Welcome to Anxiety | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

Welcome to Anxiety

having panic attacks can be exhausting; don't get angry with yourself if you need to rest after one

117
Welcome to Anxiety
towneswoods

I want to preface this by stating that all cases of anxiety are different and that I can only speak to my experiences. That being said, I’m going to walk you through what it is like to have a panic attack.


You are at a football game when a group of guys start yelling at the players from the stands. You try to block it out, but they keep doing it and it becomes impossible to ignore. You try to tell yourself, “There's nothing to worry about, they're not going to hurt anyone.” But by this time, your sympathetic nervous system has decided otherwise. It begins releasing adrenaline, which causes your heart to race and your hands to sweat.


Sometimes you can talk yourself out of it at this point. You might take a walk or put in earbuds and blast music. However, if that doesn't work, you go into a deeper mode of panic which may last anywhere from twenty minutes to a couple of hours. If this happens, your body will begin to shut down. You will have trouble getting enough oxygen when you breathe. The safest thing to do is walk away to a secluded location. For me, I go to my bedroom.


Your thoughts will be racing. Your mind will focus on one of the following two things: either the fact that your body isn't working like it should and you need to escape or every anxiety inducing thing that has occurred lately. Either way, your stomach will become upset. Your hands will shake. In fact, your insides will feel like they're shaking as well. You may start crying and be unable to stop. Some people will feel exactly like they're dying. By this point, the only thing to do is focus on feeling like yourself again. Here are a few things to try in order to get yourself grounded again.



1. Breathe. It may seem simple, but focusing on just your breathing can calm you immensely.
Try breathing with this gif.
2. Color a picture.Here is a link to a page of free printable coloring pages.
3. Listen to and follow a meditation video. Here is one of my favorites.
4. List all of the good things you can think of. Feel free to enlist a friend or two if you get
stuck.

5. Reach out to someone for comfort. I have a couple of really good friends who will help talk me through my panic attacks.
6. Go for a run or do other physical activities that take energy and focus.
7. Listen to your favorite music loud enough that you can only focus on it. *note: do not listen so loudly that you damage your hearing*
8. Take a shower. Pay attention to the way the water feels on your skin and in your hair. Listen to the water hit the shower floor. Take as long as you need.


In the end, you are going to make it through the panic attack. I promise.


If you haven't already, contact a counselor to get help specifically catered to your needs.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less
college
Pinterest

For many undergraduates across the nation, the home stretch has begun. Only one more semester remains in our undergraduate career. Oh, the places we will go! For the majority of college seniors, this is simultaneously the best and worst year out of the past four and here’s why.

1. The classes you are taking are actually difficult.

A schedule full of easy pottery throwing and film courses is merely a myth on the average campus. With all of those prerequisites for the upper-level courses and the never-ending battle you fight each year during registration for limited class seats, senior year brings with it the ability to register for the final courses you need to fulfill your major. Yet, these are not the easy entry level courses. These are the comprehensive, end of major, capstone courses designed to apply the knowledge from all your previous courses, usually in the form of an extensive research paper or engaged learning project. The upside is you actually probably really enjoy these classes but alas there is no room for slackers here.

Keep Reading...Show less
man in black crew neck t-shirt
Photo by Yogendra Singh on Unsplash

1. You're tired of school food and have resorted to surviving off junk food and cereal.

2. Your financial aid/money is running out...and chances are it all went to textbooks and takeout.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments