How I manage anxiety and panic attack #mentalhealth
Hi Friends :)
Before I begin this blog post, I’d like to let you know that this is quite a personal thing for me to write, but I wanted to share this with you as I’m hoping that if you’re reading this as a panic attack/ anxiety sufferer, I may help you in some way.
Anxiety is an awful emotion to feel, a feeling that cannot be controlled & you are unaware of it creeping up on you. Different levels of anxiety lie in all of us all the time. From a simple thing like “Oh no, I’ve got school/work tomorrow” to something a lot more nerve wracking like a scary job interview or a meeting with someone that you know hates you (yes it happens).
Although anxiety lies in all of us, It affects people in different ways. When we’re stressed, our anxiety levels are much higher and some of us become a lot more sensitive to it. For those of you who are calm, collected and pretty fearless, you will have a much lower anxiety threshold. (I am jealous of those of you who are like this).
Extremely high levels of anxiety, can, in a lot of people, cause panic attacks, whether you are aware of your anxiety or not.
I’ve suffered with panic attacks for 6 and a half years, and so i’m writing this blog post for those of you who need advice to get through it when it happens.
What helps me?
I know it might sounds weird, but focusing on the music in my ears, try to remember the moment of the movie it came from, just help me get calmer. Also, if it's a music with lyrics, I'll focus on the lyrics, try to understand them or sing them in my mind.
Slow, deep breathing.
If i’m with someone, I need them to stay quiet unless I ask them something. I can’t handle anyone talking to me, or trying to distract me, or working me up. At the time of a panic attack, I don’t need someone highlighting the fact I’m panicking by making me say the alphabet or something like that. It’s nice to know someone is with you, but If I’m having a panic attack, I’m already trying to focus on something else and need to try and calm down. You also don’t have a lot of energy to speak, as any energy you do have, is being used everywhere else.
Avoiding Panic…
For many people, the only way they can avoid having a panic attack, is literally sitting at home and never leaving the house. I never want to get this bad, but I can see how it would happen very easily with a lot of people.
My panic attacks are a lot worse when I am stressed, or run-down, so I find it’s really important to give myself a break. For many people that means taking time off work or going on holiday.
For me, I just make sure I get enough sleep, try to be as organised as possible and go out to some walk.
See, I love walks and in the city I am in now, there is a forest. So, every Sunday, I will go for a walk into the woods for 2 or 3 hours, just to clear up my mind. And this makes a difference. I am way calmer afterwards and ready for the week to come.
I also think it’s important to write down how you are feeling if you feel like you are about to panic. Once, when I was on a plane, I started having a panic attack, so I whacked out my diary and started frantically writing how I felt. Having a diary and writing in how I feel almost everyday help me see through my emotions and kind of control them more easily. I don’t know if this is because it distracted me, or because it made everything slightly more logical.
Still, I can’t really go out and drink with friends but I'm working on it...
I really hope I have managed to cover everything, and I hope this has helped some of you. If you’re reading this, and you really feel down and depressed about your panic attacks and the way it has affected your life, please remember…
You are not alone, panic attacks are VERY common, and although terrifying, will not kill you. Don’t let your attacks ruin your confidence or dent your self esteem. Do not force yourself to go somewhere you don’t feel comfortable, you and your health are far more important than keeping someone else happy. If someone close to you fails to understand, it can leave you feeling terribly alone and insecure, so make them listen, understand and show as much support as possible!
That’s all from me. Please share experience’s and leave comments below, it won’t just help me, but will also help others just like you reading this blogpost :)
