TW: This article contains descriptions of anxiety attacks that might be triggering.
Please proceed with caution.
It always slowly creeps in. The dread that fills your veins, gripping your heart as it beats faster and faster. Chest constricting, palms sweating and the unmistakable spinning of the room that’s entirely in your head. You want to run, but you can’t, since there’s no valid reason to. Thoughts accumulating and slowly snowballing in your mind till your ears are ringing and you can’t seem to concentrate on what you were doing. You know exactly which train of thought drove you here, but for some reason you can’t seem to pull the emergency brakes…
Sound familiar? Well, congrats my friend! You’ve experienced an anxiety attack! In this day and age, with so many stimuli and stressors around us, the majority of the population has experienced a form of anxiety, whether it’s short-term or long-term. It’s common for people to mistake a panic attack for an anxiety attack as they share symptoms. The most notable difference between the two is the fact that a panic attack is sudden, more physically intense and lasts for minutes or hours. In contrast, an anxiety attack develops slowly, with less physical intensity and can last for days, weeks or even months. Once you dig yourself into a hole of overthinking and dread, it’s fairly hard to get out of such a state. Hard, yes, but not impossible.
The first step into pulling the brakes on the frenzied freight train that is your anxiety is the awareness of it. Knowing that your brain is merely looking for a way to protect you from an imaginary threat gives you reason to feel less guilt and self-loathing over the situation; something that is crucial to self-placate out of this state. And yes, our target is to embrace our vulnerable selves and placate them out of this.
And when awareness has been achieved, the next thing to do is a good old-fashioned distraction. It could take any shape or form. Personally, I prefer bringing out my designated music playlist, shutting my eyes and listening to it. The first track on this playlist is a soundtrack named Hela from the game Hellblade. Without going into details to not spoil it, this soundtrack is the one that plays during the final boss battle. It’s a track that, to me, is both emotional and peaceful. It serenades me into a calm. Feel free to listen to this track the next time you need some peace of mind and maybe it might have a similar effect on you as it did for me. If not, find your own soundtrack that has that effect. Whether it’s a song, an instrumental, a voice note from a loved one or religious scriptures, whatever it is, find something and hold onto it.
Now would be a good time to mention this next method, which is breathing exercises. You can combine breathing exercises with listening to music with your eyes closed. Taking as deep a breath as possible through your nose and then slowly pushing it out of your mouth can do wonders on slowing down the racing heart and the dread constricting your chest. If you can’t keep your eyes closed, you can always find solace in observing your surroundings instead.
Ever heard of the 5-4-3-2-1 method? Probably not, so let me tell you. It’s rooted entirely in observation. You need to look around you and name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can hear and 1 thing you can taste. Simple right? Well, there’s one condition. These things have to be within your vicinity. Taking your mind off your thoughts and grounding yourself in the environment you’re currently in can do wonders to soothe your anxiety.
Another great form of distraction can be found in video games. Yes, video games! It’s a form of escapism and it engages your brain just enough to keep it focused and entertained for a good amount of time, long enough to calm the storm of our thoughts. Whether it’s a game on your desktop or on a console or even a silly game on your phone, let it serve its purpose and distract you enough to calm down.
Now let me ask you, have you calmed down? Good, now let’s take one more deep breath. I have one more thing to tell you. See, everything I just told you is nothing but a temporary fix to a deeply-rooted problem. You might be self-aware enough to realize what the cause of this problem is, especially if the anxiety is chronic. Or maybe you aren’t even aware of it. Which is why, either way, you should seek professional help. Just like a physical illness, anxiety is a mental one and finding someone trustworthy to help you heal is crucial. Seeking therapy is still somewhat stigmatized in our society, yes, but be brave enough to ask for help when you know you need it. You owe it to yourself.
The methods I’ve mentioned here were ones that have worked for me time and time again. That doesn’t mean they have to work for you. What’s important is that you listen to your body and figure out what works best for you. I hope this bumpy ride hasn’t shaken you too much. Let me hold your hand while you safely disembark this crazy anxiety train.
