How To Calm Down During An Anxiety Attack

How To Calm Yourself During A Panic Attack

When you have a panic attack, you may find that your heart races, your breathing gets shallow, and you believe that something awful is coming your way. In the middle of these spells, its difficult to feel like anything can help. However, if you practice a few strategies now, you can be ready to stop panic in its tracks later.

Strategies for stopping panic attacks are most effective when you use them early. However, its never too late to start working towards calming down. As you learn more about your triggers and symptoms, you can start implementing the following strategies before a panic attack can even get started.

How Do I Calm My Anxious Child

Anxiety and panic share some common symptoms. When your child is experiencing a panic attack or is feeling particularly anxious, follow these steps.

• Be calm yourself. Its not about you.
• Acknowledge that their feelings are real instead of punishing/shaming them for how they feel.
• Practice chest breathing together to encourage their parasympathetic nervous system to do its thing.
• Tell them that you are there for them by saying, I am here for you.
• Give them a long hug .

Action Steps For Helping Your Mind During An Anxiety Attack:

Don’t try and fight it.Start breathing as slowly and consciously as you can and try and put your full attention on your breath. Keep drawing your mind back to noticing your breath.If you need to move, walk and breath.Use the acupressure sequence for calming anxiety and panic. Our Quick Anxiety Stopper download will give you detailed support and talk you through exactly how to use these points to stop mounting anxiety.

Try Challenging Your Thoughts

Take a deep breath and face your mind. Challenge it. What is the worse it can do? You will see anxiety increase for a second or two, then it will falter and start decreasing.There is only so long your body can hold an adrenaline fueled anxiety state. Running from it and fighting it feed it and sustain it longer than getting as calm as you possibly can using your breath, walking and the Quick Anxiety Stopper accupressure points to diffuse it.By challenging as calmly and quietly as you can you are asking your mind “Is that it?” “Is that the best you can do?” And it will begin to settle because it has been questioned by your calm intelligence, which sits higher than your mind and anxiety will lose it’s power and back down.Once you have succeeded in doing these things once, you can do them again and each time you do the anxiety attacks will be shorter lived and less intense as you gradually build your sense of calm and control.

Update

Read Also: Do Beta Blockers Help With Anxiety

Can Home Remedies Help

While home remedies continue to be a trending topic in all aspects of health, its important not to trade in proven medications and therapies for natural versions.

At the same time, lifestyle measures will certainly help your overall mental health, including a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Its important to discuss the use of any herbs or supplements with your doctor. This includes fish oil.

While theres some that shows the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil may support brain health and subsequent mental illnesses, more research needs to be done to conclude whether taking fish oil and how much can effectively treat mental health disorders.

Not all studies support the use of omega-3 fatty acids for psychosis and other mental health conditions.

Know What To Do For Calming A Panic Attack

Now you have some effective ways of calming a panic attack.

We understand its a highly unpleasant and scary thing to go through, which is why we hope the above tips have helped. But one of the most important things in handling an anxiety attack is to have the aid of a professional therapist.

With their help, you can learn even more effective ways of dealing with these panic attacks so they arent as detrimental to your life. In addition, they can help you pinpoint your sources of anxiety and give you effective ways to deal with them so your chances of anxiety attacks are decreased for the future.

Don’t Miss: What To Do If You Have Anxiety

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

SSRIs are a type of antidepressant also used to treat anxiety and panic attacks. They increase serotonin levels in the brain. They do this by blocking the natural reabsoprtion cycle of serotonin into nerve cells, allowing more serotonin to flow through the brain.

Serotonin is a chemical messenger associated with mood regulation. Stabilizing serotonin levels helps to reduce anxiety and panic.

SSRIs have been widely studied. They carry a low risk of serious side effects and are effective long term. As a result, theyre one of the most commonly prescribed medications for panic disorder.

Some SSRIs commonly prescribed to treat panic disorder include:

• sertraline

Anxiety Attack Symptoms Include:

• Feeling of losing control or going crazy.
• Heart palpitations or chest pain.
• Feeling like youre going to pass out.
• Trouble breathing or choking sensation.
• Hyperventilation.
• Nausea or stomach cramps.
• Feeling detached or unreal.

Its important to seek help if youre starting to avoid certain situations because youre afraid of having a panic attack. The truth is that panic attacks are highly treatable. In fact, many people are panic free within just 5 to 8 treatment sessions.

Also Check: When Is Anxiety A Problem

Acknowledge It And Write Down The Signs And Symptoms

Having an anxiety attack is definitely scary. It can also feel like a heart attack.

But once you know youre having an anxiety attack, acknowledge that it is happening.

Now, try to jot down a few of the symptoms, feelings, and thoughts you are experiencing. By writing it down, you can see it from a different perspective. This makes it less overwhelming.

I Am Anxious All The Time What Should I Do

The first thing to do is remind yourself that anxiety is a normal response to stress and stress is a daily part of our personal and professional lives.

Its OK to feel anxious. But at the same time, avoiding anxiety and distracting yourself will often make things worse.

Therefore, if you are feeling anxious all the time and you believe that it is getting in the way of your relationships, ability to perform at work, and in your quality of life, you should definitely do something about it.

Your anxiety symptoms can be alleviated with a few simple exercises/techniques. These include breathing exercises, mindfulness awareness exercises, self-safe hypnosis, and progressive muscle relaxation.

Physical exercise such as going for a walk, hitting the weights or doing high intensity interval training at the gym, and yoga and tai chi are effective ways to release repressed emotions. These forms of physical exercise has been shown to help calm your mind. Many people report that they feel as though they have gained perspective post-workout.

When symptoms of anxiety persist over a long period of time, there may be a deeper cause for your anxiety. For example, your constant feelings of anxiousness may stem from unresolved issues within your relationship, or feelings of dissatisfaction with your job or career. It is recommended that you talk to a mental health professional such as a psychologist or a qualified counsellor to help find a solution to your anxiety.

Read Also: How To Deal With Your Anxiety

Ways To Calm An Anxiety Attack

1. Stay in the present moment

Anxiety tends to be a future-oriented state of mind. Instead of worrying about whats going to happen in the future, try to bring yourself back to the present. Ask yourself, Am I safe right now? Is there something I can do about the situation right now? If theres nothing you can do in the present, revisit your concerns later so that you arent getting thrown off track by distant scenarios.

2. Talk to yourself

When you sense a panic attack, remind yourself that what you are experiencing is anxiety and that you are not in real danger. You can even address the fear directly by practicing a response like I am not afraid or This too shall pass.

3. Meditation and mindful breathing

Pay attention to your breathing. Initially, it may be loud and fast try to consciously slow it down and breathe as deeply as you can. Redirect your thoughts to something positive so that you arent overwhelmed with negative thoughts. Give yourself affirmations, like saying I will be okay over and over again.

4. Be aware of your triggers

Self-awareness and increasing your knowledge about your mental health are crucial. The more aware you are of your triggers and how your anxiety starts, the easier it will be to get yourself through an attack.

5. H.A.L.T. your attack

6. Get up and do something

7. Follow the 3-3-3 rule

• Look around and name three things you see
• Name three sounds you hear
• Move three parts of your body

8. Watch a funny video

9. Stay away from sugar

Controlling Anxiety Takes Time

Theres no quick fix for anxiety, and it may often feel like an uphill struggle. But by gaining awareness of what causes your symptoms, and getting help from your doctor, you can manage your symptoms.

You may find some of these hacks work for you straight away and others may have no effect at all, but the important thing is to keep trying.

Giving in to feelings of anxiety by retreating from the world only served to make my life more difficult in the long run. Continuing to search for solutions that work for me has been key to my recovery. Practice makes perfect, so dont stop trying to find ways that work for you.

Fiona Thomas is a lifestyle and mental health writer who lives with depression and anxiety. Visit her website or connect with her on .

Recommended Reading: Is Chest Pain A Sign Of Anxiety

Stay In The Moment To Relieve Anxiety Attacks

Although your gut response might be to leave the stressful situation immediately, dont. Let your anxiety level come down, advises Carmin. Then you can decide if you want to leave or if there’s a way to get back to whatever you were doing when the anxiety attack started. Staying in the moment will help you overcome anxiety, but its hard to do this at first.

Its one of the things I respect the most about people I work with, that they are taking the leap of faith and willing to do the things that terrify them,” Carmin says. “That takes a lot of courage.”

To Relax And Calm An Anxiety Attack Talk Out Loud To Yourself

Talking out loud to yourself is a great way to calm an anxiety attack.

Look yourself in the mirror and tell yourself that you are experiencing an anxiety attack but it won’t last. Tell yourself that you are not having a heart attack, rather it is just a brief moment of intense anxiety.

When you remind yourself out loud of these facts, they counter your fears and help you calm down.

Read Also: How To Relieve Anxiety To Sleep

Recognize That Youre Having A Panic Attack

Take away the fear that you may be dying or that impending doom is looming, both symptoms of panic attacks. This can allow you to focus on other techniques to reduce your symptoms.

It is not always possible to avoid triggers for a panic attack, but if you know what triggers it, this can help you understand that it is a panic attack and not something else.

Challenge Your Negative Thoughts

Changing your thoughts is always easier said than done, especially when you’re in the middle of a panic attack. But the more often you practice replacing negative, scary thoughts with ones that are more positive, the easier it will become.

“People with panic tend to catastrophize or see the worst in things,” Masand says. For example, if you’re panicking while on the subway, it might be because you’re vividly imagining something going wrong, even when everything’s a-OK.

“Carry some positive mantras or sayings to bring you back to reality,” Masand says. “Or better yet, prepare your own. When you have the negative thoughts of gloom and doom, write down some positive and more realistic rebuttals.”

Also Check: How Does Anxiety Affect The Brain

What Is Progressive Muscle Relaxation

PMR was created by American physician Edmund Jacobson in the 1920s. It was based on the theory that physical relaxation can promote mental relaxation.

Jacobson found that you can relax a muscle by tensing and then releasing it. He also discovered that doing so can relax the mind.

PMR provides a framework for achieving this state of relaxation. It requires you to work on one muscle group at a time. This allows you to notice the tension in that specific area.

Its also essential to tense each muscle group before relaxing. This action emphasizes the sense of relaxation in the area.

Theres plenty of evidence behind the health benefits of PMR. Lets take a closer look at what research has discovered about the benefits of this technique.

You May Like: Can You Use An Inhaler For Anxiety

How To Calm Down During A Panic Attack

Here are 3 quick and easy tools to help you calm down during a panic attack:

The best way to practice is when youre already feeling calm so you get used to these exercises and can easily recall them whenever you notice youre not feeling well. Set aside a few minutes each day to practice .

Also Check: How To Help A Cat With Separation Anxiety

How To Calm An Anxiety Attack

It’s important to note that not everyone who feels worried a lot has an anxiety disorder.

Feeling nervous or anxious is normal and can sometimes be good. For example, when you are about to give a presentation, or are overwhelmed with your work, or are lacking sleep and exercise, it can be easy to feel anxious.

But the dangerous part is when you consistently have a fear or a heavy feeling of anxiety.

If Feeling Anxious Is Normal When Does It Become A Clinical Disorder

Anxiety is formally diagnosed as generalised anxiety disorder after meeting these specific criteria from the DSM-V:

• The presence of excessive anxiety and worry about a variety of topics, events, or activities. Worry occurs more often than not for at least 6 months and is clearly excessive.
• The worry is experienced as very challenging to control.
• The anxiety and worry is accompanied with at least three of the following physical or cognitive symptoms :
• Tiring easily
• Increased muscle aches or soreness
• Irritability

A health practitioner will use standardised assessment tools, the above diagnostic criteria, and their clinical judgement to make a diagnosis of anxiety-related disorder.

Don’t Miss: What Does It Feel Like To Have Anxiety Attack