It is all very well to have the ability to recognize your triggers and to have some great ways to help you prevent panic attacks and to reduce your anxiety. But what about when you feel the panic attack coming on? What about when your anxiety is refusing to allow you to step a foot out of your front door? How do you cope right here, and right now?
Coping toolbox of tricks
Inside of your personal toolbox of coping strategies, you’ll have some great things that you can use right when you need them.
A quick trick is to get an ice cube. Hold the ice cube in your hand for as long as you are able to. Then switch it to your other hand. You can use a paper towel to reduce the mess, if you prefer. The important thing is that you feel the cold of the ice cube.
This technique is a quick and easy way to redirect your attention when you are approaching or are inside of a panic attack. Your mind will be more focused on the discomfort of holding a piece of ice, and less on the symptoms of your panic attack.
One of the symptoms of a panic attack is an altered perception of the world around you. You could feel disoriented, disconnected, and even like you are floating in a reality that simply doesn’t feel real. What you can do is to quickly ground yourself with something that feels tangible. Similar to the ice cubes, placing your hands on something with substance and texture can help to alter your mind’s focus. Grab your bed’s headboard, firmly grip your car’s steering wheel, place your forehead onto a cool surface, or run your keys across your fingertips.
The trick is to reduce that feeling of being disconnected from the world around you.
Panic attacks can make your thoughts run amok. You may think thoughts that are beyond the norm for you. You might think things such as, “I’m going to die” “I’m dying” “Nobody loves me” “I’m so alone” “I’m losing my mind.”
These phobic thoughts only serve to accelerate your panic attack. They may not initially be conscious thoughts, but you can get them under control. The key is to take yourself from being a victim of these thoughts to being a conscious observer of the thoughts.
You can accomplish this by writing the thoughts down on a piece of paper or in your notebook. By taking a reflective look at the thoughts, versus your initial reactive response, you’ll be in the driver’s seat to help keep the irrational thoughts from overwhelming you.
Writing your thoughts down, recording them to be read, snaps you outside of your reactive mindset. It will allow you to go on to write thoughts that are much more rational and grounded. You can transition from “I’m so alone” to “I have a good support system and a family that loves me.” You can transition from “I’m going crazy” to “I am being controlled by anxiety, I am in control.”
It can prove to be hugely beneficial to keep your thoughts in a notebook that you carry with you. You can then also go back to review just how the panic attack impacts your mental state.
Learn deep and meditative breathing practices. These are things that you can practice well in advance, so that you will be prepared the next time that a panic attack tries to take over. Short and rapid breaths can actually accelerate your panic attack symptoms. Rather focus on the deep breaths that will also allow you to center your mind.
Many who struggle with panic attacks and anxiety disorders find that it is hugely beneficial to have a support team around. Whether you can pick up the phone and call your sister at 3 in the morning, or call your best friend during the day, just knowing you have the support to help you ride through the emotional rollercoaster that a panic attack is can help you to learn to better cope.