How to Calm Yourself During an Anxiety Attack
"Grounding" is a method used where in the midst of an attack you calm yourself down., Breathe deeply., Focus on your senses., Use cognitive diversions., Practice progressive muscle relaxation.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: "Grounding" is a method used where in the midst of an attack you calm yourself down.
First list five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. , If you’re having a panic attack, chances are you’re beginning to hyperventilate.
Even if you’re not, breathing deeply can help to reduce your stress and provide oxygen to your brain to help you focus.When you feel an attack coming on, stop and slow down your breathing.
Try holding your breath to start.
This can help reduce the feeling that you are choking or unable to breathe.After holding your breath, begin to breathe slowly from your diaphragm.
Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.
You should feel your abdomen rise and fall as you breathe, while your upper hand should remain fairly still.
Make sure you are alone in the room and try to think about the sounds you are hearing.Take 4 seconds to inhale through your nose.
Hold the breath for 2-3 seconds.
Exhale slowly through your mouth for 5-6 seconds Continue deep breathing for several minutes until you notice a difference in your muscle relaxation and clarity of thought. , During a panic attack, your thoughts may feel jumbled up.
You are likely feeling many sensations at once, which contributes to the sense of “overload.” This happens because your body has activated your sympathetic nervous system’s “fight or flight” mode, kicking your heart rate and breathing into high gear, tensing your muscles, and constricting blood flow.Take a moment to slow down and notice each of your sensory experiences in turn.
This process can help your brain unlearn its “automatic reactivity,” or the habit of reacting to stressors in a particular way, by breaking down information into individual components.Try taking an inventory of what is happening without judging anything as “good” or “bad.” For example, you might notice: “My heart is beating very fast.
My hands feel sweaty.
I feel like I’m going to throw up.” Next, remind yourself that these symptoms are the product of anxiety.
Avoid telling yourself that you have to “control” the symptoms
-- this can make the panic worse.Tell yourself that these symptoms are temporary and will pass.
Stay where you are as you make your catalogue of sensations.
This will, over time, help your brain realize that the situation is actually not dangerous.
Running away from the situation may create stronger associations in your brain between the situation and panic., If you are in the midst of a panic attack, distract your mind from your fear through different mental diversions.
For example, count backwards from 100 by 3’s, list the presidents in order, or recite the lyrics to your favorite song or poem.
Force yourself to do one (or several) of these techniques until you have calmed down a bit.
It’s important that you not distract yourself by leaving the situation that has caused the panic.
Ride out the panic attack where you are.
Otherwise, you will likely train yourself to associate that place or situation with fear, which could trigger future attacks., This is a process of slowly going through your body and tensing and relaxing each muscle group.
It accomplishes two goals, by forcing you to concentrate on something other than your fear while simultaneously relaxing your muscles.
Start with your muscles in your face, and then work your way down until you’ve relaxed all the muscles in your body.Tense the muscle group for 5-10 seconds, and then release the pressure.
You can do this for the same muscle group multiple times, but doing it once should suffice.
Major muscle groups that you can tense and relax include your jaw, your mouth (frown/relaxed), arms, hands, stomach, buttocks, thighs, calves, and feet. -
Step 2: Breathe deeply.
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Step 3: Focus on your senses.
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Step 4: Use cognitive diversions.
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Step 5: Practice progressive muscle relaxation.
Detailed Guide
First list five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. , If you’re having a panic attack, chances are you’re beginning to hyperventilate.
Even if you’re not, breathing deeply can help to reduce your stress and provide oxygen to your brain to help you focus.When you feel an attack coming on, stop and slow down your breathing.
Try holding your breath to start.
This can help reduce the feeling that you are choking or unable to breathe.After holding your breath, begin to breathe slowly from your diaphragm.
Place one hand on your chest and the other on your abdomen.
You should feel your abdomen rise and fall as you breathe, while your upper hand should remain fairly still.
Make sure you are alone in the room and try to think about the sounds you are hearing.Take 4 seconds to inhale through your nose.
Hold the breath for 2-3 seconds.
Exhale slowly through your mouth for 5-6 seconds Continue deep breathing for several minutes until you notice a difference in your muscle relaxation and clarity of thought. , During a panic attack, your thoughts may feel jumbled up.
You are likely feeling many sensations at once, which contributes to the sense of “overload.” This happens because your body has activated your sympathetic nervous system’s “fight or flight” mode, kicking your heart rate and breathing into high gear, tensing your muscles, and constricting blood flow.Take a moment to slow down and notice each of your sensory experiences in turn.
This process can help your brain unlearn its “automatic reactivity,” or the habit of reacting to stressors in a particular way, by breaking down information into individual components.Try taking an inventory of what is happening without judging anything as “good” or “bad.” For example, you might notice: “My heart is beating very fast.
My hands feel sweaty.
I feel like I’m going to throw up.” Next, remind yourself that these symptoms are the product of anxiety.
Avoid telling yourself that you have to “control” the symptoms
-- this can make the panic worse.Tell yourself that these symptoms are temporary and will pass.
Stay where you are as you make your catalogue of sensations.
This will, over time, help your brain realize that the situation is actually not dangerous.
Running away from the situation may create stronger associations in your brain between the situation and panic., If you are in the midst of a panic attack, distract your mind from your fear through different mental diversions.
For example, count backwards from 100 by 3’s, list the presidents in order, or recite the lyrics to your favorite song or poem.
Force yourself to do one (or several) of these techniques until you have calmed down a bit.
It’s important that you not distract yourself by leaving the situation that has caused the panic.
Ride out the panic attack where you are.
Otherwise, you will likely train yourself to associate that place or situation with fear, which could trigger future attacks., This is a process of slowly going through your body and tensing and relaxing each muscle group.
It accomplishes two goals, by forcing you to concentrate on something other than your fear while simultaneously relaxing your muscles.
Start with your muscles in your face, and then work your way down until you’ve relaxed all the muscles in your body.Tense the muscle group for 5-10 seconds, and then release the pressure.
You can do this for the same muscle group multiple times, but doing it once should suffice.
Major muscle groups that you can tense and relax include your jaw, your mouth (frown/relaxed), arms, hands, stomach, buttocks, thighs, calves, and feet.
About the Author
Pamela Foster
Brings years of experience writing about pet care and related subjects.
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