3 Ways to Calm an Anxiety Attack

Anxiety attacks are painful. They can last a long time and it’s hard to cope with them, especially when you’re alone. Your worries become overwhelming, and you can’t find a way to leave them behind. You need a break, but you won’t get any. Not during an anxiety attack.

Thankfully, there are ways to make anxiety attacks more bearable, to calm you down before it gets too bad. It’s not easy, but it’s possible. There are many ways you can calm an anxiety attack, but they won’t all work for everybody. We are all different people, and what helps you may not necessarily be helpful to someone else.

The best way to figure out what works for you is trial and error. So, here are three ways to help you calm down when anxiety becomes so overwhelming you find it hard to breathe. Hopefully, at least one of these will help you when you need it.

1. Write It Down

Sometimes, the best way to calm your anxiety is to get all thoughts out of your head. You can choose to talk to someone about your worries, but if you don’t, that’s okay. It can be scary to reach out to a friend or family member. After all, you don’t always know how they’ll react. It might scare you to tell them everything that’s going through your head during an anxiety attack.

In that case, you can write everything down. There are many benefits to journaling, and emptying your mind of anxious thoughts is one of them. Even better, once you’ve calmed down, you can sit and read what you wrote. It allows you to understand your anxiety, why you feel that way, and how to best deal with it if it happens again. Next time you experience an anxiety attack, just pick up a pen and write everything down.

2. Breathing Exercises

Anxiety attacks often make it hard for you to breathe. In those cases, the best way forward is to help yourself breathe again. There are many breathing exercises that can help you do so. These will also be helpful if you ever want to try meditation.

It can be a little hard to believe, but reminding yourself that you can breathe can actually lessen the intensity of your anxiety. It can make everything much more bearable. Don’t hesitate to look into different breathing exercises and try them out, see which one works best.

3. Move Around

Anxiety and adrenaline go hand in hand. So, if you ever find yourself in the middle of an anxiety attack, try to move around and do something with that adrenaline. You can go for a walk or a jog if you feel like it. Maybe put some music on and dance. You’ll see that the more you move around, the better you’ll begin to feel.

This doesn’t just help you during anxiety attacks. It can help improve your well-being in general. It can lessen the intensity of your anxiety as long as you do it regularly. Try it out and you’ll see.

Dealing with Anxiety

Anxiety is a struggle. Your worries might be irrational, but the effect they have on you is very real. Not everyone who deals with anxiety manages to get better on their own. Sometimes, they need additional help. They need professional help.

If you think you might need help too, then don’t hesitate to reach out to a counselor. Therapy can seem daunting, but it can truly help you. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out to a professional. You don’t have to struggle alone. You can learn to manage your anxiety. You just need the right person to guide you through it.