10 Ways to Manage Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Hey guys,

Today's post is a topic that is personal and close to my heart but I feel like others can benefit from what I have learnt in regards to coping and managing anxiety and panic attacks,

Long story short: I was diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) by my GP 21st January 2013 after feeling constantly worried and having panic attacks, including in an important exam in which I had to retake. For the first few months of 2013 I had no control over it and so not only was I always in a low and anxious mood daily but also a few days a week I found myself having panic attacks. This was physically, socially, emotionally and mentally exhausting and was majorly affected my day-to-day life, so I sought help and completed a lot of research, as well as tried out my own things I had thought of, to help reduce my anxiety levels and panic attacks,

2 years later, I still experience anxiety frequently but it is on a lower level on what it used to be now I know how to control it and prevent it escalating, meaning that I rarely have panic attacks now :)

So here are my top tips on how to manage anxiety and panic attacks:

1) Don't suffer in silence
 talk about it to someone you trust. I spoke to a few teachers I was close with and my best friend. I then got the courage to talk to my mum who made me the appointment to see my GP. My best friend was and still is my greatest support and knows what to do in every situation to help me keep control of my anxiety, or knows what to do when I am having a panic attack or high feeling of anxiety. I am so thankful for you Chloe!

2) Avoid caffeine
I was never a coffee drinker but drank a lot of tea, fizzy drinks (soda) and ate a lot of chocolate which are all high in caffeine. I stopped drinking fizzy drinks, regular tea and tried not to eat my body weight in chocolate. Instead, I had caffeine free tea bags, had and turned to caffeine free fizzy such as 7up or caffeine free cola and started drinking peppermint tea which is naturally caffeine free. In doing this I saw a noticeable change quite quickly as suddenly my body wasn't creating unnecessary adrenaline from caffeine that majorly contributes to anxiety and panic attacks.

3) Relaxation/Getting enough sleep
I am a natural worrier and insomniac so this always proves difficult to me, however of the past couple of years I have found methods that allow me to shut off, relax and fall asleep. I tend to watch a type of relaxation video called asmr (give it a google!), guided meditation videos or calming instrumental music-I have found that piano sounds are incredibly soothing for me. When the visual/audio content does not work for me, I use natural sleep aids to help me get a good nights sleep such as rescue remedy night or night nurse. 

4) Therapy/counselling
The thought of talking to others about issues they are facing can be daunting but it honestly helps so much. For 2 months I had therapy in school where I was taught techniques for relaxation, taught the cycle of anxiety and why it occurs (think flight or fight response) and taught methods of coping. I also had counselling with a guy called Dave through a charity called the moving on project which is available in the south of England for 12-25 year olds. Thanks to Dave's help and basically going through every single struggle in my life we managed to determine my main causes of anxiety and how I could accept/move on/cope/deal with. It was such a big help! 

5) Rescue Remedy
A herbal remedy that I swear by, as do many of my friends who too are anxiety sufferers. Some argue that it is a placebo but from my experiences it is far from true. It is not expensive ( around £4 I think) and can be purchased from pharmacies, drug stores like superdrug and boots and supermarkets such as asda. A little bottle of the stuff lasts for a long time so you will only have to buy a bottle every few years. A great worthwhile, beneficial purchase! 

6) Breathing techniques
Pretty self explanatory. When I feel particularly anxious or have a panic attack, like post people I hyperventilate so breathing normally becomes a challenge. The breathing technique I follow is take deep, slow breaths in from the nose and out through the mouth until you feel yourself calmer. I'm sure there are 1000s of posts/videos/articles about breathing techniques so do a bit of research and practice and see how it benefits you. 

7) Have access to a calm and quiet environment
Or make one with headphones and an empty space: simply listen to calming sounds/music away from loads of people, practice breathing techniques and take a moment to relax and calm down. If you have a 'happy place' try to imagine you are there or go there if possible. I live about a 45 minute walk away from my happy place which is my local beach (any beach does the job for me!) so in the summer I try to spend as much time as I can there, perks of living on the coast! 

8) Make sure those you spend most time with know what to do in a situation when having a panic attack
make sure friends/family/teachers/ whoever you are around a lot know how to spot the signs and what and what not to do when you are experiencing a panic attack and know your personal preferences. For example, my close friends know to remind me about breathing, reassure me, take me to a quiet space/away from people and let me take as much time as I need or try and distract me by talking/making me visualize things and to give me a hug to comfort me as they leave me very drained both emotionally and physically. Crying, dealing with increased heart rate and hyperventilating is tiring stuff!

9) Writing down worries/thoughts
Identify what is causing you to feel anxious. work out ways to be solved/managed
identification can prevent worry and confusion. It is very therapeutic and makes a good distraction. 

10) Light exercise
Exercise causes happy chemicals to be released from the brain called endorphins which leave positive feelings. This doesn't mean you have to rush out and get a gym membership (unless you want to), you can do exercises at home like yoga or a fitness dvd or go out for walks- something that I do and find very relaxing. It is healthy for your mind and body so I think you should give it a try and see how you feel after. 

I hope you found these 10 tips useful! If you have any questions or opinions to anything that I have mentioned above then please leave a comment below or tweet me. Remember I am not a professional, these are just what I found works best for me. 

A more light hearted, fun post is next up with my January favourites so hit the follow button so you don't miss it!

Until next time.
Love Katie Xxx

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