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In the world that we live in, there are so many demands on our time. From home life, family commitments, work, school, and social life, there are a lot of things that need our attention and focus, often at the same time.
Throw in physical health, mental health, self-esteem, hobbies, exercise, and social media, and our minds can be a busy place, thinking about all that we have to fit in and how we want to do things.
It can feel pretty exhausting, right? It is no surprise to hear that there are many of us young adults that suffer from mental health problems, especially anxiety.
In fact, one in seven of us are said to suffer with anxiety or depression, which is a pretty high statistic. In a school class of thirty people, for example, at least four people will be suffering.
And of course, it can be different people at different times in their lives, depending on what is going on.
Strategies
Do you know any coping strategies for when anxiety creeps in or you feel you are having or going to have an anxiety or panic attack?
If you don’t, then it can be something that is a pretty scary experience, as the room can feel like it is spinning and your heart can feel like it is pumping out of your chest.
While some cases of anxiety may need something more than you can do yourself, much like teen anxiety treatment or speaking to a therapist, there are sometimes things that you can do yourself to calm down.
It is so hard to think clearly or logically when you are faced with panic or anxiety. It can make you feel even more panicked when you feel panicked, as you can feel so out of control.
So when possible, as not all situations will allow, remove yourself and take some time out.
This can help you to be distant from a trigger perhaps, or just to be away on your own and away from other people. It could just be going for a quick walk around the block to get some fresh air and deep breaths, but it can make a difference to take time out.
Don’t Fight It
If you feel like a panic attack is coming on, like getting a faster heart rate or sweaty palms, then it is a good idea to try not to fight it as best as you can.
If you overthink it and what is happening, it can mean you could get more panicked. What you should aim to do is to breathe through the panic.
Taking a hand and placing it on your stomach so you can feel your breaths can be a good idea, and then you can make the focus your breathing.
When you do this, you are training your mind to be able to cope and get used to coping with that panic feeling. Over time and doing this technique, it can help to take away that anxiety feeling.
Not all panic or anxiety attacks can come from having a fear, often they simply come out of nowhere.
If you do get fear-induced attacks, then one of the best things you can do is to face your fears. When you face the things that you are fearful of straight on, then the fear of it will start to fade.
This is the ideology that is at the root of ERP therapy or exposure response prevention.
From that you can then face things each day that will help to ease the panic or anxiety. For example, getting in an elevator can be a trigger for some people because of the confined space.
If you get into an elevator and it does cause you to panic but you’re able to deal with it, don’t let that put you off using elevators in the future. Use it the next day and the next day, and it will soon be something that doesn’t fear you at all.
To some people this can sound quite negative and like the glass is ‘half empty,’ but in actual fact, when it comes to dealing with a panic attack, if you think about what the worst possible thing could be, it can actually help you to cope.
Say when you’re feeling panicked you think about what the worst-case scenario could be, like your heart beating so fast you have a heart attack, for example.
Then if you imagine that happening, you almost come out of the fear of it, because you realize that it is something that is highly unlikely, and those thoughts can make you realize that is just isn’t possible.
So learn to face the fear or panic that you have, as then it will make the fear ‘run away’ the more that you chase it, if that makes sense?
Visualization
When you feel the need, visualization is a great way to stay focused and take control of how you are feeling.
Thinking about and visualizing a happy place is a great help. Whether that is you relaxing on a vacation, being snuggled in bed, or a happy memory from something like your wedding or a childhood memory, it can switch how you are feeling to happiness, rather than panic and stress.
The positive feelings can help you to feel more relaxed as they can almost soothe you as you feel safe.
One of the final points is that you should treat yourself from time to time.
If you’ve done something that you’ve been dreading or worrying about, or you deal with and overcome an anxiety attack, then reward yourself with something.
It could be to have a relaxing bubble bath or having a meal out. Just a little something can make the difference to how you feel and how you deal with things going forward.
