Anxiety Attacks
For years, I've been dealing with anxiety attacks. Lately, they've been more intense and constant. I need better ways to get through them...
Had an anxiety attack tonight in the shower...
I am so sorry to hear that. I hope you are alright now. I know how hard it is to have anxiety.
I used to get those in the shower and driving and its scary ! , it sounds silly but I leave the door open to the bathroom and leave half the shower curtain open so I know who is in the house n stuff and shower fast. If im having a really bad day, On a good day I try to take deep breaths and say no one is there and its just my head messing with me
Just a guess but if you had an anxiety attack in the shower, I would assume you have some major self-image body issues you're struggling with or that's the only place you can be alone and break down without people finding/hearing you. Is everything okay?
i have been having some issues with my body... i feel anorexic at times and other times fat and gross but mostly i will start crying in the shower and it just goes downhill from there
Anxiety attacks are awful. What usually helps me is a combination of things. If you can escape to a bathroom and lock the door, you know you have a small safe place. First thing is first. Stop everything, close your eyes, and really focus on slowing your breath. That's always the hardest step for me but it helps break the cycle.
Step 2 is take a good long look in the mirror. I don't mean for self-critique. I mean really look into your eyes and see what's there. Is the root emotion anger, fear, heartache, paranoia? If eyes are the window to the soul then look deep. My anxiety attacks made me angry and I acknowledged that anger in myself and found if it was justified or not.
Step 3: Let yourself feel. I found my anxiety attacks are a downward spiral with a toxic seed feeding all the anxiety. If you can break the spiral, you can face the root and identity the issue and just deal with it later at the right time and place.
Step 4: Put a wet washcloth on the back of your neck, take some deep breaths, and take a look in the mirror again. Look at yourself nd know you just survived. Yeah, you may have to repeat this a few times but the harder you look (honestly) into your own eyes, the more you see and can acknowledge. Think of anxiety attacks as toddlers throwing a temper tantrum until you acknowledge them.
Good luck. I hope this helps someone.
My last anxiety attack happened when I was taking my social 30-1 diploma. It was so embarrassing and scary. I couldn't catch a grip on anything or my breath. Everybody was staring at me. Which made it 1000 times worst.
Hey Princess! Sorry too hear your feeling this way, I suffer from Panic Attacks too. I have always tried tapping the soft part of your hand (the side) rapidly and softly when your experiencing something really positive in your life, then do the same thing when your suffering a panic attack. It helps you too relive those positive experiences in your mind! ;)
@SimonTheGr8, sorry for interrupting the flow of your lovely advice, but your avatar made me smile so widely, I thought I should thank you for it. Thank you ^^
Aw thank you! I was going too change it, but I kept it because another member who I met in Teen Support told me it made him smile!
@SimonTheGr8, I love it! Every time I read your posts, I imagine you whispering them softly, and then slowly disappearing in the bush. And this sensation is so absurd, and amusing, one cannot hold their smile ^^
Just your presence brightens up my time in this community!
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I have anxiety attack but I'm still nice, polite, to everyone around me cuz when u treat. Other people a certain way they will treat u back the same way .
How do you deal with these? I'm 17 and I've had anxiety/panic attacks for nearly 2 years, but they've been getting worse, lasting 20-30 minutes nearly every single day. Even when the hyperventilating and fast heartbeat stop, the shaking and scary thoughts continue for hours. Its like I'm constantly in a state of fear and I don't know what to do.
Hey @Tai. I understand that. It's like they're self-perpetuating the longer they happen sometimes. I'm sorry to hear you're going through this. I know one technique that worked for me(though everyone is comforted by different things), is known as the "grounding" technique.
Attacks are usually brought on by fear over the past or future(so says my therapist), and so bringing yourself "back" into the present helps ease or shorten(or get rid of) the attack. To do this, do a senses inventory to bring yourself back to NOW.
1.What can you hear?
2.What can you see?
3. What can you smell?
4. What can you taste?
5. What are you touching?
Even when I felt dizzy and out of control, by making myself answer those questions, my brain would work back to a calmer state w/ simple one-word answers.
I know it can be exhausting, upsetting, and just overall frustrating, but you just have to find what works for you. No matter what though, they are not forever. You can find peace again.
I'm definitely going to try that next time. Thank you for the advice :) <3
One of the things that works for me during a panic attack is opening a window and sticking my head outside. (Going outside can work too, but if you don't live alone this can be harder to explain, especially during a heavy anxiety attack.)
It works best when it's cold outside, especially when it's cold enough to give me goosebumps. It puts me back in the moment. Sometimes I can stand there for minutes on end, just feeling my body cool down. It's the combination of fresh and cold air that makes it easier to deepen by breathing, but more importantly the cold is a grounding factor. Sometimes I begin to shiver and my skin feels freezing, but it distracts from worries and it actually seems to kick-start some mild survival instinct where my body focuses on keeping warm and it puts worries and fears in perspective, usually subduing them.
During an especially bad panic, I usually force myself to look outside and focus on the objects I can see. Like others here have already said, it helps to focus on your senses. What can you hear? What can you see? What can you smell?
Doing these two things at once have really helped me through a lot of panic attacks over the years. I hope it might help some of you too!
I love this thread. I promise I keep it active for reasons other than that beautifully interesting conversation above.
