By in Hypnotherapy, Meditation

Anxiety First Aid

We all get anxious sometimes. Fear is a natural response to potential danger. If we did not have the ability to experience fear we would probably not last long. Fear helps us to be vigilant, careful and to stay save. However many of us know the difference between reasonable feelings of fear and the vicious, unbearable and debilitating anxiety attacks that seem to come out of nowhere and stay with us sometimes for long periods of time.

As someone who works with the body and mind, and as someone who has conquered her own chronic anxiety, I have put together a first aid kit below, that may help you when your anxiety attack hits you. I strongly recommend you seek help from your GP or a mental health professional, if your anxiety is severe to a level that seriously impacts on your life or is haunting you over a long duration of time. The below information is meant as a tool kit to help you manage and reduce your anxiety when it hits.

#1 Ground Yourself

The moment you realise anxiety is upon you, put both feet on the ground and notice the contact you are making with the world around you. Notice your feet on the ground and if you are sitting or lying down also notice your back against the seat or the surface you are lying on. It may feel like the world has turned dark but you are still there. Notice that outside of you, in that moment nothing has changed and you are “externally” okay. Right this moment in time you are objectively save. Stay with the facts of the here and now and keep physical contact to the earth.

#2 Go To Your Safe Place

Anxiety can happen at any point and sometimes we can not simply stop what we are doing. However if you do have the choice, or if your anxiety is lingering, think about where you may feel most comfortable and save in that moment and go there if you can. It does not matter what other people think. You feel bad and that is a good enough reason to be where it makes it easier for you. Just be aware that this safe place may differ depending on when and where your anxiety hits. Ultimately you will instinctively know best where you want to be in that moment. You do not need anyone’s, including your own, cognitive judgement. Go with your initial instinct.

#3 Make Your Body A Safe Container

Anxiety is a physical experience. Our nervous system has switched to its “fight, freeze or flight” -mode. This means a lot of physical processes are in motion that add to our anxiety and the physical symptoms that can come with it. So let’s get the body out of panic zone into a state in which it can tell our brain that we are calm and okay and that there is less reason to stress out. We best begin by grounding as described before. The other powerful tool is breathing. Notice your breath. When we get agitated we tend to breathe in more deeply than we breathe out. So notice your breath.

Breathe in a bit more slowly. You may want to place a hand on your lower abdomen to help you direct your breath down there. This will encourage your breath to be less superficial and fully activate your diaphragm. Breathe out and try make the out-breath last a little longer, until all air really has come out. Do this a few times. Breathe deeply and elongate your out-breath in particular. Don’t force a big change that makes you struggle. Go easy. After a few breaths you can try holding a short pause between the in-breath and the out-breath, as well as before the next in-breath. Again, don’t hold your breath to the point of struggle. Just notice if there can be a short pause in between and continue focusing on really filling and gently stretching your deep abdomen with your in-breath and lengthening your out-breath, so it becomes as long, if not longer, than your in-breath. If you are finding this difficult, take a break from it ever so often and allow yourself to just breathe the way you need to. You may soon find yourself a little calmer in your body.

#4 Appreciate Anxiety

Remind yourself, that what you are feeling, regardless how horrible and seemingly pointless, is still a natural responds. Your nervous system may have gotten its wires crossed, but it is just trying to keep you save. You may know that you are not actually in any danger. Your body and your nervous system do not know this. They just act on the information they have, which may be a number of things you are not aware of. So have some sympathy for your poor body that doesn’t really know what’s going on and is confused. Thank it for trying to do its job of keeping you safe. When you do your breathing and grounding exercises sometimes you may just want to say to your body and brain: “I hear you. Thank you for looking out for me. Let’s calm ourselves down a bit and then let’s look into this together.” -or something along those lines. It may feel silly, yet there is a lot to gain from acknowledging the good your body is trying to do. It can be a great start into your own investigation and ultimately understanding why this is happening to you.

On a personal note, for a long time I suffered from anxiety, thinking there was no reason for it. It was when I started to understand that part of me was not okay with certain demands I made on myself in everyday life, that I could cure my anxiety completely. For this process to happen I had to first of all acknowledge that the anxiety was my bodies’ way of telling me I was not paying attention to what I needed in life.

#5 Remember, It’s Just Chemicals

Everyone experiences anxiety differently. For some the underlying cause may have to do with circumstances in their life. For others it may simply be an imbalance of chemicals in the brain.

In any case, on a physiological level anxiety is caused by chemical changes in the body. It is useful to remember this when it feels as though hell has broken loose inside you. Nothing has really happened, you are saving. In some ways the fear we tend to have of anxiety is worse than the anxiety itself. Anxiety is not a huge monster that has a hold of you. Ultimately it is just chemicals causing these feelings. They are unpleasant, yes, but in a way it’s not all that different to having to endure a cold. There are no huge decisions to be made right in this moment. Make yourself as comfortable as you can and ride out the chemical waves until you are in a better place for taking action. This can take a while. If you have experienced anxiety attacks several times in the past you may have noticed that washed out shadow of it that tends to hang around for a while afterwards. Think of it as a hangover. The chemicals take a bit of time to clear out of your system. Be kind to yourself during this time. It will be okay.

When you are starting to feel a little bit better it is a great time to reflect upon what may have triggered the anxiety as well as what made you feel better. Awareness is the first step to getting rid of anxiety. Try to be more mindful and more aware in your body. Be curious about your feelings and reactions in life. You may seek out guidance from a professional to help you explore the possible causes for your anxiety. Also, research has shown that individuals who have good coordination and body awareness are less likely to experience anxiety. Therefore mindful exercise that focuses on coordination and awareness are a great way to support your body with management of and recovering from anxiety.

So perhaps think about joining a Yoga, Pilates or Feldenkrais class, or a mindfulness class, if you prefer to stay away from movement related classes.

If you would like to speak with Kristin about your anxiety you can book a session with her at The Body Matters via 01702 714968. Or you may want to try out some of her mindful movement classes, such as Release & Restore or Pilates. Feel free to get in touch with Kristin to discuss what classes may be suitable for you.

Kristin Loeer
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