[Gus1234U]

i seriously believe in learning anxiety management skills~! they are so useful in so many situations~ maybe there is a group near you, or a book you can get at the library or online~ at any rate, having skills definitely trumps not having them~!

briefly, they are"
manage your breathing, if it is rapid, breathe into a paper sack to lower oxygen uptake;
count your breaths, 1001, 1002, 1003, ect, up to 1020, then start again, slow down the count to slow your heartbeat. counting interferes with anxiety;
delay doing anything about your anxiety or panic, just follow the steps and focus on getting thru it;
distract yourself, with anything that requires you to focus and is simple and handy - at home you might read something easy, like a magazine, or knit or wash dishes, whatever engages your attention;
eat something to replenish the blood sugars that adrenelin has burned up, and give yourself at least 15 minutes for the kidneys to clean out the ashes in your blood;
write these things down and keep them with you, until you have made them a habit

practice these skills before you need them, or when you are just mildly anxious, so they will be familiar when you are feeling very upset. i hope you find this information helpful~

best wishes,
Gus

[kaliope]

thank you gus

[Gus1234U]

i ran across a post by an old friend, who had these additional words of wisdom, which i'd like to share with you~

[My therapist gave me a card with these coping tips. They take some practice but have been helpful.

Coping With Anxiety and Panic

1. Remember, feelings of panic are just exaggerations of normal bodily stress reactions.

2. Sensations are neither harmful nor dangerous - just unpleasant. Nothing worse will happen.

3. Anxiety is temporary. Instead of fighting it, relax into it. Just let it be.

4. Focus on facing the fear rather than trying to avoid it or escape from it.

5. Stop adding to the panic with frightening thoughts of where panic will lead.

6. Stay in the present. Be aware of what is happening to you rather than concern yourself with how much worse it might get.

7. Notice that when you stop adding to panic with frightening thoughts, the fear begins to fade.

8. Wait and give the fear time to pass.

9. Look around you. Plan what you will do next as the panic subsides.

10. When you are ready to go on, do so in an easy, relaxed manner. There is no hurry.

11. Think about the progress made so far despite all the difficulties.]

[HealingNSuffering]

Good post, thanks for sharing Gus. I think they are helpful, I've already been practicing a lot of these skills.

[the sad queen]

thanks for sharing, that's really great tips

I especially love the deep breathing ... It really helps me to relax!

[JaneC]

3 deep tummy breathes always works wonders...its physiological, and the body begins to respond with a lowered heart rate etc. Just like you Pfrog....it also helps me relax a little.


Thanks Gus

[Cyclowolf]

Gus , That's excellent advice!

Cyclowolf

[Gus1234U]

just bumping this up so new people will see it ~ glad you all are finding it helpful~!

[Gus1234U]

just bringing this back up to date~