Panic Attack Strategies

1. Counting backwards from 100 by 7's helps. You have to really concentrate.
2. Get a cloth or paper towel and wet it in cold water. Press it into your hand or put it on your wrist or neck and concentrate on the coolness.
3. Swirl ice cubes around in a glass and watch them go in circles. Don't lose sight of them.
4. Concentrate on remembering a happy time. Relive it moment by moment. Soon you'll be so wrapped up remembering, you won't think of the panic.

I hope these tips help you. They work for me.

I've been feeling stress for no obvious reason for the past couple of weeks. My muscles have felt jittery, shaky, and weak. Almost everything I eat has been causing intestinal problems.

Today I decided to try deep breathing. I made-up my own technique, but it seems to be "resistance breathing" ( 3 Deep Breathing Exercises to Reduce Anxiety | World of Psychology )

Surprisingly, the breathing took away that awful feeling of stress, dread, depression, and shakiness that has been almost non-stop for the last two weeks.

I've heard people talk about breathing exercises, but I was always skeptical. I'm convinced now. I plan to learn more about the proper techniques and practice every day if possible.

so glad it worked for you.

yay

#4 was featured in i think Psychology today recently. I find it the most helpful

Great tips there guys!

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Here's another perspective:

No matter how bad you think you have it, there's always someone out there who has it worse.

And if they can keep going so can you.

Whenever I feel overwhelmed and that the "walls" are closing in, I always think to myself, "I could've been born in syria/Afghanistan or any other war-torn country"



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I don't know if I've mentioned this already but the #1 mental note that I tell myself when I'm scared/stressed/panicking is "This is exciting! I'm excited! This is gonna be a fun challenge!"

Ultimately, I end up with a "Let's do this!" Mentality and only death is failure, everything else is a victory.

It's been a while since I've visited here but I just got into something new that I think helps a lot: Qigong

Qigong is a Chinese movement and breathing exercise that's said to promote health, relaxation, conditioning. A lot of the moves remind me of Yoga, to be honest.

Granted, there are a lot of versions and the one I'm doing by Shifu Yan Lei is a bit more strenuous and takes a bit of coordination. It also seems closer to martial arts.

You can of course choose the right one but yeah, Qigong, Yoga, Tai Chi etc...all help in strengthening the mind-body connection. They also give us exercises that aid in calming the mind and slowing things down.

The daily routine for Qigong is about 30-40 minutes total and I find that I finish it feeling refreshed and energized, like I had a really good night's sleep.

I've only been doing it for over a week but I feel a general improvement in wellbeing and I'm already starting to feel the need to do it daily - which is pretty soon for a new routine. That tells me my body wants to do it and therefore, that it is good for me.

I definitely recommend it to everyone. My mom is doing another version of Qigong and she's 73 so you don't have to be perfectly fit.

Cheers!

And remember, you've made it this far, you'll get through this.

I found reading helped me. I would grab a book a read outloud from it, sometimes the same passages over and over until I could begin to comprehend them, and at the point where I could concentrate on the words enough to understand them I would be coming out of it.

Also, counting backwards, slow and deliberate breathing, and not being alone (having someone there with me that could help calm me).

Yeah reading/speaking out loud helps me too.

Also humming, oddly.

I find the vibration in my chest soothing and gets my attention away from my heartbeat and perceived chest tightening.

Here's another one that never fails me:

Humor

I know it's near impossible to notice funny things when your chest is tightening up and your heart is racing, so it's best to start looking for something funny prior to that phase.

But at any rate, I notice an immediate calming effect when I distract myself with something humorous.

I've always believed that the best comedians have used humor as a kind of defense mechanism against anxiety and depression.

Maybe that's why good looking or very confident seeming people don't make very good comedians?

Lots of interesting posts here. I recently got an attack and am reminded of how scary they are. All the possibilities rush through my mind associated with not being able to fight my way into another normal breath. The 'toolbox' that I now carry, somewhat alleviates that fear. Breathing techniques and mindful distractions are my first responses. But I have also found humming to be nice, visualizing my goals, and simply working on my posture has helped. When I was unfamiliar with what was happening to me, I started with very basic breathing, counting and muscle flexing techniques. Those techniques helped me let go of immediate tension. If you have the resources, maybe take up a new hobby to incorporate these techniques in a more advanced practice

Don't resist anxious feelings ... what we resist persists. Allow it in and let the anxiety flow through you, as if you are porous. Then let it drain away. I use visuals with this technique, can actually "see" the anxiety passing through my body and then "see" it going down a drain in the floor below me. Very powerful technique that I find helpful.

I used to do this before but found that it took too long for it to "drain away." Usually it happens to me in meetings at work and I really need to be good by then.

Comedy was my go-to strategy since it would get everyone relaxed and positive and I in turn become relaxed and positive.

Thankfully, I've been dealing with this long enough to know that it will pass and that it's self-induced. Knowing the triggers, I can already guard myself.