cant stop the anxiety or panic attacks

just had a really bad attack after having a decent day (my first one in a while )  i was doing some thing on a latter in my garage n i was fine at first but towards the end mt legs and arms started to shake i got hot really fast n boom  panic attack  had to slowly get down off the latter  started to feel like i couldnt get enough air came in the house and got right in my bed n starting praying for it to go away im just starting to calm down  reason why im writing this is because does anyone have any tricks they learn to help calm down fast or stop the panic attack  my anxiety is really high right now i hope i feel better soon

I get bad panic attacks, too. They can be just awful and I am so sorry you are having a rough one. Deep breathing - breath in while counting to four, hold for four counts, then exhale for four counts - can help. I also try "tapping" and it has helped some. (Google "tapping for panic attacks" and you will find videos that show you how to do this. You can also try a technique called "grounding" - again, Google for grounding and panic attacks.

 

None of these work every time but they do help, especially, in my experience at least, if you practice them when you're NOT having a panic attack because then they are familiar and comforting and you can associate the breathing, tapping, and grounding with a safe and soothing environment.

 

I hope this helps.

I'm sorry you have to suffer like this. I too get panic attacks for no reason, even when I'm asleep. As for coping - well, my psychiatrist has recently informed me that because my panic attacks are generated from a faulty brain stem that just on its own decides to fire off fight/flight signals - he says there are no cognitive treatments that are going to help. HOWEVER, I've have found things that work a bit when I am in the throes of severe anxiety (which is all day every day), and actual panic attacks. Distraction is the best thing that works for me. Anything that gets me outside of my own mind and focuses it on something else that requires its attention seems to give me some respite. For everyone, this is going to be different.

    I try to pace off those first 20 minutes of the panic attack because all that adrenalin has to be put to some use aside from making me miserable. I also sometimes take a beta blocker to stop the effects of the adrenalin which is the fast heart rate, palpitations, cold sweat, shakiness, feelings of impending doom - you know, all that fun stuff (NOT).  I've sometimes found that if my body settles down, it is easier for my mind to follow suit. Low dose Beta Blockers can be obtained from your doctor with a prescription - they are non-addictive and have no cognitive effects - they simply block the effects of the adrenalin.

  Once I get the body settled down, then I find something to distract my mind. Lately it has been things like helping other people on this forum, or just doing little mundane tasks around the house (not enough apparently judging from the mess my house is in, but what can I say?).  There are other times that laying quietly with my dogs and watching super mundane stuff on the TV (nothing triggering or overly emotional) will help too, but only once the body stuff settles. As long as your heart is racing and pounding it is kind of hard to make your mind calm. Some people just get out of the house and go for a quiet walk - this can help some. I wish it were an option for me but I live in a rural area and can't exactly go strolling through people's growing crops or herds of cattle.

    If you hold any specific spiritual beliefs, these can be of benefit as well. Sometimes the mental act of handing it all over to a higher power helps people. This again is a highly individual thing.

  There are those who say that Mindful Meditation is useful, but I cannot sit still during a panic attack and focus on my breath - it just makes it worse for me because it is forcing me to focus on my bodily symptoms. I think for some meditation is useful, but not during an actual attack.

 

  I hope you found some of this useful. I've had this issue since a small child and have discovered that what works for one person, doesn't work for another. You kind of have to follow your own instincts a bit and try things out during the attack to see what helps the most. Easier said than done, but over time you'll find things that will help you. Just remember that most panic attacks only last about 20 minutes and that you will survive. If the lingering adrenalin keeps you over-stimulated, then ask about the Beta Blockers.

  Best wishes and hope you have good long respites from the anxiety.

 

thank you for your reply NewMoon  i def will start trying different things to see what helps

on the way home    thank for your reply also ive tryed breathing exercises some times it works sometimes it does not  its very weird

I would distract with whatever works, and I mean literally anything.  When I used to have anxiety/panic attacks early in my withdrawal, I would pace, move my arm/legs, sing, pet my cat, look outside the window, and breathe slowly/deeply while humming (paramedics taught me that one during my 20min ride in an ambulance to ER for panic attack/I thought I was dying!!) - it works.  Anything to distract.  So sorry you're going through this.

While I wish I could distract myself when having a panic attack; I have found that I can not.  The only way I get through them (or cut them down in terms of time) is by tapping with EFT.  Saying that you will be fine and that you love and accept yourself at the end of each.  SO tapping on the top of the head with one hand "I am having an anxiety attack and I know this.  I love and accept myself".  Then to the temple with both hands and saying something about the symptoms you are feeling.  Next under your nose but above the top lip with one hand.  Then under your chin.  Then harder on your chest.  Then cross your arms and tap below arm pits.  Lastly uncross and tap at base of ribs.  Repeat 3 X.  Maybe this does work by distraction but the person who taught me this explained that is about accepting how you are feeling.  I would never have believed this EFT stuff unless it worked for me... first with guided practice and now on my own.  Even stranger? If I feel that I am GOING to have a panic attack due to a stressful situation - it helps minimize the anxiety and I can sometimes avoid the panic attack.  Getting better at it with time.  Don't care how I look anymore.  That ship sailed MONTHS ago.

While I wish I could distract myself when having a panic attack; I have found that I can not.  The only way I get through them (or cut them down in terms of time) is by tapping with EFT.  Saying that you will be fine and that you love and accept yourself at the end of each.  SO tapping on the top of the head with one hand "I am having an anxiety attack and I know this.  I love and accept myself".  Then to the temple with both hands and saying something about the symptoms you are feeling.  Next under your nose but above the top lip with one hand.  Then under your chin.  Then harder on your chest.  Then cross your arms and tap below arm pits.  Lastly uncross and tap at base of ribs.  Repeat 3 X.  Maybe this does work by distraction but the person who taught me this explained that is about accepting how you are feeling.  I would never have believed this EFT stuff unless it worked for me... first with guided practice and now on my own.  Even stranger? If I feel that I am GOING to have a panic attack due to a stressful situation - it helps minimize the anxiety and I can sometimes avoid the panic attack.  Getting better at it with time.  Don't care how I look anymore.  That ship sailed MONTHS ago.

 

This sounds like what I do, too, except I tap the top of my head last. (I start with the right hand tapping the fleshy outer side of my left hand, then my forehead, then just below my eyes next to my nose, then below the outer part of my eyes, then above my lip, then chin, then collar bone, then sides below ribs...) all the while doing as you have said: describing how I'm feeling and then loving and accepting myself and also telling myself I am safe. Doing this many many times over the past few years has made it become a calming sort of ritual.

 

Yup! Can't really care too much about how it might look!