How to Self Care if you have panic and anxiety attacks!
Self care is possible if you suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. If you already know that you are prone to these episodes, there are a few things that you can do to alleviate the problem.
Before delving into what can be done to deal with the issue, it is important to note that the symptoms of panic attacks are very close to those symptoms of potentially deadly conditions. If you have never had an anxiety or panic attack and you experience chest pains and breathing problems, do not assume it is an anxiety attack. Seek medical attention immediately!
Again, if you have been through these before, there are a few things you can do. We will divide them up into long term and short term action plans.
Long Term:
- Abstain from caffeine, alcohol and drugs. While you may think that these will “calm” you down, the opposite is true. They will amplify your symptoms and make you more on edge. Stay away.
- Engage in aerobic exercise and breathing relaxation (like yoga). As an ongoing “therapy”, these activities have been shown to slowly decrease your stress level and over time, you may experience less attacks.
Short Term:
- If you are having an attack, you can immediately apply the techniques shown in the videos of this blog. The 7:11 technique and the hyperventilation technique have been proven to be very effective.
- Breathing in a paper bag. This one is contentious and there is no consensus on these techniques. Depending on who you ask, the positive effect of breathing in a bag is due solely to the placebo effect, or it is the wholly grail of stopping hyperventilation. The truth is probably somewhere in between those two views
