Monday, March 25, 2024
HomeAttackHow To Relax From Anxiety Attack

How To Relax From Anxiety Attack

How To Get Treatment For Anxiety

Severe Anxiety Attack in Public – How to Relax Yourself

Rose Hill Center has an onsite psychiatric residential treatment facility available for effectively combating extreme anxiety conditions. We offer a unique approach for those suffering from anxiety by providing therapeutic treatment in addition to clinical assistance. We use a mix of traditional psychotherapy measures and effective behavioral therapy tactics along with group, individual, and family therapy sessions.

If you are seeking effective ways to deal with an anxiety attack, our professionals at Rose Hill Center can offer some. Reach out to us by calling , and let us help you eliminate anxiety from your life.

How To Deal With Panic Attacks

A panic attack is a feeling of sudden and intense anxiety.

Panic attacks can also have physical symptoms, including shaking, feeling disorientated, nausea, rapid, irregular heartbeats, dry mouth, breathlessness, sweating and dizziness.

The symptoms of a panic attack are not dangerous, but can be very frightening.

They can make you feel as though you are having a heart attack, or that you are going to collapse or even die.

Most panic attacks last somewhere from five minutes to half an hour.

What Is A Panic Attack

A panic attack is when you feel overwhelmed by the physical and mental feelings of fear the signs listed under What do fear and anxiety feel like? People who have panic attacks say that they find it hard to breathe, and they may worry that theyre having a heart attack or are going to lose control of their body. See the Support and information section at the end of this booklet if you want help with panic attacks.

Recommended Reading: How Do Doctors Test For Depression And Anxiety

Cold Water On Your Eyelids

A simple trick to prevent an anxiety attack involves applying a stream of cold water over your closed eyes. If you want, you can use it on the rest of your face as well. Cold hydrotherapy is also a really simple natural way to relax the body and prevent an attack.

Read: 5 Surprising Benefits of Drinking Water

Focus On Something Else

Relaxation Techniques (Anxiety Attack Relief)

After a panic attack, your personal thoughts and energy may be overly focused on your anxiety and other symptoms. Instead of feeding your anxiety with more attention or worry, try to concentrate on something that brings you some happiness or a sense of peace.

For example, you may find it helpful to bring your awareness to something fun you plan on doing in the future or to joyful times from your past. If possible, try taking a walk in the fresh air or engage in an activity you enjoy to help clear your mind.

Some distraction techniques that can be effective include counting breaths, watching television, reading a book, meditating, or a creative hobby.

Read Also: What Are Some Names Of Anxiety Pills

How To Deal With An Anxiety Attack

  • Anxiety
  • How to Deal With an
  • If you regularly suffer from stress, knowing how to deal with an anxiety attack is exceptionally beneficial. Many people do not know how to react when anxiety reaches the point that it triggers an attack. Knowing how to calm down right away will help you cope with the situation. Read on to learn the signs of an anxiety attack, steps to take when one occurs, and how Rose Hill Center, our anxiety treatment center in Holly MI, can help.

    Relax Your Body To Ease An Anxiety Attack

    It’s easy to say, “Just relax,” right? But once you start to observe your body during an anxiety attack, you might find that certain parts of your body clench up during an attack. Make a deliberate effort to tighten and then relax those parts of your body.

    Or, if those parts feel like they wont obey during an anxiety attack, pick a body part that will respond, such as your toes or your shoulders. The more you can breathe deeply and relax, the easier it will be to cope.

    Recommended Reading: How To Calm Down My Anxiety Attacks

    S For Getting Through A Panic Attack

    “It feels like I’m dying.” Those are the words people use to describe what a panic attack feels like. The process of addressing and managing them is a journey there’s no immediate cure or course of action that will stop a panic attack in its tracks.

    It takes time, patience and dedication to identify your unique triggers. However, there are steps that serve as preemptive measures to help shorten the duration of a panic attack when it is occurring, and reduce the frequency and severity of your anxiety in the long term.

    Find What Relaxes You

    How to stop Anxiety Attacks with Progressive Muscle Relaxation

    There are already things in your life that relax you. You may find it beneficial to make a list of things you enjoy and that help you to relax so you can reference it when symptoms of anxiety arise. When you notice your anxiety rising turn to those activities to help stop symptoms before they escalate.

    For example, if you find that a warm bath is relaxing, don’t wait, draw a bath, maybe light some candles or add a few nice scents and get in. Whether it’s a bath, a shower, skipping stones at a park, getting a massage – if it works, do it right away, rather than allowing yourself to become overwhelmed by your anxiety.

