Anxiety attack and coping skills

[SeekingAfrica]

What coping skills do you use to deal with anxiety attacks? I was getting better, but I've hit a hurdle/issue I need to deal with this month and it involves multiple steps. I did one step yesterday, and ended up so drained I went to sleep earlier than usual. Today I figured I would 'eat the frog' (you know that saying, about doing your hardest task first basically) so I did my hardest task, which was another call to deal with the situation, first thing this morning. I was shaky and scared during the call, but I did it, and it didn't show in my voice, which is great.

But now I am having huge anxiety attack and I can't calm down. I keep hyperventilating and my chest hurts and I am shaking and my mind is in fight mode- rethinking the call and simultaneously thinking of a. all that is on my schedule for today and this week and b. what coping skills and changes in my life do I need to make(preferably yesterday) to being in this situation again. This is shaping to be a hard month already and I can't breathe, and I have this constant feeling that I know changes need to be done, but I feel stuck in trying to survive. That PTSD mode of constantly feeling like I barely got through whatever is going on and I need to prevent this...
I just made hooot 3 in 1 coffee, because the warmth calms me down and I'll take a bit of time to try and calm down. But if there was ever a time to gather a huge list of coping skills, it's now. Although sometimes I feel like I've done them all backwards and forwards and pretty much sometimes I just need to let the anxiety pass, whether it takes 5min or 50min... I don't know. I am just really hyper right now and I needed to write this to try and get this mess out of my head.

 

[Changing4Best]

It depends upon the situation. Sometimes I go out for a walk and look at things, sometimes I crochet, sometimes I paint a painting and try to express my emotions with it, (no matter artistic talent, it is the expression of emotions that matters). Here are my last 4 paintings:

 

[Wendell_R]

I first try to figure out what part of me is trying to speak up. If the anxiety is not too dreadfully high, then I do what my therapist calls C.A.R.E.S.S.

• Communicate Alternatively (play with clay, or little figures, or paint like @Changing4Best , or crayon drawings)
• Release Endorphins (take a walk or exercise)
• Self Soothe (cuddle up with blankets and stuffed animals)

If the anxiety is dreadful, I try to at least take a walk and I have some self-recorded music I put on a continuous loop to play on my iPod.

Nowadays, my anxiety has been lower because I've gotten better at figuring out what the internal voices are worried about.

 

[Gamereign555]

For me it depends on the trigger what I do. If Something suddenly annoys and confuses me such that I start to go into anxiety panic mode, I always found it best to talk to someone, just idle chat does just fine. I can usually walk away without the anxiety at full steam and it lingering forever.

If it’s some sort of chronic threat it isn’t going away anytime soon calling someone up for a chat that knows what’s going on and that you have an understanding with that you have anxiety and you just want to talk about whatever. The relief is immediate for me at least until I hang up the phone so I try to stretch out those calls.

Ongoing stressors are a tough one.

It could involve changing your routine, the people you interact with or maybe some habits.

Occasionally, I will take my full-dose benzodiazepine of my preference and get some work done to tackle the threat head-on to get it out of my way so I can carry on.

I’ve tried the breathing exercise and I’m disappointed that it does not work well with me.

Even with a therapist guiding me it didn’t seem to work very well. Something happens where I become entirely too self-aware of my own breathing and whatever therapeutic effect is supposed to come out of it just becomes worse.

I think it’s some sort of stress somatic response to prior trauma related to my breathing. It’s complicated. Who isn’t though?

I will say that physical activity on a regular basis has lessened my anxiety significantly. I hardly take meds anymore but I have become a workaholic and work between 10 and 16 hours a day every day. I do a lot of farm work.

 

[DharmaGirl]

When I am feeling well, I can handle a lot more stress more easily by grounding, gardening, coloring, etc. Unfortunately, when I am having a flare, those things don't seem to work so well. They work, but not as well. I understand the "too self aware" stuff, and try to concentrate on what I'm doing this minute. I'm not being very helpful, I'm sorry. @gamereign555, I also have a mini farm, that is just a bit too much work so I am striving, and that seems to make me better too. The activity and being with nature help me on a daily basis too.

 

[JoLubarsky]

So far, what seems to work best is to drink a glass of water, which helps to alleviate some of the stress. A comfort from my childhood, which I thank my dear Mother for. I'll make a cup of tea and spend a lot of time drinking it, to calm my nerves. I have what my daughter calls self-talk, in which I tell myself there is no threat, which is the biggest hurdle considering that I don't believe a word. I tell myself I was unfortunate, in that what has happened to my life was unintentional, and try to "give it up to God", as the saying goes. If I am feeling particularly anxious after that, then I'll watch a little TV and knit for a while and if the anxiety continues, I'll have a snack and take a nap, along with my rescue med, which sometimes helps when I have an extremely emotional day.

 

[Hope for Healing]

@SeekingAfrica

It may not be of any immediate consolation, but you/we are not alone in the seemingly malignancy of ptsd. It is not to transcend but again, you are NOT alone. Needed hugs to you.

 

[DharmaGirl]

Are you in the DBT group @SeekingAfrica? That is a place to learn skills.

 

[SeekingAfrica]

Are you in the DBT group @SeekingAfrica? That is a place to learn skills.

Do you mean a DBT group or some specific group? I wish I was, there is no group where I live for sure. I've read a bit of DBT and whenever I have it has helped for sure. I even have the workbook on my computer(the paper one would have had to come from overseas and it's 300 page book)... but yeah, I'm finding it hard to sit down and read it on my own. Thanks for the reminder though, I'll try to get to it. I'm struggling a bit right now so it would be perfect time.

 

[DharmaGirl]

There is one here in groups. Go to Groups at the top in the black strip, and click on it. We are starting to go through the workbook I think.

 

[SeekingAfrica]

There is one here in groups. Go to Groups at the top in the black strip, and click on it. We are starting to go through the workbook I think.

Oh, thank you! I've never even looked at the groups on here. How wonderful! I really like DBT and I think I only lack the company to make me get into it more, so this is perfect. And much needed now to be honest.

 

[RobU66]

Hi, I’m a long-term combatPTSD Vet with depression. To soothe the anxiety and ‘ground’ myself I carry one of the little cherry-flavoured lip balm sticks. I can use it to engage all my senses and engage my brain to ground and release stress:-

I look at the stick and the label - see something familiar;;
I can smell the stick with the lid off (cherry is my favourite) - engage smell as the olfactory response is very strong;
I can spin the stick between my fingers - touch;
I can click the lid off and on with my fingers - sound;
finally I can apply the lip balm to my lips - taste.

Using it, I can engage all senses very quickly and sometimes, when the anxiety is high, it is comforting to know that it’s just in my pocket for when I need it. When doing it, I simply repeat in my mind ‘I’m in control’ and try to steady my breathing.

I find that it works very well for me and hope that it may help you too.

Good luck and stay strong ?