Anxiety attacks, what do you do when they hit?

Okay, I came here cause I have anxiety attacks and was looking for ideas on staying calm when they hit. Normally I have a paper bag I breathe into but since I am in college I can't exaclty go pulling it out and puffing it in the middle of lecture.

Yesterday I had a bad one for no reason in class. But no bag, no escape, so I panicked. Usually I do a bathroom floor huddle and breathe or hum until I calm down. But what are some things some of you do when you are in public or have no way to physically escape?

What do you do to get yourself calm without being noticed?

What about squeezing a stressball? That could easily be concealed in your pocket. Or rubbing something significant, like a worry stone, in your pocket. Just something to keep your hands busy and keep your mind focused on that object.

I hope you find some good suggestions.

I close my eyes, put my hand on a pressure point where I can feel my heart beating and I concentrate on slowing it down and my breathing. With in a few minutes my breathing stabilizes and heart stops pounding and I open my eyes again. when I can I also use my walkman to listen to relaxation type songs. I have als taken 3 depression/anxiety management groups with my therapy agency. where I learned more ideas of things I can do and also I do workbooks such as:
The PTSD Workbook
The Depression Workbook
Mind over Mood
The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook.

they all have great chapters for managing depression and anxiety symptoms and are available in local bookstores or through Amizon and New Harbinger Publishing company. You can also borrow copies from your local library.

Great ideas listed so far.

Some additional ideas:

Can you have a bottle of water with you? Maybe try a sports bottle, or if you like herbal tea, have a thermos with you. The act of shifting your attention, drinking, and linking this with a soothing word or phrase could help.

If you are able to have a notebook open to take notes during class, have a section where you can also as needed write something soothing and calming to yourself.

Sarah

Sorry you are going thru this ! Great suggestions in the above posts, and I might add a few that worked for me, and work for my clients:

1. Count backwards from 1000 by 7's
2. Silently sing a song, something like the children's song B-I-N-G-O and each time u sing it, leave off the last word.(or letter in the first few rounds).
4. Learn diaphragmatic breathing - its the way a newborn baby breathes - all that moves is your belly. That is the way we should alway breathe - but when anxious - we tend to go into upper chest breathing. When u start to feel anxious (from your post stating u use a paperbag I take it this is a major issue for you) - put a hand on your belly and focus on making your belly go IN when exhale, and OUT when u inhale. Practice this laying down until you learn how to do it - sometimes if u have been chest breathing , you might feel a bit dizzy at first because your system is not used to getting the oxygen this will give you.

As for "escaping", unless they have bars or locks on the door of your classroom - you actually CAN escape from the classroom. If we can use rational self statements such as "I know if I feel anxious I want to leave the area, and the door is not locked, so I could leave if I choose too". (However - in all honesty - anxiety attacks/panic attacks are within us - NOT in the area we are in, the room we are in, etc. By thinking we need to FLEE - that makes the fight or flight response kick in, making the anxiety worse.). If you can really work on the thoughts you have about "escaping", you will feel less need too. (I used to RUN - and I mean RUN when I had attacks, but when I realized I could not outrun my brain, I realized I could talk myself thru the attack).

Great books recommended above, but I strongly recommend "Anxiety, Phobias and Panic - Taking Charge and Conquering Fear" by Reneau Z. Peurifoy. NOT an easy reading book - but a step by step guideline to deal with these issues. I used this book as a guideline for 7 years in a Support Group I facilitated........it was MY anxiety "bible". One of the best out there IMHO !

ALso , write some soothing statements on 3x5 cards. These can be about your pet at home, your family, a favorite vacation spot, your best friend, a childhood toy, etc etc etc. Read those to "trip your thinking away from the anxiety".

Good luck ! There IS life after panic/anxiety attacks!!

Hi Ryen,

Can't say much more than the others, except that you can usually leave a room if you have to. My big attacks always involve vomiting and retching so it's not really possible for me to cover up as if it wasn't happening.

Given that, I still fly on planes and travel on trains, cos I am not going to let panic disorder ground me - it just ain't gonna win!

So, all I can say is, fight on brother!

