Don’t Panic! Top 10 Tips For Anxiety and Panic Attacks Anxiety is yet another unpleasant component of the human condition that we are all subject to from time to time. While anxiety can be experienced as feelings of nausea, tightness, irritation and worry, it can also involve incredibly frightening states such as struggling to breath, feeling like youre going crazy or that you are about to fall apart physically and emotionally. Panic attacks can also play a part in suffering with anxiety. However, our responsibility is to try and ride out these states in a way that promotes health and safety and even the possibility of gaining greater understanding about ourselves and the world. Here are some ideas and strategies that are useful to help manage anxiety: 1. Stop and breathe A hallmark of anxiety is shallow breathing from our upper chest rather than from our diaphragm or abdomen. Focusing our attention on our breathing and taking 10 slow deep breaths from our abdomen can help to promote a greater sense of internal calm. 2. Distract yourself Sometimes we cannot identify why we feel anxious or we feel anxious about something that is outside of our control. In these situations it is important to acknowledge the anxiety as legitimate and also acknowledge we have the ability to choose how to manage. Most people have become fixated on something that is outside their control that is making them anxious, yet the fixation and rumination actually heightens rather than relieves the anxiety. Therefore it can be helpful to step aside from the anxiety and focus on something else, such as a good book or DVD, taking a bath or spending time with positive and supportive others. 3. Exercise Exercise has numerous physical and emotional benefits, many of which are derived from the release of endorphins and other feel good chemicals into the nervous system when our bodies are exercising. A good walk, a jog or a yoga or Pilates session can all help to lower anxiety and promote feelings of wellbeing. 4. Affirmations Sometimes it is easier to focus on our faults and qualities that make us feel inadequate and that we dont measure up. Nobody is perfect, yet choosing only to attend to our negative attributes invites anxiety and other mental health problems to fester. It is important to acknowledge mistakes and areas where we need to grow and develop, yet vital this occurs in context of an appreciation of our positive qualities and the genuine contributions we make to society and the joy we bring to those who are closest to us. For every negative quality, list two positive qualities and focus on encouraging and being kind to yourself. You will feel more peaceful and less anxious as a result. 5. Take a non-judgemental stance So often people feel anxious yet deep down are ashamed or feel foolish for being anxious in the first place. This is especially common when anxiety is situational, such as fear of public speaking or getting anxious in social situations such as at large gatherings. Instead of berating yourself for feeling that way, consider that it is ok and a very human thing to feel anxious. We all get scared and worried from time to time. 6. The downward what if question cycle A classic technique used in cognitive therapy by psychologists, the downward arrow cycle involves you asking questions about your anxiety and presumes that negative automatic thoughts create distressing emotions. For example someone who is anxious about public speaking may ask themselves why they are anxious about public speaking? The answer may be they are scared of making a mistake. They are then encouraged to ask what would happen if they made a mistake? they may say they would appear foolish. They would then ask themselves what if I am foolish? Inevitably these questions tend to lead to fears of being rejected, shamed, abandoned or exposed as inadequate. 7. Mindfulness Authentic mindfulness involves finding a quiet space and getting comfortable so one can simply attend to thoughts and feels as they pass through the mind. Individuals are invited to be an observer of their experience; this position itself tends to lessen anxiety because you are taking a position of observing the anxiety rather than being completely wrapped up in it. By attending non-judgementally to our thoughts and feelings and accepting that thoughts and feelings are normal and always changing, a sense of relaxation and clarity is formed internally, calming anxiety and worries. 8. Talk to someone you trust Having fears and worries are a normal part of life and it can be extremely helpful to share these with somebody who you trust. Be selective and avoid people who are going to ignore, judge or shame your experience as these interactions only serve to enhance rather than lessen anxiety. Sharing our worries with another helps us to feel less alone and invites someone else to work on the problem with you. 9. Write Writing our fears down on paper can allow us to gain a sense of distance, clarity and understanding. Writing about our feelings and difficult memories can help to alter the way these memories are stored in our brains, leading to greater psychological health. 10. Use a worry box A worry box is a clever technique particularly for kids and adolescents. It simply involves writing down your fears and anxieties on a piece of paper, folding it up and placing it in a designated worry box. Similar to writing a worry box can help us to get some distance from our distress and the action of putting it in a box can serve as a metaphor for thoughts and feelings being contained in a safe, secure and private space. Author: Adam Szmerling - Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Practitioner & Counsellor at the Bayside Psychotherapy in Melbourne. baysidepsychotherapy.au/blog/coping-panic-attacks
Posted on: Thu, 10 Apr 2014 06:00:01 +0000
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