[Sawahsaurus]

Recently I have been very anxious and I was wondering if anyone had any tips to help relax : )

How do you stop having panic attacks?

Why am I always anxious? And how do I help be calm

I am constantly worried and anxious how do I get over this?

How do I get over feeling sad constantly

[Blue_Bird]

You may want to try journaling, especially when you're anxious. It may help you find the triggers to your anxiety.

I would recommend breathing exercises and other relaxation techniques. We have a forum specifically for anxiety you may want to check out and get some tips there.

By the way Sawahsaurus, welcome to PC!

I hope you enjoy your time here and find what you're looking for. Feel free to contact any of us Community Liaisons if you have any questions or concerns.

-Take care,

[kaliope]

hi
welcome to psych central. you will find we have several forums where you can post about your concerns and receive feedback from other members. you will get a lot of support here. again, welcome

i have a couple of ways i deal with anxiety and panic attacks.
a way to stop panic attacks is to relax. it is physically impossible to panic and relax at the same time. you dont even have to really relax. just fool your brain into thinking you are relaxing. imagine as if you just did a meditation or had a massage and all your muscles have turned into limp noodles. just let them all go. this will stop the panic attack. you may have to do it a couple times over your first tries, but when i started doing this it ended the attacks and soon i never had a panic attack again,

i have this thing called an anxiety meter that i visualize in my head. it goes from 0 to 10, 10 being the worst anxiety ever. so when i am anxious, i see where the needle registers on the meter. then i do breathing exercises until i get it down to a four. which is manageable for me. sometimes i see a knob on the meter and i will manually turn down the meter to four so i can calm down faster. practicing this enough, all i have to do now when i am anxious is say dial down, and i can calm myself.

[gayleggg]

I use breathing exercises, such as the following.
Advanced Inhale-Hold-Exhale Deep Breathing.

What is it Good For: Advanced deep breathing combines both of the benefits of the above two breathing exercises, making it great for those suffering from severe anxiety and panic attacks. However, it can be hard to master in a time of panic, so many people struggle to perform this type of exercise at first. If you're confident you can get the strength to use this exercise, you may find yourself able to calm down much faster.

How it Works: You'll need to find a much more comfortable place for this to work, and expect it to take a considerable amount of time. Find a quiet place you can stay for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Sit like you would for deep breathing with your back straight, but try to be comfortable.

For this exercise, you will be monitoring your heartbeat to keep a good rhythm. You will do at least 10 breath cycles, and each cycle will be comprised of three stages:

1. Inhale, count 5 heartbeats
2. Hold breath, count 7 heartbeats
3. Exhale, count 9 heartbeats

When you breathe in, make sure that you're breathing in through your stomach first and your chest second. Don't perform this exercise if you have a heart condition.

The slow, managed breaths are very calming. Holding your breath also helps regain your Co2 levels, to reduce some of the effects of hyperventilation.

Additional Thoughts: It can be very hard to perform this type of exercise, especially if it's your first time with breathing exercises. During an anxiety attack, it's hard to gather your thoughts enough to count heartbeats and calm your body. But if you can master this technique, you'll find that you should be able to calm yourself during a panic attack, and possibly experience some relief from your panic symptoms.