Hello,
I know there are tons of articles and videos about this topic on the internet. But I think I need to interact with real people with similar struggles (feel free to share articles and videos that have helped you, though).
I’ve always had anxiety problems, even as a kid. I got diagnosed late (at 30) with ADHD, depression and social anxiety, and I started taking meds for those. The meds helped, but after a year or so I stopped taking them, mainly because I was feeling better and they were too expensive. Unfortunately the cheaper options gave me too many side effects.
I can function without the meds. But this year is being really hard on me and my wife, and my anxiety is starting to get out of control again. I’m getting some panic attacks and they make me feel like shit.
Can you share some tips on what works for you when you are feeling anxious?
Thanks a lot and wish you the best.
What works best for me when I’m in a panic is slow deep breaths in followed by a slow exhale. I always forgot about slowing down the exhale, but it’s really important. I started wearing a necklace that’s hollow like a straw to help when I’m too freaked out to force myself to do it.
Another tool I learned in counseling is going 5-4-3-2-1 through my senses. 5 things I can see, 4 things I can hear, 3 things I can touch, 2 things I can smell, 1 thing I can taste. You can mix up the senses if you want, and I don’t always get through the whole thing, but the act of looking for and naming things I can sense seems to help calm me down. It’s a pretty common grounding technique for disassociation.
Nice, I’ll try the 5-4-3-2-1 next time I panic. Thanks a lot!