Best Tips for Dealing with Anxiety Attacks

While fear and feelings of anxiety can accompany people with anxiety to the point where they almost get used to it, panic attacks are times when anxiety peaks and can cause genuine panic fears. Psychotherapy is the preferred treatment to consider in such situations. However, it is also possible to learn how to better calm and overcome them through various methods and techniques.

Here you will find our advice for managing and soothing your anxiety attacks on your own, and it is again specified that none of these methods should take you away from psychotherapeutic treatment.

Spot The First Signs Of Anxiety

Certain physical signs can announce the onset of anxiety, such as increased breathing, the feeling of chest compression and handshakes, sweaty palms, dizziness, and other localized pain. Recognizing and spotting these first signals is essential because it helps to slow down the evolution of the rise in anxiety by reversing its dynamics. This can help avoid having an anxiety attack.

Food Supplements and Phytotherapy

It is strongly advised to consume herbs and plants in the form of herbal teas in order to reduce or at least accompany the drug intake. It is important to seek advice from your herbalist or your pharmacist to choose the right plants, especially during pregnancy or breastfeeding. The plants best known for their benefits and anti-anxiety properties are Rhodiola, hawthorn, and passionflower.

It is also recommended for people with anxiety disorders to take magnesium because, due to stress, the rate of the latter in our body is greatly reduced. The magnesium then helps to regulate muscle contractions and soothe the person.

Cardiac Coherence 

When you feel the anxiety rising, you can deal with it by taking a deep, slow breath for 5 to 10 minutes. When we voluntarily reduce and calm our breathing rate, our heartbeats are slowed down, and our mind calms down with this new rhythm. This method is called “cardiac coherence” and is one of the most effective techniques.

To do this, you must therefore inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth, and then completely empty your lungs. It is important to focus entirely on your breath. Thanks to this technique, you will solicit your parasympathetic nervous system, which is the body’s center of relaxation, and you will inhibit the action of the orthosympathetic nervous system, which, in turn, is responsible for excitement.

Your brain will therefore be focused entirely on your breath and will neglect the symptoms and worries that cause you this angst and anxiety.

Play Sports 

It is recommended to maintain movement from the onset of your seizure, if possible. The level of cortisol is lowered when you exercise, which is the stress hormone. Try to fight the paralysis caused by the presence of stress by keeping your body moving. Jogging, Yoga, walking, or cycling are excellent ways to get your body to breathe and reduce your anxiety.

Consult a Psychologist 

When they are significant, anxiety attacks can make life heavy and force the individual to put in place numerous avoidance or control behaviors which generally increase the feeling of anxiety. In addition, the fear of a crisis occurring sometimes creates a vicious cycle between episodes, with some people developing anxiety at the thought of becoming distressed. 

Consulting a psychologist is essential, and if possible, before the situation worsens and becomes invasive. Your psychologist will explain to you how anxiety sets in and how to reverse the dynamic to regain balance and control of your mental life. 

I am Dr. Wendy M. O’Connor. I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with a private practice in Los Angeles, California. If you are looking for a Psychotherapist in Los Angeles, you can contact me anytime. I am available at working hours.