    Recommended Reading: How To Help A Teenager With Anxiety

    After You’ve Had A Panic Attack

    Once you feel your breath returning to normal, you start to feel more in control of your body and your thoughts start to calm down, you might feel drained and tired from the panic attack. It can be a good idea to take some time out to look after yourself and rest if you are able to. If you are not sure what to do to relax, here are some things that might help:

    • Breathing exercises a simple breathing exercise can have a calming effect and help you to relax
    • Use a self-soothe box. A self-soothe box contains things that make you feel relaxed. You can put some of your favourite things in there to focus your mind.
    • Listen to some of your favourite music or watch your favourite TV show. This can help you switch off from your anxious thoughts and help you to calm down.
    • Drinking some water can help if you were breathing quickly, felt out of breath or were crying a lot during your panic attack, as your throat might feel dry or you may feel dehydrated.

    Everyone has a different way of looking after themselves, so find something that works for you. For more tips and advice on how to look after yourself, visit our taking time out page.

    Bring Your Focus To Your Breath

    Panic attacks often cause racing thoughts that make it feel like you cant focus on anything. It can also cause shallow, labored breathing and a pounding heart rate. You can turn all of these problems around by focusing on taking deep breaths. Start with this strategy, called the 4-7-8 breath, developed by Dr. Andrew Weil

    • Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound.
    • Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.
    • Hold your breath for a count of seven.
    • Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight.
    • This is one breath. Now inhale again and repeat the cycle three more times for a total of four breaths.

    If you are able to deploy the 4-7-8 breath early on in the panic cycle, often you can interrupt it before it flares out of control. Remember, though, that the 4-7-8 breath is simply meant to reduce your arousal level. Its not about preventing a dangerous panic attack because, as was explained above, there was nothing dangerous to begin with.

    Read Also: Can Anxiety Cause Heart Problems

    Talk To Someone Friendly

    Another very effective technique is to talk to someone you like and trust, especially on the phone. Don’t be shy about your anxiety – tell them you feel anxious and explain what you’re feeling.

    Talking to nice, empathetic people keeps your mind off of your symptoms, and the supportive nature of friends and family gives you an added boost of confidence. If you’re suffering from a panic attack, it also helps you feel more confident that if something were wrong, you’d have someone that can watch over you.

    Know The Signs Of A Panic Attack

    How to stop Anxiety Attacks with Progressive Muscle ...

    “Often, when you don’t know the physiological signs of a panic attack you may feel more scared imagining you’re having a heart attack,” says Annie Wright, LMFT and the owner and clinical director of Evergreen Counseling. “Read up on the signs of a panic attack so you know what you’re dealing with.”

    Dr. Rodriguez recommends scouring the Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s website, which covers all the symptoms:

    • Palpitations, pounding heart or accelerated heart rate
    • Sweating
    • Paresthesia
    • Derealization or depersonalization
    • Fear of losing control or going crazy
    • Fear of dying

    Rodriguez adds that its critical to also get a physical exam to rule out other problems.

    Also Check: What Does Anxiety And Depression Feel Like

    Visualize Your Panic As A Wave

    When you begin to feel panic sensations, instead of trying to shut them out, visualize each feeling as a wave which you are riding until it comes to rest on the shore, says Dr. Chuck Schaeffer, a strength-focused psychologist. Anticipate the wave passing and becoming less and less intense as it crests. Remind yourself that just because you might feel like you’ll drown beneath the wave, it doesn’t mean you can’t swim. You might also remind yourself that the panic sensations are just passing waves on the constant, powerful ocean that is you.

    Dr. Rodriguez seconds this metaphor, adding that the waves will rise and fall, and that typically a panic attack peaks at 10 minutes and then abates.

    Recognize The Panic For What It Is

    Panic attacks often get triggered by something called catastrophic misinterpretation of bodily symptoms. Typically the process begins when you notice an uncomfortable or unexpected physical feeling in the body, such as a heart flutter, muscle tension, or mild dizziness. If you are prone to panic attacks, you might interpret these innocent bodily sensations as dangerous and react with fear to them.

    This, of course, triggers the fight-or-flight response which includes increased heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tension, etc. and only intensifies the sensations. You might then react with even more fear to these more intense sensations , intensifying them even further, and leading to a panic cycle that ends up in a full blown panic attack.

