Anxiety is defined as an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes such as increased blood pressure, according to the American Psychological Association. Those who suffer anxiety attacks, like myself, are prone to recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns, avoid certain situations out of worry and can have physical symptoms of sweating, trembling, dizziness or a rapid heartbeat. There are various types of anxiety disorders, ranging from general anxiety disorder to phobias to panic disorders (what I suffer from combined with general anxiety) to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. I have suffered panic attacks for the last 3 years, but only just recently learned techniques that have helped me to better handle the attacks. They work for me, so I hope they help!
1) Distract yourself.
Pick up a book you have been meaning to read for a while, watch a movie or do a puzzle. Do an activity that will distract from thinking and over-thinking. Try to surround yourself with people as much as possible and talk to them. I've learned that holding conversations with my friends stops my fears and attacks in their tracks. Your friends will help you get out of your head as much as possible.
2) Exercise
I don't exercise a lot, but when I am suffering an attack, I will often take a walk outside. Go on a bike ride, run around the block, even water your garden - just get your heart working hard. According to psychologist Stephen Ilardi, "exercise increases the level of chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin in the brain while also increasing the growth a hormone called BDNF." (https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/01/23/...) The production level of this hormone will plummet in depression and anxiety, leading to the brain shrinking and possible memory impairment. Exercising reverses that trend, and protects by increasing production of the needed hormone.
Source: https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/01/23/...
3) Meditate or Count your Breaths
This was a hard technique for me to learn because I was adamant that it wouldn't work. Once I got past that, I learned that counting your breaths allows you to control any hysteria you may be experiencing. Inhale on one, exhale on two and continue the pattern, but breathe from your diaphragm, not your chest. This won't calm you completely, but it will help you calm down until you can use a better technique or at the very least avoid public cry and attack sessions.
4) Break your day schedule into minutes
This is a very effective technique for me as I am slightly OCD but also schedule oriented. Once you break your day into minutes, focus on the minutes you are in, not what is coming. As the day progresses, go with it, focusing on the minutes of then and now, not what else is coming in your day. This helps to remind yourself that you don't have to think about a time later when you have a meeting or class. All you have to worry about is the very minute you are in.
5) Find visual anchors
This can be the clouds, bodies of water, etc. For me, it is trees and flowers. Anchor yourself to a visual that will calm you when you lay eyes on it. You can then listen to the sound associated with your chosen visual. For example, if I am unable to get outside to see the trees, I will YouTube birds chirping, imagining myself outside and among the trees. This provides you with an anchor to the physical world that you can seek out during an attack and help to bring you out of it.
Source: https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/01/23/...
6) Reduce the amount of caffeine and sugar in your diet
Ingesting too much caffeine or sugar can trigger panic and anxiety attacks, especially if you already suffer attacks. By reducing your intake of caffeine and sugar will help ease your your overactive central nervous system. Since cutting down on the amount of sugar, I have suffered less attacks and I feel healthier and more active.
7) Color
My friend gave me three coloring and activity books for Christmas, knowing that coloring or doing an word search calms a person. I now have eight coloring books with me at college, and whenever I am suffering an attack, I will pick a coloring book and flip to a random page to begin coloring. The more you color, the more you distract yourself and calm your breathing. Art and coloring has proven to be very therapeutic; completing the page will also give you a sense of accomplishment. Finishing even a small task such as coloring a page can be a powerful anxiety reduction tool.
8) Write about what is worrying you
Writing about what is worrying you - whether in a diary, a Word document or talking with your friends/ sister, all of which I do - helps you to feel less lonely and helpless. According to a study published in The Journal of American Medical Association, people who write at length about their feelings have fewer episodes of attacks
Source: http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/20-si...
9) Make a To-Do List of small tasks
My life revolves around to-do lists, and keeping several small ones around my room and on my phone provides me with easily surmountable tasks that will give me a sense of accomplishment. Don't write big, open-ended tasks like "clean room"; instead write wash clothes, change trash, etc."
10) Go to bed early/get as many hours of sleep as possible
A lack of sleep exacerbates the chance of an anxiety attack. Neuroscientists from the University of California-Berkeley found that sleep deprivation uses areas of the brain associated with emotional processing and mimics the brain activity in anxiety disorders. You should aim to get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep to be well-rested and diminish the chance of an attack due to sleep deprivation.
Source: https://psychcentral.com/news/2013/06/27/sleep-los...
11) Lastly, relax your body
This might be a little difficult as during an attack the body tenses all your muscles up. Try to lie down and make a conscious effort to relax all your muscles. Stretch a little or do yoga - anything to work and relax the muscles in your body from tensing.
Source: http://www.everydayhealth.com/anxiety/how-to-handl...
