Anxiety & Panic

Panic attacks can result when the anxiety peaks. Sometimes, rather than trying to get rid of anxiety, it can be helpful to pause and notice what is happening.

1. Putting words to the experience can create a little space: “I’m feeling anxious right now.” Or simply, “This is anxiety. It will pass.” Naming what is happening doesn’t make the feeling disappear, but it can help us move from being completely caught up in the experience to noticing it and creating a little distance between ourselves and the feeling, reducing the brains stress response.
2. When we are anxious, our breathing can become quicker and shallower. Bringing some attention to the breath can help the body begin to settle. Try breathing in gently for a count of four, then breathing out for a count of six. You don’t need to force the breath or do this perfectly. A few slower breaths may be enough to give your body a moment to pause.
3. Anxiety often takes us into the future — into all the things that might happen, what could go wrong, or what we need to prepare for. Grounding our bodies physically in the here and now, and with our environment, can help bring our attention back to the present. Look around and notice five things you can see, four things you can hear and three things you can touch. Using cold water on your wrists, or eating an ice cube, are alternative hacks.

If anxiety has become a regular companion, therapy can offer a space to slow down and look at what your anxiety might be communicating. Rollo May believed “the purpose of psychotherapy is not to cure anxiety, but to help the client gain the courage to experience it and live through it.” Rollo May. I like James Nestors "Breath" and Pat Ogden's "Movement Deck" which both offer supportive little cycles of movement and breathing to bring relaxation. And lots of herbal tea.