    One of the best ways to prevent this panic cycle is to recognize those early sensations for what they are namely, innocent bodily sensations that may be uncomfortable but are not harmful. Often just the recognition of this can stop panic in its tracks, since its not being fueled by the catastrophic misinterpretation of those sensations. Rather than respond mentally to those sensations with an oh no attitude, you start viewing them with an oh well attitude, which does not trigger fight-or-flight activity like the oh no stance. In other words, gasoline is removed from the fire and it eventually burns out the panic cycle gets interrupted and a panic attack gets pre-empted.

    Don’t Miss: Can A Uti Cause Anxiety

    Aromatherapy And Essential Oils

    Essential oils, the extract from plants, have been used for thousands of years to treat a number of conditions, including anxiety. Essential oils activate certain areas of your brain and release feel-good chemicals such as serotonin. They have been found to ease symptoms of anxiety, stress, and depression, improve mood, and improve sleep.

    Recommended use includes diffusing, inhalation, or topical treatment which can aid with anxiety symptoms. When diffusing an essential oil or essential oil blend you will need an essential oil diffuser to fill your space with the desired scent. Inhalation is used by deeply smelling the essential oil straight from the bottle or by applying a drop or two of the oil on something such as a diffuser pad or lava bead that is connected to a bracelet, necklace, or even keychain. You can also place a drop or two of essential oil into your hands, rub them together, then cup your hands and take a few deep inhalations to get the desired effect.

    You should be sure that the essential oils you use are pure oils and not mixed with chemicals. Some good brands to use include: Mountain Rose Herbs, Plant Therapy, Young Living, Doterra. You can do your own research to find a brand that will best work for you and your budget. Remember that a bottle of essential oil will last a long time since you typically use only a few drops at a time.

    Essential oils that are great for treating anxiety include:

    • Lavender
    • Vetiver

    Do Some Deep Breathing

    FREE Relaxation Video: Relax your anxiety, stress, panic attack

    The feeling of shortness of breath often stems from shallow breathing during a panic attack. You can combat this by purposely breathing slowly and deeplyinhale for four counts, hold for four counts, exhale for four counts. Focus on taking deep breaths in and out, feeling the air slowly fill your stomach and then slowly empty air from your stomach. Deep breaths will send more oxygen to your brain and your organs and help you relax. Close your eyes to help you focus on your breathing.

    Recommended Reading: Is Depression An Anxiety Disorder

    How To Stop An Anxiety Attack Fast

    If youve ever had a panic attack, youve likely wondered how to stop an anxiety attack fast.

    Anxiety attacks can be scary. Many of my clients tell me that they are afraid that they are “going crazy” or “losing control”.

    Im a therapist for anxiety, and I help clients who struggle with regular panic attacks find their way back to calm again.

    In this post, Ill cover some of the common causes of panic attacks and how to stop anxiety attacks fast.

    The sweating, shaking, racing heart and shortness of breath that accompany panic episodes can leave you feeling out of control and drained.

    Though these feelings and sensations are uncomfortable, they are symptoms that are typical of panic episodes, and they will pass. Approaching anxiety with fear or dread will only make symptoms worse.

    Understanding what a panic attack is will help reduce fear AND give you the keys to stopping your panic attack as quickly as possible.

    Relax And Lean In To The Panic

    This step seems like a massive ask but I only recommend it because I absolutely know as an energy healer, as a reiki therapist and as someone who has experienced panic attacks in the past, this step is absolutely crucial to calm down during an anxiety attack.

    Im going to ask you to relax in the face of panic.

    Its going to go against every single bodily reaction that youre going to have.

    This takes conscious effort.

    So youre in this massive overblown fear reaction, your shoulders are up, youre not breathing right, your heart is beating out of your chest and Im going to ask you to consciously relax your shoulders.

    Consciously relax into the feeling of your heart beating out of control.

    Accept it, allow it.

    Yes, my heart is beating out of control out of my chest in this moment. Yes, I am having trouble breathing. Relax and accept into that.

    This is a panic attack. I know what it is. I feel like Im out of control, but just accepting and relaxing and kind of leaning into those feelings a bit instead of trying to resist them and run away from them because resistance is what fuels anxiety. Absolutely, 100%.

    So what you need to need to do is remove that resistance and you remove that resistance by relaxing and kind of leaning into the panic.

    I know its a massive ask, I know its huge but trust me, it works.

    Read Also: How To Control Social Anxiety

    RELATED ARTICLES
    - Advertisment -

    Most Popular

    - Advertisment -