You're sitting there with nothing else to do but worry. Worry about what? Anything. Every heart beat feels like it could be your last; at the same time, the rhythm of your heart beat gets faster and faster. Whether you are in public, in a car, in your room, the world seems like it is closing in on you and making your chest feel smaller and smaller. Your brain feels like it's running out of energy, but it doesn't want to stop.
Let's not make a scene. We don't have to call 911. You are going to be okay.
1. Find a game on your phone to distract you
There are infinite options: Candy Crush, Bubble Shooter (my favorite), solitaire, etc. It could be anything you desire. Distracting yourself with a game can work wonders. If you are the type of person that enjoys stimulating games on your phone, this would be a good start to calming yourself down. All you have to do is open the app and tell yourself, "okay, focus on the bubble game." This way, your mind will be distracted from what's going on around you.
Put this game on the home screen of your phone! This way, it will be in plain sight.
This may not be for everyone, but try it out! You will never know unless you try.
2. Tap your fingers on your leg while counting to 10
Breathe in for ten seconds while taping each of your fingers on your leg; breathe out for ten seconds while doing the same thing. This gives you a rhythm to follow to help your anxious thoughts, as well as a pattern to help your scattered breathing. This gives you something to focus on so that you are distracting yourself from your own head. Thoughts can overwhelm you and can seem never ending when having an anxiety attack. Giving yourself a pattern will help diminish the traffic going on in your head.
3. Look at yourself from a different viewpoint
You can feel yourself freaking out, but now take a look at yourself objectively. Step outside your body and ask yourself, "what is making you feel this way?" What is making you upset, scared, nervous, etc? At this point, you might not know the answer; usually, I don't. When the answer is "I don't know," think for a second.
You literally do not know why your chest feels heavy; you have no explanation as to why you feel like you can't breathe but are breathing too fast at the same time.
Think rationally. After stepping outside your body and asking yourself why, you can now realize that you are being absurd.
Everyone is different and everyone's anxiety is triggered by different things, but stick around because you may realize you are worrying about absolutely nothing.
4. Last but not least, give yourself a pep talk
Hey. Sit down if you aren't already. You are acting irrationally and causing yourself to feel this way. You are anxious about being anxious. You are being dumb and need to stop.
Okay, that's a little harsh, but do you get my point?
If you're freaking out over nothing, why freak out at all? Sit back, look around you, breathe a little, and enjoy life.
You're missing out on what is going on around you because of this feeling. You are too focused on what could go wrong. You are missing out on the boyfriend sitting next to you who thinks you are perfect the way you are. You are missing out on the children growing up who see you as their idol. You are missing out on the chance to be strong!
Don't be ashamed about your anxiety; embrace it, control it, and overcome it.