Panache

Anxiety attacks or panic attacks are the invisible monsters that keep looming over our heads like a devil. You don’t know when it will happen and they can ruin the most precious or important moments in just a second.

But you should know that you cannot let it do that to you. Not anymore. All you need to do is to get your control back and live your life the way you want instead of the way it wants you to go.

Follow some useful hacks below and learn how to handle your notorious anxiety so you can come out victorious from this unseen battle.

1. Deep Breaths

Taking deep, mindful breaths can instantly bring you to the present moment and bring your conscience to the present moment. It has been scientifically proven through various studies that taking deep mindful breaths can lower your anxiety significantly.

When you take deep breaths, you fill your lungs with more oxygen. Not only does your attention shift to your moving diaphragm. The aerosols in your lungs get filled with more oxygen that gets transferred to the most important part of your body, i.e. brain.

When the oxygen supply gets enhanced in the brain, the pulmonary baroreceptors are activated, which leads to decreased sympathetic activity. It helps the blood pressure as well as the nervous system. It also reduces the overactivity in the brain.

How to do it? Remember you have to practice mindful breathing. Just close your eyes, let your body lose, drop your muscles, and let your weight drop. Take a deep mindful breath from your nose as long as you can and slowly let it out through your mouth. Practice it as many times as you can until you feel relaxed.

2. Cut on Caffeine.

Did you know that caffeine is a socially acceptable drug that everybody takes? But science has proven that caffeine affects blood pressure, and heart rate, and significantly affects the nervous system.

If you are addicted to carrying a large cup of coffee to your office, that can be the cause of your anxiety. Consuming coffee on an empty stomach can work as a stimulant and trigger adrenaline release.

If you are addicted to coffee, and feel anxiety running through your body now and then, try to cut the consumption to a significant amount and notice the change for yourself.

3. Plan/ Retrace your steps.

Is there a particular situation that is making you more anxious? Maybe you are nervous about a presentation, an important meeting, or a dramatic change in your regular life. This might be new for you and you are not yet out of your comfort zone to face the fear.

Try to plan out the things. Try to think, write, or enact to a certain extent how you will do those things. Enacting would not only give you some amount of confidence. But it would also give you an idea about any obstacles may or may not face during the task.

Once you are ready for those. Your anxiety will reduce and your brain will know what to do in certain situations. Don’t forget that artists rehearse to keep things in their muscle memory and you can do the same.

4. Take a break and collect yourself.

Continuing from the previous point, you might think what if you are faced with an unexpected situation? As an anxious person, would you be able to face that in the moment?

The answer is yes. If you remove yourself from the stressful situation for a moment and calm yourself, you will be able to overcome it. It is okay to take a break, collect yourself, and your thoughts, and then continue.

Remember, you are in the world of humans, and humans make mistakes all the time. That is what makes them human in the first place. You do not need to chase perfection, just be your true self and the world will get it.

5. Drink a lot of water.

If you see people in their 40s a few decades ago and if you see people who are in their 40s now, you would see a huge difference between the two. People who are in their 40s now look much younger than the previous generation when they were at that age.

One of the key differences is the consumption of water. After the 90s, the consumption of water among humans has hugely increased. The awareness about water consumption has increased the looks of the people and prolonged their age.

So, next time if you feel that you are so anxious that your heart would come out of your chest, try to remember when was the last time you drank water. We do not drink enough water because we are busy with our day-to-day priorities, and that is not a healthy habit.

6. Count the things around you.

This one is especially for people who get anxious in social settings. This technique works like magic when you are having a panic attack. And you can distract your brain and save yourself from pushing yourself from the emotional black hole.

All you need to do is to count 5 or 10 things surrounding you. When you get anxious, your mind plays tricks on you through overwhelming thoughts. You will feel as if there is no coming out of this situation.

So, you need to distract it. Once you get out of the danger zone, take a few deep breaths, drink some water, and calm yourself down. You can change your surroundings by stepping out or taking a walk. That will surely help.

7. Have a ‘comfort’ object with you.

This technique can help you in unfamiliar or alien surroundings. It is like having an object-like friend with you in unknown places.

Many people get distressed or anxious when they get out of their regular surroundings or meet strangers for the first time. Many therapists suggest carrying an object like a stress ball, a stick, your favorite piece of clothing, or any other accessory that can make you comfortable immediately.

8. Have a support buddy.

Having a support system that can understand and support you through your anxiety or when you get an anxiety attack is the best thing you can have in your life.

Never hesitate to ask for help. You may never know, most people have either gone through a similar situation or can be empathetic and be there for you.

When you get nervous about something, always look towards that supportive friend who can understand you and sit with you through those tough times. They can be someone in your family, a member of your support group, your mentor, or your friend.

9. Wash your face with cold water.

When you are getting an anxiety or a panic attack, your brain is overwhelmed. All you need to do is to give it something else to engage with, thus bringing it back to the present moment.

Therefore, washing your face with cold water will follow the same mechanism and you will get out of the overwhelming, or toxic thought process.

A sudden temperature change will divert your brain’s attention and make it more alert. It will work as a wake-up call. It will temporarily decrease stress, release adrenaline, and activate the sympathetic nervous system.

10. Note your feelings.

Imagine being both nervous and excited about a certain opportunity. This is a once-in-a-lifetime event and you can’t risk getting anxious.

Try writing your feelings in a journal. It can be a digital journal or a pen and paper writing. But write honestly, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Just pour your thoughts out of your brain onto a sheet and feel lighter.

You can write as many times as you want and whatever comes to your mind.

I am aware of the feelings when you are getting overwhelmed with thoughts but once you start writing them your mind goes blank. But push yourself to write in those moments.

You can start by stating, “I was overwhelmed a second ago and now I can’t think of a single thing to tell you. I have an important audition and I am so lucky to have this opportunity given to me. However, I am also feeling nervous…..”.

Writing your feelings is not the only way to go through that. You can record yourself either through audio or video as well. Just let your current feelings out in any way possible. You will feel much lighter.

Also read: How to approach journaling as a newbie?

Conclusion

Remember, your thoughts fueling your anxiety are just thoughts and your body trembling through those overwhelming flow of thoughts is just an experience. It does not define you or your existence.

You can manage yourself and separate yourself from this occurrence and have better control over yourself. If you believe in it, you will be able to do it too.

Also read: How to cope with social anxiety?

Also read: 8 glaring signs of social anxiety.