Dealing with Anxiety

As a naturally anxious person since a very young age, I have a fair amount of panic attacks under my belt. If you also suffer from anxiety you'll know that it can suck a lot. If you don't know how bad it can suck, you should know that anxiety can lead to stress dreams that can lead to wetting the bed; which I totally don't know from experience...
This post is mostly centered on some methods that I use to help keep an attack at bay or to sometimes stop one in its tracks. Now, I am not trained medically, so feel free to disagree with these methods but I have found that they really work for me. I went from not being able to go an hour without having a panic attack and constantly feeling on the edge of one to being able to sense when I might have one and stop it.

1)      Breathe. This is the most obvious method, but I do it a little differently. People tell you to practice yoga breathing, but I find that that sometimes makes me feel more anxious because it lets me think even more. I breathe in and out alongside a song that I sing in my head. It cuts the focus off of the attack and can distract your mind. You’ll find in this list I do things that require both physical and mental distractions because they work the best for me.

2)      Draw/ Color. This may be the most juvenile thing, but it is so effective for me. It could just be that I like being artistic and it may not work for people who don’t like art. But if you think it will help, I usually prefer to copy henna designs. I just pick a picture from online and I trace the lines and color in the gaps. Henna has a lot of repetitive and complex lines that distract from panic.

3)      Use your hands. This method is usually best for when you know the panic attack will probably be mild and controllable. I tap each finger one after the other on my thumb and count in my head up from one to four for each finger. And I do that until I have calmed down.

4)      Eye contact. This one is a little weird and might freak out the opposing party in the scenario, but I think it might be the best. I was on a flight one night and I just couldn’t shake my anxiety. I absolutely hate flying. I decided to take a walk down the aisle and I found out on accident that making eye contact with strangers calms me right down. It is something about being in the moment. Nothing makes you feel more present than having a strange moment with a person you’ll probably never see again. Just to look at them without knowing anything about them and think that maybe you’re on the same page. Maybe you’re both going through the same thing. It’s soothing.

5)      Panic Objects. When my anxiety was at its worse, about five years ago, my dear family friend came to my house after a very bad attack. He gave me a seashell and told me that, during an attack, I should close my eyes and put it up to my ear and visualize myself somewhere peaceful. It is a particularly good method for people who have strong imaginations. I do not go anywhere without my seashell.

6)      Chat with yourself. I usually use this method when I am alone and I think the attack is going to be a doozy. Out loud I tell myself that I am having a panic attack and I tell myself why it is happening. Usually I can get myself to realize how silly it is. Chatting to yourself lets your rational mind react and hopefully take over to stop the attack.

7)      Let it happen. Sometimes the best thing for an anxiety attack if none of these methods work is to just let it happen. Let it run its course but keep telling yourself it will end soon. They don’t last very long, and they won’t kill you, so if you can’t stop it just let it happen.