Immediate Relief: Anxiety & Panic Attacks

[KP the nut]

These really help me.

1. Focusing on my breathing, counting the breaths in, holding for 2 and counting out.
2. Grounding myself to a chair or whereever I am, feeling how my body is connecting.
3. Visiting my safe place.
4. Listening to music or an audio book through headphones, closing my eyes and lying down.
5. Holding my moss agate turtle.
6. Stroking the dogs.
7. Heat pads to relieve tension.
8. Chatting to friends here.

 

[Kintsugi]

Hold onto an ice cube

This is such a great suggestion! Hand-things usually help me a lot. I often have to ask someone I really trust to squeeze my hand as tightly as possible until they think they might break it, though, and it's hard for me to communicate verbally, and often people hesitate to squeeze enough for me to regain sensation... holding an ice cube seems like a GREAT self solution!

 

[Sethe]

If I am at home, then I put my 'nervous energy' to work.

I tend to go on cleaning sprees. I'll move furniture, dust, vacuum, wash floors, etc.

I also dig in the dirt, weed, garden and let the energy leave me. I'll do it until sweat pours off my body- I don't really get tired.

 

[Tracey081]

• Ativan.

I've had bad doctoring for four years, and just got a therapist, so I really don't understand panic attacks except as PAIN. Without Ativans, I curl up in a ball and wait for it to pass. I can't hardly move, so exercise is out of the question. Sometimes I can think well enough to get a paper bag and breathe into it. I'm hoping my therapist can give me some more ideas, but for now, it's the Ativan.

But the showers ... that sounds like a possibility for me. I've thought before that they've helped (but my doctor told me just to take an Ativan and forget the showers; that the shower would delay the inevitable panic attack.)

I also like THIS:

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.

I'm going to mention that to my therapist. I don't really know what I'm 'scared' of to embrace, but maybe the therapist can come up with something! Maybe just the symptoms themselves? (Ie, the pain, the hyperventilating?)

Thanks! ♥

 

[BloomInWinter]

I also finally found my 'safe space' in my head and can go there, with lots of practice when I DON'T need it...and get some instant relief now. Whew.

 

[KP the nut]

I need to work on these again.

My T did a lovely 'cone of light' imaging thing with me at the end of todays session as I had been left in a lot of physical as well as mental pain.

 

[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.

.

Just 3 months ago I posted that and I am amazed at how easily I lost sight of it over that short of a time. Saying that nothing is permanent, everything is transient is true true true, problem is, the inevitable releif is also not a reliable permanent thing, and it seems to have escaped me for awhile.

With a person in your life that is determined to treat you badly, it is possible to keep the adrenaline levels high and the anger up and the self esteem down for as long as the person that has your number keeps running the game.

My escape is sleep, hard work, or music, but I wake up, get tired, or get played out and mentally unable to concentrate on the music.

Hopefully the reliable eventual inevitable releif will return, but it temporarily escapes me.

 

[BloomInWinter]

Holding hot beverages in my hands helps....

As does envisioning a pig's snout on the bottoms of administrator's coffee cups! (Imagine sneaking one on there...) LOL!

 

[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..

3 more months pass and things are better, some things are harder to make go away, but everything truly is transient.

I remember ticking off the looky lous and freelance reporter types when I was a firefighter and they would catch me on an R and R (or just standing around) and ask me if I thought the fire was contained. I always told them that I doubted very much that it would escape the bounds of the north American continent.

everything eventually ends, nothing goes on forever.

 

[BloomInWinter]

I'm going through trying to remind myself of my progress. I had forgotten how hard it was before to do some of the things I do now without thought.

I am able to take anxiety lower and intervene sooner when I feel it climbing.

I hardly ever need to resort to my iPod anymore, or my earplugs. My CBT & DBT skills are always with me, require no batteries, and getting to be automatic.

*whew*

I'm feeling immensely grateful.

 

[Philippa]

Hand held infrared massager!

My kitten, just watching her play makes me smile and laugh, which relaxes me.

Breathing from my diaphragm, deeply.

Yoga exercises. I've been doing this 28 day plan that I have mostly stuck to. I'm at day 16 right now.

Picturing creek water in a forest, and being in a forest. Going out into the forest always relaxes me. Just being in nature.

 

[DharmaGirl]

Picking out colors in the room.
Checking my dog to see if she is on alert. No? I don't have to be.
Breathing
Playing word games.