When you struggle with them, overcoming anxiety attacks are all
you think about, but it is not easy to do when you do not know where to
begin. There are a great number of options available these days, so
finding one that works for you can be difficult.
Getting an
understanding of why these attacks happen, helps to work out what to do
alleviate anxiety attacks, no matter how bad they might be.There are
certain tips and tricks that will help overcome anxiety attacks in a way
that can make them go away and not come back.
So, why do we experience or develop anxiety attacks?
Largely,
they are a result of how we live and what we do every day. They can
also occur as a result of a major traumatic event especially if the
person struggles to cope with it, but usually it just a result of
accumulated stress.
Many people these days work too hard, stay up
too late, push themselves too long, continually expect too much of
themselves, and worry too much - and they do this each and every day!
And they tell themselves that it will only be for a little while, or till they have reached this goal, or have that 'thing'... until their bodies and their minds 'yell' - Enough!!
Continuing
to live like that, means the body and mind are in a continual state of
over-stimulation, and eventually it will lead to worrying about not
getting things done, or to start fantasizing about things that may or
may not happen.
Then there are other things that can happen on top of all of that,
that will keep making the anxiety worse until whatever is wrong is
finally confronted.
Overcoming anxiety begins with finding out
what causes the anxiety to begin with. Is the cause the mind and nervous
system being continually over-stimulated, or is it whatever is driving
that behaviour in the first place?
There was a time when I tried
to do full time study, part time work and still be a full time mother,
and within eight months I had crammed so much into my mind and my day
that my system could no longer take it.
My mind shut down, and I
had anxiety attacks which made me feel absolutely terrible, terrified
and out of control - I had what was defined as 'burn-out'. One of the
best tips I received at that time was to 'ground' myself where I was. I
needed to slow my thinking down and to start taking care of myself very
basically.
My 'cure' was to change doing what was causing the
over-stimulation and the anxiety, and just get back to basics - my body
needed activity and rest and eating properly.
Relaxation and
exercise were the first things I focused on, and these two are some of
the most important things you can focus on in the beginning. Getting
these in balance helped me cope with the anxiety more easily.
Starting
to eat better and staying away from foods that did not 'feed' me, or
that made things worse like caffeine, was also important in helping
restore that balance.
My basic routine to begin with included -
eating good food at least three times a day so that my body was not
stressed by irregular intake of food and poor quality food, exercise
like going for walks to stimulate blood flow and relax and release
tension from my body, and rest, getting enough sleep to help my mind
slow down and recover.
Some of the worst times were at night,
waking up suddenly, feeling cold and shaky and my heart beating fast and
feeling like I was only 'half there'. It was easy in the middle of the
night for my mind to race and for feelings of panic to grip me.
One
of the things I would do was tell myself where I was (grounding), I
would wrap myself in something warm and comforting, and make a warm
milky drink and sip that slowly. I would walk up and down the hallway to
release the physical tension (fight or flight syndrome - boosts energy
levels in the body and walking helped relax and release that energy)
till I was calm enough to climb back into bed to sleep. (Oh, and I found
for me that when I walked and prayed that helped me calm down a lot faster!)
Some
of the other ways you can help yourself sleep better at night is - have
a warm shower before bed, sleep in a warm bed in a cool quiet room and
try some relaxation techniques before getting into bed.
I found overcoming anxiety was not easy at first, but when I finally realised that the attacks themselves could not harm me, I stopped getting them. There are things that can be done that will make it easier to overcome anxiety attacks and ensure that they never come back.
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