How do I get through my anxiety attacks?

Anxiety can be one of those tricky issues that seem to come out of nowhere. Sometimes it's hard to understand where the influx of feelings is coming from. So easily if not managed, anxiety can truly do a number to control your life.

When you say that your life in your household is causing you anxiety, do you indicate that as the move or from going to living by yourself to now cohabitating? Most of the work in reducing anxiety attacks, is to first identify your trigger patterns and when you get upset. In those moments, using your identified coping skills can help reduce those before they get out of hand.

Self-care is a great indicator of how you manage stress. If your self-care is lacking, your stress levels will generally reflect and show that you may be overwhelmed. So, keeping a journal of triggers or onset anxiety attacks can help you determine the patterns and the overall stressors.

One of the first things to remember when you are there, in the midst of an attack, is that it is only temporary. The worst of the anxiety in the attack is in the first 10 minutes and then will usually subside. An important idea to remember is that you are uncomfortable, but are not truly in active, physical danger.

To help alleviate symptoms, deep breathing is an extraordinary technique to do so. Whether you are box breathing or 4-4-4 breathing, being able to utilize this skill is helpful. I find that using mindfulness and visualizations can also be helpful in these cases.

Grounding is especially helpful to regain awareness. The 5-4-3-2-1 method is one of my personal favorites in mindfulness. Your therapist may have assigned you this to practice when becoming overwhelmed, but the basic premise is this: When you are looking for the 5 things, make sure they are 5 different items that you can see. Spend time thinking about each one. Next the 4, you are listening for 4 sounds in the space. It could be the humming of the dryer or the beeping of a microwave. Next, you will touch 3 items. Notice the texture, shape, and weight of that item. You can even think about how you can use the item. After that, you will follow up with 2 things you can smell. Whether it be a perfume or the smell of fresh baked bread (if you are in that environment because who can resist that smell!), take time to breathe into that smell. The 1 thing is something you can taste. That can be the taste of leftover coffee you can still taste or you can try something small like candy or gum to have a taste.

Muscle and progressive relaxation can also be beneficial. This is where you tense a muscle and then relax that muscle. You can start from your toes and work up the body. 

I hope this was helpful!