Panicking is a very unpleasant experience, but it's one that most of us have at least some experience with. Whether we're stressed out about work, school, or our relationships, panic attacks can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. You know what a panic attack feels like because it happens when your body releases adrenaline due to fear or stress. Your heart races and you feel an intense sense of impending danger—even though nothing bad is actually happening. So what can you do about it? Well, in the long term, you might want to seek professional help if your anxiety issues are getting in the way of daily life. However, if you're just having a momentary bout of stress or worry and need some quick relief from it now: here's what I recommend doing.
Breathing is the most fundamental thing you can do when you're feeling anxious. When we feel tense, our breathing gets shallow and quick—this only makes things worse. Scientists are finding that a particular frequency of breath – at around six exhalations a minute – can be especially restorative, triggering a “relaxation response” in the brain and body. Breathe in for a count of six and breathe out for a count of six like you are blowing through a straw. This will help calm down your body so it's ready for the next step:
Stay. This is the second and most important step in this process, and it's essential for calming yourself down. You can't avoid your panic attacks, so the only thing you can do is stay with them. That may sound counterintuitive—after all, when someone tells you to "stay," you naturally want to run away as fast as possible—but believe me when I say that running away will only make things worse.
Stay with your body: If you're having a panic attack, chances are good that your body is already in fight or flight so staying connected with what's going on inside of it can help distract yourself from other thoughts or feelings of fear or anxiety by focusing on what's happening right now in the moment at hand—Stay with your breathing: When we're stressed out or anxious about something going wrong in our lives or worried about something bad happening sometime soon (even though there's nothing concrete yet), our bodies react by releasing more adrenaline than normal into our bloodstreams; this makes us feel like we have no control over what happens next because there wasn't enough oxygen getting around fast enough before now. Tell yourself. I am safe. I am love. I am fine. Repeat that unless the stress starts to lessen. It will as you are learning to self soothe. Something most of us were not taught how to do.
Third, journal. If you don’t have a notebook or scrap paper nearby, open up a document on your computer or phone. Write down your thoughts and feelings without editing them or censoring yourself. If you have time to spare, write out each thought in full sentences; if not, just jot down words and phrases with no punctuation or capitalization. This can be as simple as “Panic attack” or “I hate this feeling” get it up and out of your body. This is key. Emotions are just energy in motion and all too often they get trapped in our bodies, getting them up and out is an important step in learning to train our nervous system.
Writing is powerful! It gives us some distance from our emotions so that we can look at them critically (and then hopefully overcome them). In short: journaling helps calm panic attacks by providing structure for our thoughts during an otherwise chaotic period in our lives when things seem like they're spiraling out of control--and once things are more stable again, it's also useful documentation on how far we've come since then! You are also giving your brain evidence that you didn't die, as strange as this sounds your brain is scanning for safety every 30 seconds.
Fourth, question your thoughts.
Take a step back. When you’re feeling overwhelmed with anxiety, it’s important to take a moment and do something that helps you slow down. This could be as simple as taking deep breaths or counting slowly from 1 to 10. ( holding on to your Worthy Wand if you have one, that will anchor you back and ground you in your body.)
Question the thought. Once you have taken a few moments to calm down and breathe, consider the source of your anxious feelings. Do they come from a reasonable place? Are they based on facts or emotions? You can also ask yourself questions like: Is this thought helpful in any way? Is it relevant right now? Does it make sense based on my own experience and knowledge (or lack thereof)? Am I being logical about what is going on right now? Am I rationalizing my feelings or actions instead of listening objectively to them without judgment so that I can understand them better (this is called mindfulness).
Last, think small.
You can't change the past, and you don't have to worry about the future. Focus on what's happening right now, and let it go. Only focus on one thing at a time—whether that's your breath or the sensation of cool air against your skin. If you feel like panicking, try to identify what kind of panic attack it is: Is it bodily? Emotional? Or a combination of both? You can only control yourself; everything else is out of your hands (and no good comes from worrying about things that aren't under your control anyways).
Look for ways to help yourself through the situation: Do self-soothing exercises such as deep breathing, meditation; take a shower; count backward from 100 by threes; write down how you're feeling right now so that when things calm down you can remind yourself how far along in recovery process has been made over time.
And in case you think you can’t do this, just remember that your brain is the most complicated mass of matter in the universe. The same brain that creates panic and anxiety can also calm it down. You have what it takes to figure this out. Give it a go and let me know how it goes!
All my love,
Amanda - Chief Worthiness Officer - Worthy Wands