Good thoughts, M

I panic too, and b/c of my job I can't always bail when I need to. I have learned a little trick (compliments of my OCD) that I use that works quite well for me. I tap. LOL I know ok, it sounds nuts, but it works well WITH the panic while it's happening and also lets me change the RYTHM of the panic. For example, when you start to panic, tap your hand or even just your fingers on something in time with your panic (heartbeat, whatever) and then when you find your rythm, RESET it. Take away one beat. I tap my fingers against each other, both hands at the same time, like this; thumb & forefinger, thumb & middle, thumb & ring, and finally thumb & pinky. And then I reverse it and do it backwards. Once I'm aware, then I eliminate ONE set. . .you'd be amazed how secretively you can do this and how well it works at DISTRACTING you from your panic and helping you to reset yourself.
Anyway, that's my two cents worth.

you guys-- those are AWESOME suggestions!!! I will share mine too. The next time you are calm, lay on your bed or a couch or the floor in a quiet place. Work on creating your perfect place in your mind. Build it piece by piece and be really mindful as you do it. For instance, mine is a babbling brook in the woods. So I pictured it slowly coming into focus, some trees, then a different kind of tree, then some woodland animals, then the babbling brook, etc. Okay then, once you have it just perfect-- and this is the important part-- you "anchor" it by doing something simple that you can feel like, biting down on your tongue a little or pressing a fingernail into your palm or snapping. Something quick and tangible. Now, remember your "anchor" and the next time you have a panic attack, do your anchor thing while you start to envision your perfect place. Before you know it, your breathing will slow and your heart rate will come down.

The diaphramatic breathing this is also very helpful for me. You will learn it if you take up yoga, which is another way of combatting anxiety and panic.

Good luck!

Kelly

I do things for others and walk very fast ...or if I am outside I run ...I pace in rooms alone...anything I can do like exercise helps me...it blows that adrenaline off

Gracey, I don't have an OCD diagnosis, but apparently I have some traits....I never knew anybody else did the tapping thing! I do that when I"m trying to relax enough to fall asleep, or when I'm in a really stressful situation. (You should see my feet moving in patterns when my therapist is trying to take me somewhere I don't want to go! LOL)

Very interesting. Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone.

Candy

Cool (((Ryen)))) I have very similar symptoms. I work in a professional job atmosphere and I attend college Night School as well. I often have anxiety attacks when we have formal board meetings on a huge 30' long executive table and every one who is some body important is rounded up and the two doors to the conference room are shut and you could hear a pin drop. I do several things while I am at work to help eleviate the anxiouse symptoms like having no caffeine or sweets and I take a bathroom break before the meeting or class having to go during a meeting plays havoc on my anxiety.
But the one thing that I do while I am feeling extremely anxiouse during meetings or class is I close my eyes and I place my chin down towards my chest then I rub bothe of my temples with one hand across my eyes using my thumb and middle finger in a circlular motion I then hold my breathe for 15 to 20 seconds then I slowly and I mean very slowly start to breathe again then once I feel like my breathing has returned to a slow relaxed state then I open my eyes and slowly remove my hand.. It usually takes a minute two max for me ,If I get asked if I am OK I say that I have alot on my mind or I'm just tired...

These are awesome suggestionjs and I have used many of them. I guess I'll put my input in. If it is severe all I can do is throw up so I prefer bathroom for obvious reasons. If I feel a panic attack coming on I have written in the back of my note book,

Everything is okay. I am not in any danger. Sometimes I think irrationally so I am going to sit here, relax, and calm down.

I turn to that page and read it over and over again.

ryen,

its the best question. I have anxiety attacks that can be crippling, and Ive had some real awful experiences, some of them I can hardly bear to think about. Ive managed to narrow down the situations or things that are likley to start them of. That was the first positive thing i ever did. The next thing was to tell certain people that this situation can bring on an anxiety attack and I might need help. And slowly I faced my fears. Dont get me wrong, I still get them but I prepare myself for it before hand. When they do strike, well, i get through it and know that the next time it wont be soo bad. I breathe a little slower and deaper, i exhale all the way out and dont get into short quick breathing cos that makes it worse.

I also have little pills that my doc gave me and they work in about 10 minutes flat, so I keep them with me but find that I very rarely use them now.

ATG

Ryen, i hope you find some help and comfort in this thread. every suggestion is great. i do the counting backwards thing that Parker10 mentioned. i even use it when i want to go to sleep....xoxoxo pat

For me the best route to take is a lot of postive self-talk. That is key for me while having anxiety or panic. If it's panic then that self-talk with abdominal breathing, for me talking is the best thing to do, it is over way quicker.

Knowing that it is the anxiety, knowing it is there. Telling myself that it is o.k to feel this way, it is uncomfortable, but it will pass.

Talk like that does wonders.