5 ways to stop an anxiety attack naturally
Can I first tell you anxiety is a normal feeling?
We all have had it at one time or another. Every. Single. Person.
Sure, we may use different words to describe it - it can get lumped under the words stressed, worried, nervous - you get the picture.
Anxiety is our natural body & brain working to protect us from what may be dangerous. It helps keep us safe.
But, when it comes up repeatedly or out of nowhere, gets in the way of living our lives fully, or stops us from doing the things we want/need to do - then it’s a problem.
Boy, can it be so hard to deal with!
A few years back, Kevin & I decided to take a cruise. I was all for it because I’d never taken one.
As the date approached, the terror began to rise up. What if I need to GET OFF the ship? What if I get sick? How can I get home at any time I want to??
The thought of being “stuck” on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean was not my idea of fun! What the he** did I just agree to?
So, you see, it’s not just you! Even though I know what I know & do what I do, no one is immune from the grips of anxiety every now or then.
Medication isn’t always (sometimes it is) the answer. And, it comes with its own problems like side effects.
There are simple, fast natural ways I’ve shared with my Integrative Therapy clients to deal with an anxiety attack - and I want to share 5 of them here with you now:
(These are all effective practices, but it’s important to first practice them when you’re calm. Trying to practice anything new when you’re full of anxiety won’t work as well. With practice though, it’s like riding a bike, you’ll be able to hop on & be a pro when you most need it!)
Grounding & centering yourself in the present moment.
When we’re anxious, we’re often spinning around in our heads trying to think our way out of it. It’s almost a reflex. The problem usually is the more we try & think our way out, or distract ourselves, the more entangled we become - in other words, it gets worse. That’s because we’re reacting to fear with fear. It creates a vicious cycle.
Grounding & centering ourselves can help anchor us in the present moment. The present moment is what it is...nothing more, nothing less. And even if we’re feeling totally stressed or anxious in that moment, we’re breathing. We’re safe. There’s usually no immediate danger - if there is, react accordingly!
There’s a simple & fast way to ground & center yourself in this moment. It goes like this:
• Using your 5 senses, focus intently on everything you can see, smell, taste, hear & physically feel.
• Tap your feet on the floor gently & shift your awareness to feeling the solid support underneath you.
• Breathe - feel the air enter your nostrils, move down your throat & into your lungs as you allow your abdomen (not chest) to rise & fall. Slow your breathing down to whatever is comfortable for you.
• Gently bring your awareness into your feet. Feel yourself grounded to the floor & your body in the space around you. You are the center of that space.
2. Look for the opposite
It’s very common to feel anxious when there is a hidden opposite feeling or thought existing at the same time. This means, for example, you may feel really excited about an upcoming trip (like I was) or a new job or a family visit - AND- at the same time, kind of have the dreads or some other feeling/thought about it.
Very often, anxiety comes up in response to the friction that’s caused when we are feeling two different ways. A lot of times, we aren’t even aware of the opposite feeling or thought because it’s in our subconscious mind. We’ve often judged it & shut it down before letting it into our awareness.
You can check in with yourself by asking “Am I feeling any other way about this situation then what’s obvious to me right now? Is there any feeling or thought that I should be doing X but I really want Y?“ Ask yourself with the intention of allowing whatever comes up, comes up. Don’t judge it - just allow it to enter into your awareness.
3. Change your self-talk
If you’re feeling scared about doing something that you know rationally is safe, but yet it scares you, we humans can think of 1 million things of why we shouldn’t do that thing. A lot of times, a battle starts to creep in, between what we really want to do and what we feel we can do - and sometimes those feelings just aren’t based in the truth. I’m not suggesting you do anything unsafe, but for some people the thought of even doing something relatively safe like going to the grocery store can throw them into a whirlwind.
A good line to use, while you’re doing that thing that scares you, is: “Right now, this is anxiety. (Label the thought…it’s just a thought & by putting a label on it you’ll get some distance from it being “you”. Hint: Your thoughts aren’t you! Even though I’m feeling scared, I know I’m safe & I can do (insert this thing).”
I know, this is so much easier said than done. So I suggest you start off with something small.
If you’ve ever heard the expression, “the only way out is through”, this is it.
There can be many steps to this, but sometimes, when it’s something relatively simple, this will work as you build upon this skill.
4. Practice acceptance of the feeling
As uncomfortable as anxiety is (I’m not a fan of it myself) , It’s important not to get into a battle with it. The more you push against it, the more it can flare up. It’s like adding gasoline to a raging bonfire.
So even though it feels counter-intuitive, sometimes the best thing we can do is to sit with it. Through acceptance, because anxiety is only a feeling, and our feelings don’t always reflect reality, is to just pay attention to it and let it be there. Accept that it’s happening.
Notice where you feel it in your body and keep your attention there without thinking about it. It’s very important to remember this is not a thinking exercise, it’s a feeling one. Be the observer of your thoughts without believing them. Not every thought we have is the truth.
When we meet anxiety with acceptance, and recognize that it’s just a feeling state, very often it’ll diminish much faster. If we just allow it to be there, and go about our lives, it will leave us much faster than pushing against it.
To practice this, you may need to literally sit with it. As you get better at doing it, it will be much easier to do it when you’re out and about and doing other things.
5. Plan an “out”
When we’re dealing with certain phobias, the worst thing we can do is give into it. If we are afraid of leaving our homes, and we never expose ourselves to doing that in small steps, it just reinforces itself and creates its own life & it can become much more difficult to get out of.
But, very often you may feel “trapped” when you’re making plans to go to a party, a movie, or even on a vacation. For instance, let’s say you’re going to a party and you’re not going to be the one driving. It’s not unusual for thoughts to come up like “How will I get home? What if I want to leave?” By planning an “out” early on, you can problem solve how you’ll deal with that. You’re never really truly trapped in most situations. Sometimes, it can be helpful to have an “out“ planned ahead of time to help your brain realize you aren’t, in fact, trapped.
These are just some of the ways that you can deal with anxiety naturally. As I said, the more you practice, the better you will get at it. And the more likely they will help in those emergency feelings situations.
If you need more help with this, let me know, I am happy to help share with you what I know.
In peace,
Beth
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