWESOME!

All of these tips are great.

I like to call a friend or distract because I have a lot of pain associated to an injury sustained during the trauma, so I can't just use mind control because my body hurts a lot.

Buddhist things help with pain, though. It is kind of the same---you can't run from it. DBT helps with this, too. They are using it on Stage IV lung cancer patients, so it does help. Just hard to find T's that do it.

 

[bittersweet]

It has taken me quite some time to come up with things that help me and these aren't perfected methods but they do help a lot. I try to have methods that can fit any situation and I am always looking for more.

• Physical and gentle contact from my husband (light hugs, holding hands caressing my face)

• Being told by my husband that he's not going to let anything happen to me and that he will be with me through the attack
• Playing crosswords, word searches and anagrams. (I have multiple games on my phone and handheld consoles so I always have an escape in case my husband isn't there
• Meditation while thinking of a relaxing place like a beach or hiking up a waterfall
• Listening to music played on piano/classical piano music

Some of these help get rid of intrusive thoughts and help snap me out of flaskbacks as well.